Nitro "beer gas" question

[Ron Reyes (Papa Piggy)]

BINGO!!!! i took the faucet apart and while it did not look dirty at all i guess a couple of the tiny holes must have been clogged. I just poured a perfect pint with awesome cascade and super creamy head. yummmmm

 

[GFHomebrew]

BINGO!!!! i took the faucet apart and while it did not look dirty at all i guess a couple of the tiny holes must have been clogged. I just poured a perfect pint with awesome cascade and super creamy head. yummmmm

Well there ya go!

 

[Steve SPF]

BINGO!!!! i took the faucet apart and while it did not look dirty at all i guess a couple of the tiny holes must have been clogged. I just poured a perfect pint with awesome cascade and super creamy head. yummmmm

Brilliant! Now that normal order is restored, can I ask again about the logic of carbing with CO2 and dispensing with the mix?

I'm really interested in this and intend to try a 30/70 as soon as I get chance

 

[Ron Reyes (Papa Piggy)]

Brilliant! Now that normal order is restored, can I ask again about the logic of carbing with CO2 and dispensing with the mix?

I'm really interested in this and intend to try a 30/70 as soon as I get chance

i saw this as the recommended way to go by several sources.. So thats what i did. but apparently you dont have to do it that way. just like most things in home brewing

 

[Bubba Wade]

Well, I believe there is physics involved. Carbon dioxide is about 100 times more soluble in water than nitrogen. Without getting too technical, the CO2 in the beer and in the head space will reach an equilibrium based on the partial pressure of the gas at a particular temperature. So, to get the same CO2 solubility level with a 75/25 gas mix, you need 4 times the pressure. The nitrogen is by comparison, pretty much insoluble.

 

[Steve SPF]

Ok, so why use it then? If the beer is using CO2 for carbonation purposes what's the point of the nitrogen?

I don't mind technical personally - I'm impressed that anyone knows this stuff

 

[Nosybear]

Ok, so why use it then? If the beer is using CO2 for carbonation purposes what's the point of the nitrogen?

I don't mind technical personally - I'm impressed that anyone knows this stuff

Two reasons: First, aesthetics. That cascading nitrogen foam is just pretty. The second is flavor - nitrogen adds none, while CO2 adds some tartness (carbonic acid).

 

[Bubba Wade]

Ok, so why use it then? If the beer is using CO2 for carbonation purposes what's the point of the nitrogen?

I'm not an expert on nitro taps, but at 10 °C, some nitrogen will dissolve. When the beer is forced through the restrictor plates, there is a significant pressure drop and the nitrogen wants to come out of solution, hence the creamy tiny bubbles. With a 3:1 ratio of N2 to CO2, this still allows CO2 in the beer, although at a typically lower carbonation rate.

I plan to become an expert on this in the near future, as soon as I can determine whether the local gas shop can supply the 75/25 mixture. I really like nitro pour beers and plan to try some Belgians on nitro.

 

[Ron Reyes (Papa Piggy)]

Two reasons: First, aesthetics. That cascading nitrogen foam is just pretty. The second is flavor - nitrogen adds none, while CO2 adds some tartness (carbonic acid).

 

[Steve SPF]

Two reasons: First, aesthetics. That cascading nitrogen foam is just pretty. The second is flavor - nitrogen adds none, while CO2 adds some tartness (carbonic acid).

Right, so the nitrogen forms the head? So the idea would be to just carb the beer up as normal and then try mix for dispense.

I think there's something around temperature as well, is the nitrogen less volatile under changing temperatures? I have a little mobile 'Beer Shed' and my faourite brewer advised a mix because there may be situations where it's sat in fairly direct sunlight (it is England so won't be often!) so we may be subjecting the beer to some temp changes.

 

[Steve SPF]

I'm not an expert on nitro taps, but at 10 °C, some nitrogen will dissolve. When the beer is forced through the restrictor plates, there is a significant pressure drop and the nitrogen wants to come out of solution, hence the creamy tiny bubbles. With a 3:1 ratio of N2 to CO2, this still allows CO2 in the beer, although at a typically lower carbonation rate.

I plan to become an expert on this in the near future, as soon as I can determine whether the local gas shop can supply the 75/25 mixture. I really like nitro pour beers and plan to try some Belgians on nitro.

Do keep us posted on progress

 

[Nosybear]

Right, so the nitrogen forms the head? So the idea would be to just carb the beer up as normal and then try mix for dispense.

I think there's something around temperature as well, is the nitrogen less volatile under changing temperatures? I have a little mobile 'Beer Shed' and my faourite brewer advised a mix because there may be situations where it's sat in fairly direct sunlight (it is England so won't be often!) so we may be subjecting the beer to some temp changes.

Boyle's law (I believe): Gasses are more soluble the colder the water gets. Since nitrogen is less soluble, there's less variation (by amount, it's the same ratio).

 

[Steve SPF]

Boyle's law (I believe): Gasses are more soluble the colder the water gets. Since nitrogen is less soluble, there's less variation (by amount, it's the same ratio).

Right, so less soluble = more stable in variable temperatures?

Who knew brewing beer was going to get this complicated

 

[Nosybear]

Right, so less soluble = more stable in variable temperatures?

Who knew brewing beer was going to get this complicated

Stability is pretty much the same, it's just there's far less nitrogen in the solution to lose. It's Henry's Law, by the way. Looked it up....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry's_law

There's more than you ever want to know about solubility of gasses in liquids. I used to understand some of this but it basically boils down to the warmer the liquid, the lower the solubility of the gas. And yes, it gets very complicated.