[BrodyR]

I think I'm going to run out to my LHBS this evening and finally pull the trigger on a nitro setup.

I currently keg so I assume all I'll need is a stout faucet, a beer gas tank, and regulator - I have no experience with nitro so is their anything I should be aware of? My plan was to lightly carb with C02, switch over to beer gas to serve, and run it through the stout faucet.

Hoping this works out well and I'll be pulling an ordinary bitter next week with it.

[ibru]

There was a seminar on beer gas at the NHC that covers pretty much all you need to know. It is available to at this site to AHA members.
 
I have had it since April and love it for my porters and stouts. Denny's BVIP is wonderful on beer gas. I had to lower the CO2 content of my beers to make it work. Future beers I will use the beer gas to carbonate.

Enjoy
Bruce

[BrodyR]

Nice, thanks - just found the seminar.  Looks like that's my lunch break plans now.

[denny]

There was a seminar on beer gas at the NHC that covers pretty much all you need to know. It is available to at this site to AHA members.
 
I have had it since April and love it for my porters and stouts. Denny's BVIP is wonderful on beer gas. I had to lower the CO2 content of my beers to make it work. Future beers I will use the beer gas to carbonate.

Enjoy
Bruce

Glad you like it.  Personally I find it strips out the flavor, but to each their own!

[ibru]

You are correct about losing some of the flavor on beer gas. This was a 3 gallon that I had been in the frig underneath a case of bottle beer, almost a year old. Fresh brewed, I would put it on CO2 , but this keg had already lost a lot of its original flavor.

I really need to take inventory more often....

[BrodyR]

Just listened to the conference talk. I thought it was interesting that Juice was recommending carbonating + serving with beergas, I thought most people carbed with C02 then just used the beer gas/stout tap to get the Nitro effect.

Anyone have any experience both ways and which may work better?

[BrodyR]

I'm thinking the big pro of carbonating + serving with Nitro would be ease and consistency with the con being that the blend is more expensive.

[Phil_M]

You are correct about losing some of the flavor on beer gas.

Isn't that the point?

I thought nitro beer through a stout faucet was supposed to mimic cask ale served through a sparkler. Kinda rounds off some of the flavor "edges".

[reverseapachemaster]

You are correct about losing some of the flavor on beer gas.

Isn't that the point?

I thought nitro beer through a stout faucet was supposed to mimic cask ale served through a sparkler. Kinda rounds off some of the flavor "edges".

Yeah but in the same way liquid smoke is supposed to mimic actual smoke.

I disagree that cask ale rounds off flavors. You don't get the same amount of bitterness or acidity and that allows you to enjoy different attributes in the beer. There's not less flavor but some of the flavors you normally expect are more subtle in favor of other character.

IMO nitro deadens a lot of those flavors and adds an unwelcome metallic taste.

If you've ever had the same beer served on cask and nitro then you can see how nitro is a terrible emulation of service by beer engine. I understand not wanting to deal with casks but from a flavor perspective I'd rather take an undercarbed beer served on CO2 over nitro. It may not be as creamy but the flavor is far better.

[denny]

Yeah but in the same way liquid smoke is supposed to mimic actual smoke.

I disagree that cask ale rounds off flavors. You don't get the same amount of bitterness or acidity and that allows you to enjoy different attributes in the beer. There's not less flavor but some of the flavors you normally expect are more subtle in favor of other character.

IMO nitro deadens a lot of those flavors and adds an unwelcome metallic taste.

If you've ever had the same beer served on cask and nitro then you can see how nitro is a terrible emulation of service by beer engine. I understand not wanting to deal with casks but from a flavor perspective I'd rather take an undercarbed beer served on CO2 over nitro. It may not be as creamy but the flavor is far better.

Hear hear!  IMO, I've never had a beer that was improved by being served on nitro.

[rjharper]

+1 to carb and serve all on nitro. You need about half the volume of CO2 to get that smooth, silky head. If you nitro pour on too carbed a beer, you get that full head of big, gnarly bubbles instead.

So instead of using 13 psi of CO2, use 25-30 psi of Nitro blend (25% CO2). That put a partial pressure of 6-7 psi CO2 headspace, and thus half the volume of CO2. This method does take longer, but if youre in no rush, leave it on nitro gas a couple of weeks then good to go.

[BrodyR]

+1 to carb and serve all on nitro. You need about half the volume of CO2 to get that smooth, silky head. If you nitro pour on too carbed a beer, you get that full head of big, gnarly bubbles instead.

So instead of using 13 psi of CO2, use 25-30 psi of Nitro blend (25% CO2). That put a partial pressure of 6-7 psi CO2 headspace, and thus half the volume of CO2. This method does take longer, but if youre in no rush, leave it on nitro gas a couple of weeks then good to go.

I ended up going the nitro carb route (also recommended in the conference seminar Bruce pointed me to). 40psi @ 33f for 4 days was the suggested method I'm trying. Then I'll drop the gas down and raise the temp up a bit to serve.

[santoch]

Hear hear!  IMO, I've never had a beer that was improved by being served on nitro.

I love Obsidian and Shakespeare (as well my local favorite Snoqualmie Falls' Oatmeal) Stouts on nitro.
I really think that quality stouts (and some porters) on nitro are better than just co2 carbonated.

That said, the movement towards putting other beers on nitro doesn't do it for me.

[denny]

Hear hear!  IMO, I've never had a beer that was improved by being served on nitro.

I love Obsidian and Shakespeare (as well my local favorite Snoqualmie Falls' Oatmeal) Stouts on nitro.
I really think that quality stouts (and some porters) on nitro are better than just co2 carbonated.

That said, the movement towards putting other beers on nitro doesn't do it for me.

To me, nitro just leaves the beers bland and uninteresting...and that includes stouts.