Fermentation Question

A little off topic of fermentation but closer to a Kegging question has anyone herd of adding a small percentage of nitrogen mix to their CO2 bottle? Weird question?

Well I was talking to a manager at a popular pup here on sunny coast awhile back and we were talking Kegging and he said his pub gets a mixture of nitrogen and co2 to pour their beer with recons it gives some pretty good head on beer:eek: what!
 
A little off topic of fermentation but closer to a Kegging question has anyone herd of adding a small percentage of nitrogen mix to their CO2 bottle? Weird question?

Well I was talking to a manager at a popular pup here on sunny coast awhile back and we were talking Kegging and he said his pub gets a mixture of nitrogen and co2 to pour their beer with recons it gives some pretty good head on beer:eek: what!

Beergas is only used in 2 situations (that I know of....) - firstly if you are running a nitro tap setup, like for Guinness.
The other time beer gas is used is for really long runs, where the line resistance would be greater than the serving pressure. Not really common amongst homebrewers, but used a lot in long draw set-ups in bars and restaurants. You can run it at a higher pressure than straight CO2.
 
I almost bought a two tap kegerator on black Friday. I'm not sure if I want to go that route or build a keezer. The kegerator would be cheaper. Another issue is I would have to travel to Baton Rouge which is about 1hr 15 min drive to get CO2. The welding shops around me are outrageous ($30 for a 10 lb tank exchange) vs $1/ lb at the HBS. But they have a two hour wait so it would be a half day trip.
Right now my plan is to get a tap set up next year sometime.
 
You will probably only need to refill co2 every few months,NOLA not like filling the bbq gas bottle.
 
a 10 lb tank will last at least 6 months if not longer. if you don't force carbonate it will last almost a year
most LBS will only exchange a 5 here and its about 12 to 16
 
Find a company that deals with fire suppression. I have one that fills my 5 lb tanks.
 
Gee co2 refills are cheep over US try 70$ for a 6kg refill I'm not sure what that is in pounds but bloody exy but I'm happy to pay for the bubbles in my beer:p
 
That's 13.23 lbs, but what about currency exchange? I think my 5 lbs costs close to $20 for a refill.
 
I guess $1/lb isn't too bad then compared to what some of you guys are paying.
If a 10 lb tank lasts 6 months I would be good with that. Figured it wouldn't last that long.
 
5 lbs lasts me about 3 months. I force carb, and have 6 kegs on tap, (2 additional kegs conditioning, thought that's probably not significant to usage.)
 
So 13.25 lbs / 70$AU =$5.28/ lbs now exchange rate ATM =0.74847 so buggers me how to work that out but yea I'm happy with my co2.o_O. Never been a maths person :rolleyes:.

Another question on the keg side of things how can I increase carbonation without having an increased pouring pressure my regulator is set at 12psi which is about right for my hose length and head in the glass but I'd like to up the carbonation a little more . I've been thinking upping the reg pressure to like 25psi for a day or two then releasing pressure and setting reg back at 12psi to pour would that work?
 
if your in a hurry yes that will work I do it, just make sure there are no slow leaks or you will empty your tank in a day
 
Example we all know wheet beers are carbed much higher than your standard ale or lager so how to achieve them high volumes of co2 without causing great volumes of foam once serving? i was watching podcast the other on wheat beers with John palmers and he was saying 4- even 5 volumes of co2! I'm not aiming for that much out of the keg but I'm looking for a spritzy beer coming Christmas Day;).

Is there an estimated carbonation table I could use that would give me an idea of volumes of co2. When bottleing you just add more sugar to get your desired volume of c02. But for Kegging a psi range/time.

12psi for one week from Kegging gives me a tiny stream of bubbles through beer
I've not done the old turn regulator full ball lay keg on ground and roll back and forth with foot trick as I'm sure water will find its way back to my regulator.
 
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Ah found it! Great stuff brewersfriend;). I like answering my own questions :rolleyes:
 
Keep in mind that volumes of CO2 of your beer is determined by regulator pressure, and beer temperature. I have a manifold on my system, so all of my kegs will ultimately have the same carbonation level. The only (practical) way around that is to put a regulator on every keg. I've seen it done, but that's gotta be pricey.

I put my my kegs on 30 lbs the day after I keg, after its chilled. I shake it for about 3-5 minutes, and call it done. I pull the gas line and let it sit until I blow another keg. I'm happy with it the day after I force carb. I have shaken it too much, and had foamy pours. If you put a serving pressure line on your keg instead, in theory you should shake it until it absolutely cannot take any more gas. Then the keg and its contents would be at your regulator pressure.
 
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just unhook the rest of the kegs set the keg you want at 25 over night, then release the pressure the next day and hook everything back up, all other kegs will still have enough pressure to serve beer for a day
 
Yep doing that as we speak I just racked a beer to keg last night and set regulator to 25 I'll drop it back to serving pressure this arvo 12 psi
 

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