Nitrogenating Cold Brew Coffee

[triptens]

I'm looking to keg my cold brew coffee and give it the mouth feel of a guinness. I have the stout handle and 75% nitrogen/25% c02 tank but can't get the results I want. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Here's a video of what I'm looking to do, but with a corny keg rather than commercial.

 

[Hello]

I just saw a thread on this or about nitro and someone did coffee. Anyway, I would love to have this. Another obsession is on the way!

 

[Schauby7]

I've been working on the exact same project over the past few weeks and have achieved mixed results. My first attempts resulted in a slightly carbonated coffee which was not pleasant at all. I started out using a beer gas pressure of 35 psi which is what I use for my stouts but the results were not good. For my next attempt I dropped the pressure of the Nitrogen/CO2 mix to about 15psi which resulted in a nice creaminess but the coffee was still ever so slightly carbonated. I think the presence of carbonic acid in the coffee does not pair well with the flavor of the coffee itself. Overall something still seemed off.

For the next batch I would like to source 100% nitrogen to push the coffee instead of the 75% Nitrogen, 25% CO2 I currently use. I'm hoping that by removing the all presence of CO2, the coffee will taste much better.

How much pressure did you attempt to use and what were the results you experienced specifically?

 

[monkeybox]

Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[triptens]

Schauby, I've pretty much done the exact same thing that you have done thus far with the same results. I'm pretty sure if you remove the presence of all c02 you'll just have a flat coffee. Maybe a carbonating stone and starting off at a low psi would work? I'll be tinkering until I get it right. I'll post on here whenever I get the results I want.

 

[pricelessbrewing]

Any update Triptens? My friends fiance is doing this same thing in Ann arbor, and is launching their results next week.
From what I remember she's doing 100% nitro at around 20 psi or so, was enough to push and slightly carbonate. When she used 75/25 mix, the cold brew was fine the first two days but after that the brew seemed to be too carbonated and bitter.

 

[Danimal86]

nitro cold brew sounds amazing! How are you guys making cold brew on a multi gallon scale? I'm using the Filtron maker and i end up with 36-48oz cold brew using a pound of coffee.

 

[pricelessbrewing]

If I were to do this myself, I would do so in a manner similar to either BIAB or a mash tun. Either with a braided filter, or with a cheese cloth/viole filter inside a glass/plastic container.

 

[Schauby7]

I make 3 gallons of coffee per batch in a spare Corny keg with the down stem removed. I make each batch at 40F and after sitting for 24 hours the coffee becomes pretty compact at the bottom of the keg. Then I siphon the coffee into another keg and it's ready to go. I use about a pound of coffee per 1.25 gallons of water which ends up as 3 gallons of cold brew coffee.

 

[day_trippr]

[...]From what I remember she's doing 100% nitro at around 20 psi or so, was enough to push and slightly carbonate.[...]

Perhaps a bit of persistent Nitrogen that tickles the tongue as it escapes the beer's clutches, but obviously not carbonation...

Cheers!

 

[Danimal86]

I just got an email from beveragefactory and they released there javarator coffee dispenser. Look like a standard kegerator setup.
http://www.beveragefactory.com/coff...duces+the+Javarator+-+Cold+Brew+Coffee+on+Tap!

 

[triptens]

Just an update. I was unable to achieve what I wanted without expensive equipment. It seems to be the only way to get a true nitrogen cold brew is to purchase a cellar stream nitrogen attachment system which is around 5k. If anybody else has figured out a way that doesn't carbonate the coffee at all I'd love to know. Danimal, that simply pushes the coffee out with nitrogen, doesn't give it the guinness body we're looking for.

 

[Danimal86]

Thanks for the update.
I guess i was hoping that you could force it with nitrogen and get that nice creamy nitro look and taste.
Bummer.

 

[pricelessbrewing]

I'll ask the friends wife what she equipment and gas mixture they're using. They've had it on tap for awhile now, and it's freaking delicious. I think they're up to 3 locations codbrew on tap now?

 

[Danimal86]

Please do. Im itching to build a cold brew tap

 

[brewcoffee]

Was looking for any updates on this? I'm using 100% nitrogen with a stout faucet and have not seen any cascading at all.

 

[Karlberg]

Would it be possible to use a whipped cream siphon loaded with nitrogen to produce ~0.7 liter? Not keg quantities I know...

 

[JuanMoore]

Thanks for the update.
I guess i was hoping that you could force it with nitrogen and get that nice creamy nitro look and taste.
Bummer.

The cascading head and creamy texture in nitro beers like Guinness is from CO2 being forced through the restrictor plate in the nitro faucet at high pressure, and being broken into lots and lots of really tiny bubbles. The nitrogen is used to be able to increase the pressure without causing excessive carbonation. The carbonation levels for serving on nitro are really low, but you still need at least some carbonation to achieve that effect.

 

[Danimal86]

The cascading head and creamy texture in nitro beers like Guinness is from CO2 being forced through the restrictor plate in the nitro faucet at high pressure, and being broken into lots and lots of really tiny bubbles. The nitrogen is used to be able to increase the pressure without causing excessive carbonation. The carbonation levels for serving on nitro are really low, but you still need at least some carbonation to achieve that effect.

Beergas is 25/75 mix co2 to nitro? Would that work?

 

[JuanMoore]

Beergas is 25/75 mix co2 to nitro? Would that work?

I would think so. That's what you'll need to push it with to maintain a little carbonation. You can carb it with the mix as well, but it's quite a bit slower than using straight CO2. You'll probably want to aim for a relatively low carb level, around 1-1.2 vol. Not sure how the differences in protein content and oils between beer and coffee will affect things, but it's worth a try IMO.

 

[Danimal86]

I would think so. That's what you'll need to push it with to maintain a little carbonation. You can carb it with the mix as well, but it's quite a bit slower than using straight CO2. You'll probably want to aim for a relatively low carb level, around 1-1.2 vol. Not sure how the differences in protein content and oils between beer and coffee will affect things, but it's worth a try IMO.

Thanks!
Looks like i'll need to start sourcing a stout faucet, nitro tank and regulator.

I tried looking at the video on the first post, is that a stout faucet or a creamer faucet?

 

[Ctchef2000]

I have been making nitro coffee now for about 2 months at a busy cafe. We gas the tank at 40psi and then let it sit for a day. Then we run it at 30 psi. Wondering if anybody has played with doing nitro tea or other flavors?

 

[55x11]

Thanks!
Looks like i'll need to start sourcing a stout faucet, nitro tank and regulator.

I tried looking at the video on the first post, is that a stout faucet or a creamer faucet?

I have great results of creating nitro head with CO2 and no nitro - you need nitro/stout faucet (which simply has smaller holes to create more turbulence) and push through very lightly carbonated beer - or in this case coffee - at relatively high pressure. Say 3psi carbed beer (less than 1 volume) pushed at 20 psi. Nitrogen is used to not over-carb the beer, nothing to do with bubbles size or stability - there is a lot of discussion about this in HBT.

I believe that carbing slightly and using high pressure to serve and then reduce the pressure /purge the keg should produce desired results.