Why Must Compressed Air Never Be Used To Serve Draft Beer?

The Oxford Companion to Beer Definition of draught beer. The Oxford Companion to Beer definition of Draught Beer. Beer racked into kegs and served on draught ( also spelled “draft” in the United States) is generally considered to be the optimal method to showcase the brewer’s art.

In the United States, draught beer generally is not pasteurized and is ideally maintained cold through distribution from brewery to glass (although some brewers now choose to flash pasteurize and forego refrigeration). Modern single-valve stainless cooperage—coupled with state-of-the-art cleaning and filling systems—allows beer to be aseptically packaged with very little oxygen pickup or ingress.

The stainless keg eliminates degradation from light, as well as potential oxygen ingress through bottle cap seals or flavor influence from can liners that is possible with other beverage packaging methods. When dispensed through a properly maintained and balanced draught system, this allows for optimal brewery-fresh beer to be delivered to the glass.

1. Although draught beer has the potential to deliver the best drinking experience, it can easily be ruined with improper storage and handling through a poorly designed or poorly maintained dispensing system or improperly cleaned glassware.
2. The draught system should be designed and balanced to deliver a perfect pour from the first serving to the last glass.

Today’s wide range of available beer styles and installation configurations dictate that someone knowledgeable about dispensing system design and the styles of beer to be served is involved in the set-up and balancing of the system to ensure that the brewery’s desired gas makeup, carbonation level, and serving temperature are maintained.

While it can be excellent, British traditional cask-conditioned ale, sometimes referred to as “draught beer” in the UK, is an entirely different system which we do not address here. See and, Cooperage Modern kegs are almost entirely fabricated from deep-drawn stainless steel and available in a range of common US and European sizes: 7¾ gallons (1/4 bbl) to 15.5 gallons (1/2 bbl) and 20, 30, or 50 liters (5, 8, or 13 gal).

Breweries make significant investments in kegs, and they can last for many years. If properly maintained, they can be refilled hundreds of times; but due to theft and unscrupulous metal scrapping, a large percentage of kegs never make it back to the brewery.

Marginally successful attempts have been made to fabricate kegs from less expensive coated mild steel, plastic, or “bag-in-a-box” technology, but currently none of these protect the quality of the beer as well as stainless steel. Although several variations exist worldwide, modern keg designs utilize a double-ported top valve that supplies both the dispensing gas and the tapping connection.

The valve is connected to a down tube, or spear, that extends to within a 1/4″ (7 mm) of the bottom and allows the complete emptying of the keg. During the cleaning and filling cycle at the brewery, the keg is inverted and multiple cycles of detergent, water, and steam are pumped at high pressure through the same fittings before filling.

1. Eg Delivery and Storage Kegs of beer should be stored and delivered cold—as close to the dispense temperature as practical.
2. Depending on the temperature, it will take many hours—or even days—to cool a warm keg.
3. Most dispensing and foaming problems are caused by attempts to dispense warm beer.
4. Gas pressure, temperature, and system design are all closely interrelated.

Tapping a keg even a few degrees above the desired typical 34°F–38°F (1.1°C–3.3°C) temperature specification for most American beer styles may cause excessive foam and difficulty in pouring. While it is possible to run draught lines at warmer temperatures in order to show certain beers at their best, this requires very careful design and balancing.

Dispensing Gas Although most beer is carbonated and dispensed utilizing pure carbon dioxide gas, the use of mixed gas blends containing carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and nitrogen (N 2 ) are becoming commonplace—allowing greater dispense system design and flexibility. Remote cold boxes are often utilized to allow easier delivery, loading, and greater keg storage than may be available in a crowded bar or restaurant.

The increased pressure required to deliver beer these greater distances would over-carbonate the beer if 100% CO 2 were used, but the low solubility and inert nature of N 2 make a blend of the two gases ideal. Due to oxidation concerns, air should never be used to dispense beer.

In the past, some draught-system suppliers marketed air compressors as a way to save money on CO 2 or mixed gas. The oxygen in the air rapidly degrades the beer; unfortunately, such systems are still in use. (Inline beer pumps may also be used to boost the beer-line pressure without changing the carbonation level).

Nitrogenated beers (such as some styles of stout) require a higher blend of N 2 and CO 2 to allow proper balance. Several premixed bottled blends are available; or a gas blender can be purchased to mix the two gases on site. Care must be exercised when selecting gas blends so the beer doesn’t over-carbonate or lose carbonation during the dispensing period.

• The dispense gas pressure is reduced using a gas regulator that is set to the equilibrium pressure of the beer in the keg.
• Beverage regulators must contain a safety relief valve to relieve dangerous system pressure in case of a regulator malfunction.
• Dispensing System Design A properly designed draught system should maintain the brewer’s desired carbonation level and gas balance, provide for the appropriate dispensing temperature for the style of beer, allow for a pour rate of approximately 2 ounces (60 ml) per second, and deliver the amount of foam desired.

Depending on the installation constraints and physical layout of the system, several different draught-system technologies have evolved; but many components are common to all designs. Best practices call for all-metal system components that come in contact with beer to be made of stainless steel.

Chrome-plated brass was commonly used due to its lower cost and ease of manufacture, but the acidic nature of beer and the chemicals utilized in routine draught line cleaning attack the brass and will lead to metallic off-flavors and increased difficulty in cleaning and maintaining good system hygiene.

Tubing and other plastic components need to be manufactured of food-grade, approved materials. During installation and design of any dispensing system, the style of beer, CO 2 content, temperature, and elevation are factored in to balance the system for a perfect pour.

• The simplest—and often best-designed systems—are called “direct draw.” Here the keg is located in a cold box either directly behind or below the faucet or “tap.” It is important that the lines and fittings are kept chilled to the dispensing temperature to prevent foaming.
• The keg is tapped using a dual-ported “coupler” that mates up to the top of the keg; this supplies both the dispense gas and beer outlet connection.

The coupler also contains a secondary safety relief valve that will relieve potentially explosive pressures in case of a regulator malfunction. The coupler is connected using a short length of vinyl tube with a stainless “tail piece” that connects the coupler and “shank” that goes through the cold box wall or bar “tower” mounting the dispensing faucet.

1. When the distance from the keg to a remotely mounted tap increases—up to a maximum of about 25 feet—chilled forced air is employed in a duct surrounding the beer line to maintain the beer and faucets at or below the cold box temperature to prevent foaming.
2. Long-draw installations are possible—with the kegs being located up to several hundred feet from the faucet utilizing heavily insulated glycol-chilled bundles, or “trunk” lines.

These can contain any number of beer lines—surrounding two or more supply-and-return chilled glycol lines—through which refrigerated food-grade glycol is continuously circulated from the cold box to the tap, to maintain the beer at the correct dispensing temperature.

1. Although the use of chilled long-draw systems allows greater design flexibility when situating the cold box and faucets, the added distance complicates system cleaning and increases beer loss.
2. Although not ideal, for temporary 1-day events and picnic use, hand pumps, or “jockey boxes,” can be used with either cold plates or coils to chill the beer on the way to the tap; or the keg can be iced down in a large tub.

Since hand pumps introduce oxygen, the kegs with them will not keep for more than a day or two after being tapped. System Cleaning One of the keys to quality draught beer is a clean and well-maintained dispensing system. Although beer will not harbor pathogens, many common strains of bacteria can grow and taint or sour a poorly maintained draught system.

• Cleaning should be performed at 2-week intervals, using industry-accepted detergents at proper concentrations and temperatures.
• The system should first be flushed with cold water to remove any residual beer; then detergent should be circulated for a minimum of 15 minutes—or if no pump is available, soaked for 20 minutes.

The faucets and coupler should be hand cleaned, and then the entire system completely flushed with potable cold water before use. See also, Draft Beer Quality Manual, (accessed April 12, 2011). Ken Grossman : The Oxford Companion to Beer Definition of draught beer.

What is the air pressure for draft beer?

The Basics of Keg Pressure – Pressure is an imperative component of all fully-functional draft beer systems. It’s what keeps your beer carbonated and tasting fresh all the way from keg to glass. Having too much or too little pressure will affect the way your beer is dispensed, and you won’t be able to enjoy its full potential.

1. These keg pressure pointers will help you find that perfect medium.
2. About Head Space As CO2 enters a keg, it displaces your beer at a constant pressure.
3. When you open the tap/faucet, beer flows out of the keg and into your glass due to a push from the CO2.
4. The gas then fills the space where the beer was formerly housed, and that’s the “head space.” The CO2 fills the head space and maintains the pressure inside of the keg at the PSI set on your regulator.

This constant PSI keeps the beer carbonated by preventing CO2 leakage. Keep it Straight Your CO2 tank must be stored upright or it won’t work properly. Storing the tank improperly can also cause expensive damage to your regulator. Find the Magic Number Most ales and lagers produced in the US should be dispensed at 10 – 12 PSI.

• Stout and other nitrogen-reliant keg beers are usually dispensed at 25 – 30 PSI.
• For the specific dispensing pressure for a particular keg, check with your local beer distributor.
• Too Much Pressure Too much pressure will leave you with foamy beer that comes quickly out of the faucet.
• If your beer is over-carbonated, the foam will appear tight with large bubbles.

If you encounter this problem, it’s easy to fix. Adjust your regulator pressure to the proper lower level and draw a few foamy pitchers. You can also use your coupler’s relief valve to bleed out the extra pressure. These measures will force your system to balance itself out again.

If the pressure is left too high for too long, CO2 will be forced into the beer resulting in permanently over-carbonated and excessively foamy beer. Thus, it’s important that you address this problem as soon as the issue is identified. Too Little Pressure Too little pressure will also force foam because the CO2 can break free from the beer as it enters your glass.

If the pressure is not raised to the appropriate level, your beer will eventually become flat. When you see foam or bubbles visibly rising in your beer hose, this is a telltale sign of low pressure. If your beer is under-carbonated, the foam will look loose, often described as appearing “soapy” with small bubbles.

1. To correct low pressure, first check to make sure your CO2 tank isn’t empty and that it’s turned on.
2. This seems like a “duh” suggestion but sometimes it’s the simplest issue that causes the problem.
3. Next, check your regulator to be sure it’s set at the right level.
4. If the tank is functioning and there aren’t any obstructions in your gas line, and your regulator is set to the correct PSI, then most likely your regulator or gauge needs to be replaced.

Unfortunately, regulators do wear out and typically need to be replaced every 4-6 years or so.

Why is draft better than canned?

Draft Beer – Beer from the tap is usually fresher than the bottled or canned product, and freshness impacts flavor. Its ingredients are usually prone to oxidization, which can also impact its flavor. Hops, a crucial ingredient in beer, is highly prone to oxidization, so the oxygen can degrade the flavor easily, and it is an ongoing process, so it will keep oxidizing the keg once it has made its way in.

This will make older beer that horrible. When beer is bottled, it undergoes pasteurization, which means it is heated to kill off any bacteria; this can also impact your beer’s flavor. Heat is an enemy of beer, flavor-wise. It needs a cooler environment, and heating it up to pasteurize it can significantly change the flavor.

Some bars will add something called beer gas, which is a mixture of carbon dioxide ad nitrogen to attempt to smooth out the flavor of the beer, but this can alter the flavor enough to where it can taste significantly different in a bottle or a can. As long as you keep your keg, your draft beer is generally going to be better than a bottle or can.

Is draft beer carbonated?

A I think there are a few reasons why draft and bottled beer taste different and some of the reasons may recolor your view of draft beer. Some breweries actually have different variations of their beers for draft and bottle. I do not have real good information on how prevalent this is, but the examples I am aware of have two commonalities: the draft beer has a lower bitterness and lower carbonation compared to the bottled beer.

• Sierra Nevada Pale Ale draft beer is different from its bottled cousin in that the draft form is a little darker and has a lower original gravity compared to the bottled version.
• Both beers are excellent.
• I assume that their draft Pale Ale is intended to be more of a session beer and the difference in the recipe makes it more quaffable.

So this could explain your observation. Other factors that make draft beer taste different from the bottled can make a brewer an unhappy camper. Some bars put their beers on “beer gas,” also called mixed gas, to “smooth” out beer flavor. An unintended outcome of this practice is that these beers lose their carbonation and deviate from the brewery specification.

1. This really irks me because if a brewer decides they want to serve their draft hefeweizen at three volumes of carbon dioxide, the bar owner or distributor has no business doing something that changes the character of the beer.
2. In an effort to lower operating costs, some bars use dreadful contraptions called air blenders.

This cheap way of making mixed gas creates a mixture of carbon dioxide and air, which replaces nitrogen with the more affordable compressed air. The use of air blenders flatten kegs over time. They also pump oxygen into the keg to oxidize the beer. Sometimes the air compressor hooked to the blender introduces a bit of microbiological wildlife and whatever funky smells are next to its intake into the mix of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, oxygen.

In short, air blenders can change the flavor of kegged beer in a variety of different and disappointing ways. The use of mixed gas and air blenders make bar owners really happy because they reduce beer carbonation, making the beer easier to pour. This practice reduces beer loss caused by the sloppy bartenders slinging pints behind bars scattered across this great land.

If I sound a bit harsh towards bar owners and bartenders it’s because that is my intent! The reason that beer advocacy and travel magazines make such a big deal about great draft beer bars is because of the astounding number of really awful draft bars.

Another interesting factoid about draft beer is the flexible line linking the keg to the tap. These little buggers can turn into veritable small intestines. In other words, with their relatively large surface to volume ratio and their tendency to become covered in a microbiological film when neglected, draft lines can turn into long, thin bioreactors that change the flavor of beer as it flows from keg to tap.

Neglected taps can also become totally funkified with microbiological growth. This can become especially pronounced with unfiltered beers as the nooks and crannies of the beer tap can quite literally become coated with a visible film of living yeast. The key to draft beer is really quite simple.

Carbon dioxide pressure and beer storage temperature should be matched to the carbonation level of the typical draft beer (usually somewhere around 2.5 volumes of carbon dioxide), and draft lines need to be routinely cleaned. In well-run draft bars, the flavor of draft beer should be within the expectations of the brewery and any difference between a draft and bottled beer should be minimal unless the beer has different draft and bottle specifications.

You mention that you perceive draft beer to taste smoother than bottled beer. This may come from the difference in pouring techniques between the two. It is often the case with draft beer that a noticeable amount of carbon dioxide is “knocked” out of the beer during pouring.

• In contrast, bottles are easier to gently pour and the amount of carbon dioxide loss is much less.
• Since carbonation level influences perceived bitterness, any differences in carbon dioxide content between draft and bottle may also lead to apparent differences in bitterness.
• As a brewer I prefer draft beer because it is less labor intensive to produce than bottled beer.

Recognizing the factors that influence flavor you can adjust your recipe, carbonation level and serving temperature to produce the beer that you want, which is really what homebrewing is all about. And with the proper care and maintenance of your draft system you can avoid many of the problems that readily arise when draft neglect occurs!

What should the CO2 level be for draft beer?

Common CO2 Keg Pressure Settings for Different Styles of Beer – Depending on the style of beer you are pouring there are some basic parameters that can be used to determine an ideal pressure setting. For most ales (including pale ales, IPAs, ambers, etc.) that come from the brewery with a carbonation volume of about 2.1 to 2.6, you want to set your regulator from about 7 to 13 psi.

What pressure should a Guinness draft be?

Step 8: Set the Nitrogen regulator to 30-35 PSI. – Guinness is poured between 30-35 PSI. Use a flathead screwdriver to adjust the pressure until the 0-60 PSI low-pressure gauge is at 30-35 PSI. This system was first set at 30 PSI, but poured better after it was adjusted to 35 PSI.

Are beer kegs pressurized?

Taps – Kegs are sealed to contain the liquid and pressurized gas for storage and transportation. Most beer is served carbonated, and this is most easily accomplished by storing it carbonated as well. Beer kegs are designed to maintain the carbonation in a beverage by storing it with pressurized carbon dioxide in the headspace above the liquid.

1. The liquid is also dispensed using pressurized gas; the pressure of the gas provides mechanical force to overcome friction and gravity to push the beer to the dispensing location.
2. To serve the beverage, a keg must be tapped to breach the container so that pressurized gas can be added and the liquid can be dispensed.

Originally, this was done by hammering a tapping rod through a cork bung, similar to how a keystone is still used today to tap unpressurized cask ales. Tapping a keg this way would often waste a bit of beer, which would be forced out under pressure until the tap was secured.

By the 1950s and 60s when metal kegs had replaced wooden ones, common tap systems included Golden Gate, Hoff–Stevens, and Peerless taps, which all had one or two couplers for pressurizing and dispensing the beer but retained a separate bunghole for cleaning and filling the keg which was sealed with a wooden bung.

These made it easier to tap the keg, but still had sanitation problems (from the wooden bung and attachments that penetrated the keg, and from ports that were at the bottom of the keg next to the floor) and tended to leave some beer inaccessible at the bottom of the keg.

In the 1960s and 70s, several similar styles of tap were created in Europe and America which used a single hole for cleaning, filling, pressurizing, and dispensing. A single bunghole at the top of the keg is used to clean and fill the keg, after which it is sealed with a metal assembly containing a ball bearing which acts as a stopper, held in place by the gas pressure inside the keg.

The tap is twisted or slid into place atop the keg, and a lever provides the mechanical force needed to push the ball bearing down, providing access to the keg’s contents. These taps, or “couplers”, are more sanitary and easy to operate, and were adopted by major U.S.

Breweries like Anheuser-Busch in the 1970s and quickly displaced other taps to become the industry standard. One such system was referred to as Sankey after its designer ( GKN Sankey Ltd., named for founder Joseph Sankey). The term Sankey, often misspelled “Sanke”, has become a generic name for all of the similar industry standard couplers.

Today there are six industry standard couplers:

• The D System is used by most breweries in the Americas.
• The S System is used by many breweries in Europe. It is similar to the D System but has a longer probe.
• The G System (or Grundy) is less common and is used by some British and Irish breweries and beers including Tennent’s, Boddingtons, and Fuller’s ESB,
• The U System (or U/E.C.) is uncommon and is used for a few Irish beers (mainly beers from Guinness/Diageo: Guinness, Harp, Kilkenny, and Smithwick’s ) and Magners cider.
• The A System (or Flat Top German) is used by many large German breweries. It slides into place rather than rotating.
• The M System is very uncommon and is used by only a few breweries in and around Germany (mainly for Aventinus Eisbock, Einbecker, Schneider, Veltins, and Żywiec ). It also slides into place.

There are two different types of tapping equipment that are available for kegs. A “party tap” or “picnic tap” is a hand-operated pump that utilizes outside air, thus introducing oxygen and bacteria into the keg. This causes the beer to oxidize, affecting the taste; the partial pressure of CO 2 will also decrease, causing the beer to go flat.

1. Egs dispensed with a party pump should be used within 18–24 hours so that the beer does not become unpalatable.
2. Commercial installations, as well as some home users, use pure pressurized gas; these can preserve a keg up to 120 days with proper refrigeration.
3. In simpler installations only CO 2 is used to pressurize and dispense the beer, but in installations with very long lines between the keg and dispensing location (bars with customer-operated faucets at each table being an extreme example), the pressure needed to pump the beer for dispensing would over-carbonate the beer.

In these situations, “beer gas” or “mixed gas” is used which combines CO 2 with another gas, usually nitrogen, Nitrogen is 80 times less soluble in water than CO 2, so it can provide additional pressure without noticeably affecting flavor. Typical beer gas is 70-75% nitrogen and 25-30% CO 2, but the ideal ratio depends on the beer being served and the installation; more advanced installations blend the gas on site so it can be adjusted for each beer.

A few beers like Guinness are required to be pressurized and dispensed with mixed gas; they usually also require the use of a special faucet that deliberately creates additional friction to force the nitrogen out of solution, creating a thick frothy head. As with any pressurized container, a keg can cause injury, even at normal operating pressure, whether with compressed air or carbon dioxide: “The tapping system and pressure regulator both should be equipped with a pressure relief (blow off) device.

If you are not familiar with tapping equipment, consult your retailer.” (printed on an Anheuser-Busch ‘s keg cap) Commercially, kegs are usually kept in a refrigerated room for storage and dispensing, and liquid lines run from this room to all of the faucets in the restaurant.

Egs are too large to fit in a typical home refrigerator. A kegerator (specially designed for kegs, or converted from a suitable small refrigerator) can be used, but as these are somewhat specialized they are cost-prohibitive for the average consumer who has only occasional use for one, and are obviously impractical to bring to a beach or campsite.

Instead, in the US and Australia, kegs are usually kept in a bucket of ice and/or water to keep the beer cool. Alternately, the keg can be kept at ambient temperature and served using a “jockey box”, consisting of a cooler with beer coils (50–120-foot-long (20–40 m) metal dispensing lines arranged in a coil) and filled with ice, which acts as a heat exchanger to cool the beer to serving temperature by the time it reaches the faucet.

Why is draft beer so cheap?

// By Jordan Brydges //, Jan 13, 2020 Topics: Liquor Cost “Come on in! The price (can be) right!” Customers don’t want to come to your bar thinking they’re playing The Price Is Right when it comes to your beer prices. Speaking of beer prices, bottled and draft beer are priced differently and it’s not because of the fancy cans and bottles they come in.

What is the disadvantage of draft beer?

Yet there is a downside to draught beer and you may have already experienced it yourself. The amount of carbon dioxide in draught beer is often higher than in bottled or canned beer. This extra CO2 provides the necessary pressure, but also increases the risk of a headache after drinking a few beers.

Why does draft beer hit harder?

In this article, we’ll discuss and answer the question, is draft beer stronger than bottled beer. If you’re anything like us, you have a few beers that are your favorites, and your fridge is rarely without them. And, if you have the opportunity to drink your favorites on draft, you probably jump at the chance.

Have you ever noticed that when you drink your favorite beer, on draft instead of from the bottle or can that it seems to be stronger? This is something that we have noticed from time to time, and it often leads us to wonder if the beer we’re drinking on draft has a higher alcohol content than the same beer in a bottle or can.

Now, if you’ve had the same thought, you’re probably relieved to know that there are other people out there that have had the same experience. Draft beer is not stronger than a bottle, even though it may seem otherwise. They may sometimes seem stronger or have a more rapid effect on your body than canned or bottled beer, but there is no difference in alcohol content between a beer in the bottle and the same beer on draft.

Why is draft beer so smooth?

04 /4 The carbonation factor – Many of you might not know this fact but those selling draft beer, pours a larger quantity than the bottled beer and it does impacts the taste of this popular drink a lot. How? Let us understand! Draft beer is regularly poured from kegs in big glasses and comes in contact with air, which makes the fizz go away as the carbon dioxide is evaporated from it.

It is for this reason that draft beer tastes smoother than bottled beer. On the other hand, bottled beer has more carbon dioxide and thus more fizz, this is why people tend to drink more draft beer than bottled beer. For scrumptious recipes, videos and exciting food news, subscribe to our free Daily and Weekly Newsletters.

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Does draft beer need CO2?

In most draft beer dispensing systems, compressed carbon dioxide gas (CO2) is the primary gas used to get the beer from the keg to your glass (pressurized gas from the CO2 tank pushes the beer through the keg coupler via the beer line; from there, the beer travels up to the faucet tap and into your frosty glass).

What is difference between draft and draught beer?

Draught Beer vs. Draft Beer – A lot of people wonder if there is a difference between draught beer and draft beer, and there is one difference between the two: spelling. That’s right. Draught beer and draft beer are the same thing, just spelled differently. In America, it is spelled draft beer. In the U.K., it is spelled draught beer.

What gas is best for Draught beer?

Investing in Draft Beer Equipment – The next step would be to invest in a gas blender. One that fits your draft beer needs. Most of the time a blender mixing 70/30 Gas will be the most popular blended gas to use. Followed by Guinness gas which is 25 % Co2 to 75 % Nitrogen.

1. The price of gas blenders will range from approximately $600 up to $1,000 or more.
2. Over the long term, the gas blender will save you money because you won’t need to buy pre-mixed cylinders.
3. You’ll only need to pick up Co2 and Nitrogen cylinders.
4. The blender will do the mixing automatically.
5. If you’re a bigger establishment or property like a casino or stadium.

Nitrogen generators can be a viable option. Usually involves a higher investment upfront, or rent to own option. But over the long term, the property will save money over cylinder purchases.

Can you get Guinness 0.0 on draft?

Non-alcoholic Guinness becomes available on draught in Irish pubs.

Are Guinness kegs pressurized?

Pressure – A draft system is only effective if it’s in balance. That balance relies on pressure. Regulators that control gas pressure and maintain the balance of gas inside the keg must be set to specific settings to pour the perfect beer. In the case of Guinness Draught Stout, that setting is between 30 – 38 PSI.

Is Guinness Draught strong?

Editor’s Note: Get inspired by a weekly roundup on living well, made simple. Sign up for CNN’s Life, But Better newsletter for information and tools designed to improve your well-being. CNN — Guinness, like other Irish stouts, enjoys a seasonal popularity every St.

• Patrick’s Day.
• It has also been touted as being “good for you,” at least by its own advertising posters decades ago.
• But can this creamy, rich and filling beer really be added to a list of healthy beverages? Or is its reputation just good marketing? We researched the beer’s history and talked to brewing experts and break out the good, the not-so-great and the ingenuity of Guinness.

The original Guinness is a type of ale known as stout. It’s made from a grist (grain) that includes a large amount of roasted barley, which gives it its intense burnt flavor and very dark color. And though you wouldn’t rank it as healthful as a vegetable, the stouts in general, as well as other beers, may be justified in at least some of their nutritional bragging rights.

According to Charlie Bamforth, distinguished professor emeritus of brewing sciences at the University of California, Davis, most beers contain significant amounts of antioxidants, B vitamins, the mineral silicon (which may help protect against osteoporosis), soluble fiber and prebiotics, which promote the growth of “good” bacteria in your gut.

And Guinness may have a slight edge compared with other brews, even over other stouts. “We showed that Guinness contained the most folate of the imported beers we analyzed,” Bamforth said. Folate is a B vitamin that our bodies need to make DNA and other genetic material.

1. It’s also necessary for cells to divide.
2. According to his research, stouts on average contain 12.8 micrograms of folate, or 3.2% of the recommended daily allowance.
3. Because Guinness contains a lot of unmalted barley, which contains more fiber than malted grain, it is also one of the beers with the highest levels of fiber, according to Bamforth.

(Note: Though the US Department of Agriculture lists beer as containing zero grams of fiber, Bamforth said his research shows otherwise.) Bamforth has researched and coauthored studies published in the Journal of the Institute of Brewing and the Journal of the American Society of Brewing Chemists.

• Here’s more potentially good news about Guinness: Despite its rich flavor and creamy consistency, it’s not the highest in calories compared with other beers.
• A 12-ounce serving of Guinness Draught has 125 calories.
• By comparison, the same size serving of Budweiser has 145 calories, Heineken has 142 calories, and Samuel Adams Cream Stout has 189 calories.

In the United States, Guinness Extra Stout, by the way, has 149 calories. This makes sense when you consider that alcohol is the main source of calories in beers. Guinness Draught has a lower alcohol content, at 4.2% alcohol by volume, compared with 5% for Budweiser and Heineken, and 4.9% for the Samuel Adams Cream Stout.

1. In general, moderate alcohol consumption – defined by the USDA’s dietary guidelines for Americans as no more than two drinks per day for men or one drink per day for women – may protect against heart disease.
2. So you can check off another box.
3. Guinness is still alcohol, and consuming too much can impair judgment and contribute to weight gain.

Heavy drinking (considered more than 14 drinks a week for men or more than seven drinks a week for women) and binge drinking (five or more drinks for men, and four or more for women, in about a two-hour period) are also associated with many health problems, including liver disease, pancreatitis and high blood pressure.

According to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, “alcohol is the most commonly used addictive substance in the United States: 17.6 million people, or one in every 12 adults, suffer from alcohol abuse or dependence along with several million more who engage in risky, binge drinking patterns that could lead to alcohol problems.” And while moderate consumption of alcohol may have heart benefits for some, consumption of alcohol can also increase a woman’s risk of breast cancer for each drink consumed daily.

Many decades ago, in Ireland, it would not have been uncommon for a doctor to advise pregnant and nursing women to drink Guinness. But today, experts (particularly in the United States) caution of the dangers associated with consuming any alcohol while pregnant.

1. Alcohol is a teratogen, which is something that causes birth defects.
2. It can cause damage to the fetal brain and other organ systems,” said Dr.
3. Erin Tracy, an OB/GYN at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive gynecology.

“We don’t know of any safe dose of alcohol in pregnancy. Hence we recommend abstaining entirely during this brief period of time in a woman’s life.” What about beer for breastfeeding? “In Britain, they have it in the culture that drinking Guinness is good for nursing mothers,” said Karl Siebert, professor emeritus of the food science department and previous director of the brewing program at Cornell University.

Beer in general has been regarded as a galactagogue, or stimulant of lactation, for much of history. In fact, according to irishtimes.com, breastfeeding women in Ireland were once given a bottle of Guinness a day in maternity hospitals. According to Domhnall Marnell, the Guinness ambassador, Guinness Original (also known as Guinness Extra Stout, depending on where it was sold) debuted in 1821, and for a time, it contained live yeast, which had a high iron content, so it was given to anemic individuals or nursing mothers then, before the effects of alcohol were fully understood.

Some studies have showed evidence that ingredients in beer can increase prolactin, a hormone necessary for milk production; others have showed the opposite. Regardless of the conclusions, the alcohol in beer also appears to counter the benefits associated with increased prolactin secretion.

The problem is that alcohol temporarily inhibits the milk ejection reflex and overall milk supply, especially when ingested in large amounts, and chronic alcohol use lowers milk supply permanently,” said Diana West, coauthor of “The Breastfeeding Mother’s Guide to Making More Milk.” “Barley can be eaten directly, or even made from commercial barley drinks, which would be less problematic than drinking beer,” West said.

If you’re still not convinced that beer is detrimental to breastfeeding, consider this fact: A nursing mother drinking any type of alcohol puts her baby in potential danger. “The fetal brain is still developing after birth – and since alcohol passes into breast milk, the baby is still at risk,” Tracy said.

1. This is something we would not advocate today,” Marnell agreed.
2. We would not recommend to anyone who is pregnant or breastfeeding to be enjoying our products during this time in their life.” Regarding the old wives’ tale about beer’s effects on breastfeeding, Marnell added, “It’s not something that Guinness has perpetuated and if (people are still saying it), I’d like to say once and for all, it’s not something we support or recommend.” Assuming you are healthy and have the green light to drink beer, you might wonder why Guinness feels like you’ve consumed a meal, despite its lower calorie and alcohol content.

It has to do with the sophistication that goes into producing and pouring Guinness. According to Bamforth, for more than half a century, Guinness has put nitrogen gas into its beer at the packaging stage, which gives smaller, more stable bubbles and delivers a more luscious mouthfeel.

It also tempers the harsh burnt character coming from the roasted barley. Guinness cans, containing a widget to control the pour, also have some nitrogen. Guinness is also dispensed through a special tap that uses a mixture of carbon dioxide and nitrogen. “In Ireland, Guinness had a long history of hiring the best and brightest university graduates regardless of what they were trained in,” Siebert said.

“And they put them to work on things they needed. One was a special tap for dispensing Guinness, which has 11 different nozzles in it, that helps to form the fine-bubbled foam.” The foam is remarkably long-lasting. “After you get a freshly poured Guinness, you can make a face in the foam, and by the time you finish drinking it, the face is still there,” Siebert said.

The famous advertising Guinness slogans – including “It’s a good day for a Guinness” – started through word of mouth, said Marnell. “In 1929, when we were about to do our first ad, we asked (ourselves), ‘What stance should we take?’ So we sent around a group of marketers (in Ireland and the UK) to ask Guinness drinkers why they chose Guinness, and nine out of 10 said their belief was that the beer was healthy for them.

We already had this reputation in the bars before we uttered a word about the beer. “That led to the Gilroy ads that were posted,” Marnell explained, referring to the artist John Gilroy, responsible for the Guinness ads from 1928 to the 1960s. “You’ll see the characters representing the Guinness brand – the toucan, the pelican – and slogans like ‘Guinness is good for you’ or ‘Guinness for Strength.’ But those were from the 1920s, ’30s and ‘40s.” Today, he said, the company would not claim any health benefits for its beer.

“If anyone is under the impression that there are health benefits to drinking Guinness, then unfortunately, I’m the bearer of bad news. Guinness is not going to build muscle or cure you of influenza.” In fact, Guinness’ parent company, Diageo, spends a lot of effort supporting responsible drinking initiatives and educating consumers about alcohol’s effects.

Its DrinkIQ page offers information such as calories in alcohol, how your body processes it and when alcohol can be dangerous, including during pregnancy. “One of the main things we focus on is that while we would love people to enjoy our beer, we want to make sure they do so as responsibly as possible,” Marnell said.

Why is my draft beer so foamy?

Beer Foam Physics – One should understand the physics behind foamy beer! Most beer is carbonated, meaning that it is a liquid solution saturated with a large amount of CO2 gas. When a liquid is saturated with CO2 gas, more gas stays in the mixture at colder temperatures.

In this case, the beer gas/liquid solution holds itself together the best right around 34-38 degrees. When the temperature rises above 40 degrees, the CO2 gas starts to escape from the beer, and this is what causes foam (in most cases). For this reason, temperature issues constitute the great majority of problems with kegerators serving foamy beer.

Pressure Now that we’ve gone over the basics, check your CO2 regulator settings. Beer can be pushed at anywhere from 4 PSI to 14 PSI, but most kegerators work best between 5 and 12 PSI. You should compensate for the size of your beer lines – the bigger the inner diameter of the beer line, the more pressure that should be used to push the beer.

• The colder the beer, the more pressure you can use as well.
• High pressure and high temperature will cause excess foam to result.
• If your beer lines are on the small side, like 1/4″ inner diameter, this can contribute to foaminess.
• Check our Carbonation Pressure vs.
• Temperature Chart to make sure your pressure is set correct with the temperature you are serving your beer.

Temperature For more persistent foam problems, you should verify that your kegerator is cooling beer to the proper temperature. You can double-check the cooling at both the top and the bottom of your kegerator by placing a glass of water near each location overnight, and measuring the resultant temperature in the morning with a standard thermometer.

1. If you have a draft tower, you should ensure that cool air is circulating through the draft tower as well as the refrigeration compartment.
2. If the beer is cold at the beginning but raises temperature at the end of the beer line, it can cause a great degree of foaming.
3. Consider a draft tower fan or an insulating tower wrap to reduce foaming and regulate temperatures in the beer tower.

Dirty Beer Lines If this is all in order, it is time to check the condition of your beer line and fittings. Dirty beer lines can cause foaming as well, and this makes it very important to clean your beer lines regularly. Now, check all fittings. If any of the fittings are loose, it can cause outside air to be sucked into the beer solution, causing air bubbles and foaminess.

Make sure to tighten all of your hose clamps and any fitting that has bolts or hex flanges. Beer Line Length In some cases, your beer line may not be long enough. About six to eight feet of beer line is usually enough to allow you to play with the pressure and find a nice balance. You may want to use our Beer Line Length Calculator to determine the perfect size line for your draft system.

Regulator Fail If all else fails, you may have to look to your CO2 regulator. If the regulator has been dropped or banged up (they usually are), you might have a regulator malfunction or leak that is causing a gauge to fail or let excess CO2 into the keg.

Can you recarbonate beer?

Drinking beer without fizz is like chugging warm soda – it’s just not the same. Fizz adds taste and texture. If your beer has gone flat, how can you recarbonate it? You can recarbonate beer that’s gone flat by increasing the temperature, adding sugar, or pressurizing it.

Will a keg go bad without CO2?

How long does a tapped keg last? – The method you choose for dispensing your beer also plays a major role in how long your keg stays fresh. Using a kegerator or draft system that dispenses draft beer using CO2 should not impact your beer’s freshness as long as the keg is stored at the proper temperature and pressure.

You can follow the guidelines explained above to determine how long your tapped keg will last. Using a picnic pump, party pump or keg tap is a completely different situation. These introduce oxygen into your keg, which greatly speeds up the process of beer going bad. Since a picnic pump uses oxygen instead of carbon dioxide, a tapped keg will only last about 12-24 hours, depending on the type of beer and how much oxygen was pumped into it.

The oxygen will cause the beer to go flat and spoil quickly if you don’t finish the keg within that time frame.

What pressure should a beer keg be at KPA?

All beers like to sit in static state under a certain ‘Target’ pressure. Each beer will have a slightly different carbonation level and therefore a slightly different ‘Target’ pressure. Generally speaking most beers like to sit in the keg at between 83kPa (12psi) to 97kPa (14psi) at 2 degree C.

What is the typical pressure in a beer bottle?

How much pressure can safely be handled? Can anybody tell me how much pressure (psi/bars/atm) can safely be handled by a standard beer bottle, flip-top beer bottle, and regular wine bottle? Thanks, evenstill Most beers have about 1 atm of pressure on/in them, so standard beer bottles can handle that.

Flip-top shouldn’t change that unless the glass is thicker. Standard wine bottles aren’t meant to handle any pressure, so I would personally not put any pressurized liquids in them (closure would also be more difficult). Sparkling wine bottles can be pressurized. A Martinelli’s bottle (not wine, but the bottle is the same size) can handle beer pressure.

Big hefty Champagne bottles can take up to 6 atm. These bottles are significantly heavier than standard bottles and their punts (the bump on the bottom) are pretty big. Rule of thumb: you can refill a container with its original contents at their orignial pressures (beer in a beer bottle, etc) safely.

1. Be sure to inspect for cracks & chips though.
2. Ok, so I just got some new 12 & 22 oz beer bottles from a local homebrew shop and would like to put some sparkling cyser in them.
3. My target CO2 volume is 2 (8g sugar per liter?).
4. I’ve read that most beer bottles purchased in the U.S.
5. Can safely handle 2-3 atmospheres of pressure so I shouldn’t have any problems right? A “typical” beer pressure is 2.5 volumes of CO2.

You’ll be fine at 2. I’m planning on bottling a weisse at 3.5 volumes, and it seems that the bottles should be able to handle that too. It’s hard to find numbers, but one place I saw said beer bottles “may” handle up to 50 PSI (about 3 atm), another place said 100 PSI (though that seems like a stretch).2 volumes is less than 15 PSI (about 1 atm), so you’re well within the limits.

Am I understanding you correctly that 2 volumes is NOT 2 atm? I’m getting mixed language from folks and am getting rather confused. I was under the impression that 1 atm was the same as 1 bar, 1 volume, & about 15 psi and that 4g corn sugar per liter of mead would yield 1 atm/bar/volume/15psi and an additional 0.216% ABV.

I’d really like my cyser to have about as much sparkle as an average beer (2.5 atm) but figured that I’d shoot just a little under to leave some room for mistakes. Am I off on my language, units of measurement (atm etc.), and/or calculations? Yeah, it took me awhile to get used to the “volumes” of CO2 thing.

Basically, if you take all the CO2 out of 12 fl oz of beer and get 12 fl oz of CO2 (at standard temp and pressure), that’s one volume of CO2 in your beer.1 volume is basically flat (you’ll have about that much left over at the end of fermentation before degassing). Applying 15 psi/1 atm of pressure on a liquid will give you some amount of carbonation, which depends on the temperature.

Higher temperature, less carbonation. Look up a carbonation chart if you like, it will tell you the psi needed to get a certain number of volumes of CO2 into a liquid. If I’m doing my conversions right, your 8 g/l of sugar is on the high side of normal for carbonation level (5.2 oz per 5 gallons, standard rates are usually 4-5 oz).

Someone (sorry I don’t remember who) posted a link to which will give you how much sugar to add to get to your desired carbonation level. It’s a ballpark only (depends on how long it’s been degassing, etc), but it’s a nice start. Thanks for being so patient with me, your answers are really helping to clear some things up.

So 2 “volumes” is NOT 2 atm, right? What is the conversion (1″volume” = ?atm & ?psi)? Once I know that I should be able to use that link you sent me, looks like it’ll make things a lot easier. Let me run my calculations by ya. I have 3.785411784 liters (1 gallon) of cyser and want to achieve 2 atm carbonation (average beer?) by priming the whole batch with table sugar then bottle aging.3.8g cane/table sugar per liter of cyser should yield 1 atm carbonation.

1. If I degass the cyser then I should be able to use the folowing equation: 3.8(grams sugar)* 2(atm carbonation)* 3.785411784(volume liters)=28.769128g (1oz) sugar to add to my cyser.
2. Sound about right? I have some formulas that will figure in the residual CO2 in my cyser after brewing (I assume this is for those who don’t degass right?) but I believe they are in “volumes” and not atm so knowing the conversion will really help me out a LOT.

Correct, “Atmospheres” is a measurement of pressure equal to the measured air pressure at sea level. PSI, likewise is a measurement of pressure.1 ATM of pressure is equal to 14.696 PSI. In physics, Volumes is not a measurement of pressure, but of volume (or amount).

Someone jump in if I end up muddling this next part. As air is compressible, it’s pressure is a combination of the amount of gas and the size of the space it is compressed to (temperature effects this as well). An empty beer bottle, just sitting open is filled with 1 volume and thus its pressure at sea level is 14.696 PSI.

Fill it with 2 volumes and its pressure is now 29.392 PSI. That link that Akueck posted above shows volumes between 1.3 and 3.5. Giving pressures from 22.044 PSI to 51.436 PSI. The thin screw top beer bottles in the US (edit at the beer company that I work for /edit are tested to 100 PSI (not every one is tested though, just perhaps one in a hundred. So a safer target would be 50 PSI max pressure). I’m not sure how thick the bottles you purchased are, but it’s good to know your upper limits. Hopefully that helps and I didn’t get anything wrong. One thing to remember is that I completely disregarded was the volume of liquid as it’s non compressible and it’s assumed that the gas is dissolved within it. Someone confirm this is correct? Forgive me for being such a perfectionist,

• I guess I’m just the sort of guy that needs the cozy comfort of calculations and formulas to sleep at night.
• Ya know, the kind that spends a ridiculous amount of time trying to hammer out a “perfect” recipe that will achieve exactly what is desired? Questions,
• Questions,
• Question,
• So “Volumes” measure volume and Atmospheres measure pressure but what exactly is the correlation between the two? ??? Since 2 “volumes” = 29.392psi and 2 atmospheres = 29.392psi then 2 “volumes” = 2 atmospheres? ??? Are “volumes” and atmospheres interchangeable units of measurement when it comes to formula intended for bottle priming? ??? If, as you suggest, my bottles can probably handle 50 psi (about 3.5 atmospheres of pressure) and I’m shooting for 29.392psi (2 atmospheres of pressure) I can safely calculate the amount of priming sugar needed by using a formula intended to achieve “2 volumes”? ??? And how does the volume of liquid affect all this? ??? 3.8(grams sugar)* 2(atm carbonation)* 3.785411784(volume liters)=28.769128g (1oz) sugar to add to my cyser.

Sound about right? Like I said, 4-5 oz per 5 gallons is typical for beer priming. So 1 oz/gal is good; considering you’ll degas it, it should wind up about average beer carbonation level. The problem equating “volume” and “pressure” is the fact that it all depends on temperature.

• So a will list the temperature and the pressure (supplied by you) and give you the resultant “volumes of CO2”.
• Another problem is “absolute pressure” vs “gauge pressure”.
• The carbonation charts all work with gauge pressure since they usually assume you’re hooking up a draft system and are reading pressure via a gauge.

To get from gauge to absolute pressure, add 1 atm/14.7 psi (at sea level). So your carbonation chart will give you 15 psi for 2 volumes at 58ºF. In absolute terms, this is really 2 atm at standard conditions (one at the gauge and one for ambient air). So, as best as I can see it, when you’re working with standard conditions, “1 volume” of CO2 exists in a container at “1 atm”.

Change the temperature and it all goes out the window. Stay within the window of 0.8-1 oz of corn sugar per gallon, and you won’t blow up the bottle, even without degassing. The best teacher for this is experience, so you’ll just have to make lots of sparkling cyser “in the name of science”. :laughing7: An empty beer bottle, just sitting open is filled with 1 volume and thus its pressure at sea level is 14.696 PSI.

Fill it with 2 volumes and its pressure is now 29.392 PSI. This is correct, but misses the point a little. “Volumes of CO2” refers to how much gas is dissolved in the liquid, not how much volume there is or what pressure there is. The pressure and temperature affect how much gas dissolves in the liquid (high pressure favors dissolution, high temperature favors degassing).

1. Beer with 2 volumes of CO2 in it has enough dissolved gas to fill twice the volume of the beer, were the gas to be removed and placed at standard conditions.
2. The same bottle of beer, placed at a lower temperature, will have more volumes of CO2 in it (some CO2 from the headspace will dissolve into the liquid).

The pressure in the bottle will decrease, yet the volume (not “volumes of CO2”, just regular volume) is the same. Hence the precaution to never open sparkling wine at room temperature (just chilling it will make it less dangerous to open). Use the calculator I linked to eariler.

1. It will estimate the amount of gas remaining at the end of fermentation (less as the temperature increases).
2. The longer your cyser sits, the more gas will leak out, but if you prime within a month or so of the end of fermentation I’d say the calculator should be about right.
3. Enter your desired carbonation level (say 2 volumes) and the volume of cyser (1 gallon) and out pops how much sugar you need (0.6 oz).

If you degas, you’ll need an additional 0.45ish oz of sugar to make up for what was there (leading to your 1 oz calculation earlier). I used the calculator to figure out how to prime my almost-flat (1.5 volumes) English Mild ale, and it worked great. Yay calculator! ;D So, in summary, there is no nice formula for “volumes CO2” = “atm/psi”.

Temperature and gas dissolving in liquid just make the situation screwy. Thanks everyone for the great replies. This is just the kind of info I was looking for. I think it’s to late for one of my batches of Cyser though. I checked the gravity today and it’s the same as the last time i took it which was 2 weeks ago (1.0236).

This means that there hasn’t been any fermentation in the last 2 weeks right? This gravity gives me about 6.792% sugar by weight right? I assume that if there was any life left in my yeast (Wyeast 4632 dry mead) it would have been fermenting this residual sugar for the past 2 weeks so if I added any sugar at this point to bottle prime it would just serve to make it sweeter, not sparkling right? It’s really clear with little to no yeast at the bottom and since I haven’t seen a change in gravity for 2 weeks is it ok to go ahead and bottle it then? Thanks, evenstill Thanks everyone for the great replies.

This is just the kind of info I was looking for. I think it’s to late for one of my batches of Cyser though. I checked the gravity today and it’s the same as the last time i took it which was 2 weeks ago (1.0236). This means that there hasn’t been any fermentation in the last 2 weeks right?, I haven’t seen a change in gravity for 2 weeks is it ok to go ahead and bottle it then? Thanks, evenstill No, that’s not a safe assumption to make.

Zero change in gravity for a period of two weeks is far too short a period to assume that the mead has stabilized. I’ve had meads that have sat for 3-5 months with no change, then BLAMMO, off they go again. This is even after 2 rackings. The problem with not filtering or sulfiting and sorbating is that you’re at the mercy of time and guesswork.

• You cannot see the yeast with the naked eye, and while mead can appear clear, it can still have a significant enough population of yeast in suspension to begin fermenting again.
• You need to monitor the mead for several months (more than three in my opinion) in order to make that leap.
• Even then you’re rolling the dice.

If you want to stack the odds in your favor you should cold crash the carboy at about 39 degrees for two weeks and immediately rack after that time. Take a gravity reading after the mead has come up to room temperature and monitor again for eight weeks.

What is the flow rate of draft beer?

Constant and uniform pressure is needed while the beer is on tap to maintain this natural carbonation. At 38ºF, the internal pressure of a keg is 12 to 14 pounds per square inch (psi). An ideal flow rate is about 2 ounces per second.

What CO2 pressure for stout?

If you’ve ever been to Dublin or an Irish pub, you’ve probably enjoyed your fair share of the black stuff. Guinness is super smooth, creamy and so satisfying that one pint quickly becomes 4 or 5. While Guinness may be the original silky smooth stout, more and more breweries are trying their hand at the style.

• But what is it that makes it so smooth and creamy? Some might say the use of flaked barley helps create a tight, smooth head, but the real secret lies in the dispense method.
• Guinness and other creamy stouts and ales are served using a mixture of nitrogen and co2, rather than simply co2 like most beers.

This use of nitrogen has led to a surge of nitro stouts hitting bars across the globe, but it’s possible to replicate the style at home as well. If you’re already kegging your beer at home, you can add a nitro stout to your repertoire fairly easily. To get started on your nitro stout adventure, you’ll only need to pick up a few additional items.

Once you have them, you’ll be able to enjoy nitro stouts whenever you want. Beer gas is a mixture of around 25 — 30% co2, to 70 — 75% nitrogen (n2). Nitrogen is often stored under much higher pressure than carbon dioxide, and requires a stronger canister to hold it, so you can’t just fill up your co2 tank with beer gas.

They have a different thread to co2 tanks, preventing the wrong regulators from being fitted. You can generally find beer gas at beverage gas supply stores. Due to the high pressure that nitrogen is stored under, you’ll need a nitrogen regulator that is capable of withstanding it. The stout faucet is last piece of the puzzle may seem small, but it is the key to creating a cascade of smooth, creamy beer. Without it, your beer would lack the big creamy head that is essential to a nitro stout, and may be a little too prickly, rather than smooth.

• It has an in-built restrictor plate, which forces the beer through a number of tiny holes, knocking the co2 out of solution and encouraging the cascade effect.
• You can also use a sparkler, which will screw onto certain taps.
• If you’re not too keen on searching for another gas canister and regulator, iKegger offers a fantastic, easy solution, which can also be used to enjoy nitro cold brew coffee, cocktails or even tea.

Our nitro packages include:

Keg or growler, (choose from 2, 4, 5 or 10 litre kegs or 2 or 4 litre growlers) Nitro spear which screws onto the mouth of the keg and has attachments for a stout faucet and N20 creamer bulbs Stout faucet (standard or premium) Food grade N20 (nitrogen) creamer bulbs.

Simply add your stout to the keg, carbonate and condition. When you’re ready to serve, insert an N20 bulb, give the keg a quick shake and enjoy beautifully creamy stout. They’re ideal for parties and are fully portable. Besides nitro stouts, they can be used for nitro cocktails and cold brew coffee — we recommend espresso martinis! Whether you use an iKegger setup or purchase beer gas, nitro stouts need to be conditioned correctly to ensure a perfectly creamy pint.

1. These smooth stouts don’t require much carbonation, and should typically be carbed to around 1 – 1.2 volumes of co2 max.
2. There are 2 ways you can force carb your nitro stouts; with beer gas or pure co2.
3. Contrary to popular belief, nitro stouts are not actually carbed with nitrogen, it is generally only used to serve the beer.

This is because it’s not very soluble and will not dissolve into the beer like co2 does. However, you can use beer gas to carb your beer, and the method is fairly simple. Just hook up your gas to the keg of beer, set it to 30 psi and leave it for at least a week.

1. This should allow the correct amount of co2 to be dissolved into the beer.
2. Alternatively, you can use pure co2 set at 8 – 10 psi.
3. Leave it to condition for at least a week, then switch over to beer gas to serve.
4. This method works well for the iKegger kits, allowing you to plug and play whenever you’re ready to serve.

Whichever method you use, take care not to over carb as this can lead to an extremely foamy mess when you try to serve. The secret to a perfect nitro stout serve, complete with cascading bubbles and a thick, foamy head, is in the serving pressure. Unlike your typical beers, nitro stouts need to be served a higher pressure, generally around 25 – 30 psi.

Running through the hose at high pressure, the stout will eventually hit your stout faucet. As it smashes against the restrictor plate, the carbon dioxide that was in solution will be forced out through the tiny holes, forming tiny bubbles that seem to drop down to the bottom of the glass, before rushing up to form that perfectly dense nitro stout head.

What you’re left with is a beer with very little co2 left in it, resulting in a smooth, rich and creamy mouthfeel. Your beer lines should generally be shorter than normal lines, as you want the beer to hit the tap at high pressure; around 1.5 metres should be enough. Of course, with a nitro stout setup you’re not limited only to stouts. Many styles lend themselves to a nitro pour, including bitters, porters and milds. Generally speaking, maltier beers are best suited to nitrogen, rather than hop bombs, as nitrogen tends to strip away hop aroma slightly.