Why use Mixed Gas for Dispensing?
There are some clear situations where mixed gas should be used for dispensing Beer to avoid disaster.
- If you are serving a ‘nitro’ beer, a beer that has nitrogen brewed in it or added to it. Guinness is a good example of this style.
- If you are serving beer at a pressure over the balance point for that beer. In other words you need to dispense at a higher pressure than the beer desires, in which case you will over-carbonate it.
- For ‘nitro’ beers, CO2 gas alone will allow the nitrogen to come out of solution and nitrogen alone will allow the CO2 gas to come out of solution. So to keep the beer in equilibrium the correct mix of CO2 and N2 is required.
The higher the N2 content in the brewed beer the more N2 needed in the mix used to keep and dispense it.
For non ‘nitro’ beers there is a different situation. All beers have an as brewed CO2 content, quoted in volumes or grams per litre. This level is selected by the brewer, and it has an effect on taste and appearance. The correct gas mix will keep the balance of the beer. The CO2 part of the mix will help maintain the as brewed volumes and the nitrogen part of the mix will help provide the pressure necessary to dispense it. By looking at the dispense temperature and the dispense pressure an appropriate mix of CO2 and N2 gases is selected.
Nitro Coffee, What’s so special about it?
Nitro cold brew coffee, commonly referred to as “NCB,” is cold brew coffee charged with nitrogen to give it a rich, creamy head, similar to nitro draft beer like Guinness. The nitrogen bubbles are smaller in size than those of carbon dioxide, resulting in a beverage with a thicker, smoother mouthfeel.
We already have made a gas mixing panel specifically for producing nitro coffee. The specification came from a well known coffee chain and are still being used.
So if you are interested in getting into the nitro coffee market, we can help!
4 Important Tips for Beer Dispensing
The Cellar — A clean cellar is key to keeping beer from spoiling before its best before date. Cleaning once a week with the proper sanitising products will prevent bacteria from growing. This in turn will also help the air quality and again help to stop the beer from spoiling.
Regular maintenance of your cellar will help equipment to run smoothly and effectively. Dirt, dust and mould can obviously have a negative effect on equipment.
Every night after closing, it is a good idea to turn off the gas to the beer lines. This will prevent the beer from being over-carbonated which causes fobbing and foaming.
Cellar Temperature — Most cellars will use remote coolers to bring the temperature down to the correct dispensing temperature and therefore the coolers should be running constantly.
Anything above 12 ̊C and bacteria can grow in the beer, making the beer foam more during dispense. Any harsh fluctuations in temperature can effect the beer quality of course.
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Beer Lines — Same as your cellar, your beer lines need regular cleaning to prevent the beer from becoming infected with bacteria and wild yeast. These will cause the beer to spoil and create carbon dioxide, leading to fobbing and foaming. If the cleaning is not thorough, mould, limescale and beer stone can build up in the lines. This will affect the beer and even your dispensing equipment.
Beer Gas for Dispensing — Just like making sure your cellar and beer lines are clean, the gas you dispense with should also be clean.
BSL Gas Technologies Ltd make and supply Gas Mixers specifically made for the Beverage Dispense. Not only are our Gas Mixers accurate and efficient but they do not need an electrical supply either. Saving on your electric bill! This also means you are less limited to where in the cellar you put it.
Because our Gas Mixers use a pressure mechanical system, if a supply gas is lost, no gas will pass through the Mixer. Therefore, no wasted gas being pumped into the cellar.
We can also supply Gas Filters or have systems with the Gas Filters incorporated into them. Making your whole process more protected and clean.