stout faucet, but no nitro

[shoebag22]

I want a stout faucet, but I do not have nitrogen... will I still get some benefit fr?m the faucet or is it a waste?

 

[david_42]

Waste, unless you can remove the restriction plate. In that case, you'll at least have the look, but not the results.

 

[Coastarine]

Not entirely a waste, however to get the effect will be a bit of a hassle. All you need to do is turn the CO2 pressure up to 30psi before you pour. The beer doesn't care what's pushing it, just as long as it is being pushed hard through the faucet. HOWEVER, the beer does care if you leave the pressure up that high, because you will end up with a beer that is horribly over carbonated. That's the point of the nitrogen/beergas: high dispensing pressure without overcarbing.

 

[LoneOakDesign]

I actually have the same setup. Stout tap with no nitro. I serve it at the same pressure as my other beers, about 13 psi. The stout tap does create a great waterfall effect and the beer has a noticeably lower carbonation level than if it's pushed through a standard tap. I did leave the restrictor plate in as well. Once the beer settles, it has a thick, creamy head. It definitely changes my stouts for the better. So much that I don't know if the upgrade to beer gas would be worth it to me.

 

[bendavanza]

You could look for an argon/co2 tank, very common in welder supply stores and on craigslist, etc. Yuri uses that blend because he already has it for welding.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

No, I use pure argon. See my post in this thread:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/dispensing-guinness-co2-142100/

 

[JKoravos]

I actually have the same setup. Stout tap with no nitro. I serve it at the same pressure as my other beers, about 13 psi. The stout tap does create a great waterfall effect and the beer has a noticeably lower carbonation level than if it's pushed through a standard tap. I did leave the restrictor plate in as well. Once the beer settles, it has a thick, creamy head. It definitely changes my stouts for the better. So much that I don't know if the upgrade to beer gas would be worth it to me.

Interesting. I wouldn't have guessed that. I feel like I've tried this before and I didn't like the results, but I've drank a lot of homebrew, so it could be all in my head.

 

[drez77]

I have yet to hook my nitrogen tank up (still sitting in my garage) so I have been suing my Stout tap with regular co2 set at about 12 PSI and it seems to work pretty well. I did remove the restricter plate.

 

[bendavanza]

Drez,
The stout faucets work ok for regular ales with the plate removed, but the high pressure/restrictor disc is the key to the creamy head and somewhat flat beer that guinness is known for, the same goes for Murphy's stout and Boddingtons pub ale.

 

[drez77]

I still get a cascading head with the restricter plate removed with CO2. One article I read said to remove it when it will not be used with nitrogen. I will have to throw it back in and see if there is a difference. Heck, I should just hook up the nitrogen and call it done!