Guiness help

[richard_langford]

Hi all,

I've made my first all grain brew last week, a Guinness extra stout tribute, my question is how can I replicate the creamy smooth texture rather than just co2 like my other beers I have made, is there something different I can add to the fermenter other than sugar to get this result?

 

[Nightshade]

Nitro

 

[whoaru99]

The wicked creamy head on a proper draw of Guinness is due mainly to the nitrogen/co2 blend and the orifice/restrictor plate in the tap system.

 

[richard_langford]

Ok but how, if I can make it with a home brew system?!

 

[SharonaZamboni]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/entries/free-the-nitro.html

 

[trapae]

I just set up a nitrogen system in my kegerator and it works great. You have to get a special separate nitrogen tank which gets filled with 75/25% nitrogen/CO2. You will need a special regulator for this tank as your CO2 regulator will not fit. Lastly you need a special tap faucet which has a restrictor plate. I bought all of these online from beverage factory in San Diego. Put the keg beer at 30 psi CO2 only for 24 hours, then put it on the nitrogen/CO2 tank at about 30psi. You will be enjoying yourself with a great creamy whitehead stout quickly thereafter. Cheers.

 

[richard_langford]

That's a good read thanks

 

[Paps]

I have a nitro tap system with 2 taps with the restrictor plates in them.
I carb using the nitro to 30-psi.
Both taps pour pure foam all the time but about 50% turns back into beer/cider.
You need to have a nitrogen tank (roughly $100) and nitro regulator ($60ish)
Guinness style tap (seen some as low as $50)
Not worth the investment unless you plan on allways running some sorta brew through the tap.
Other styles do work on nitro.
ATM i have a MO-Fuggle-S.M.A.S.H. one one tap and hard cider on the other nitro tap so dont be afraid to run styles other than stouts onnem.

 

[PanzerBanana]

You can pick up some Boddington's Pub Ale to try nitrogen in a different style. The cans are nitrogenated. Just have to open them gently!

 

[Denny]

Ok but how, if I can make it with a home brew system?!

Before Guinness used nitro, each beer came with a syringe. You;d use it to suck up some beer from your glass and shoot it back in. It would produce the big head and decarbonate the beer to smooth it out, just like nitro does.

ETA: already posted!