NitroBrew At Home for Nitro and Soda – Single Serve

FAQ

1. Is NitroBrew available for home and commercial use?

Yes. We have different configurations for home and commercial settings. You can use the kettle system or our nitro tap systems. Call us for any specific questions or email us at info@nitrobrew.com.

2. Do you need to be a homebrewer to use NB at home?

Absolutely not. You can convert any beer to a nitro beer. You can use beer from a bottle, a can, a tap or any other way to provide beer!

3. What is special about nitro beverages and nitro style beers and how are they different?

Nitro beverages have three classic features: a smooth and creamy texture when you drink, a visually appealing drink because of the mesmerizing cascades of the nitrogen bubbles, and a reduced bitterness effect because of the nitro bubbles. They present a very different mouthfeel on your palate and offer a unique drinking experience. Nitro style beers are smooth and creamy with reduced carbonation bite.

4. What does the home kit bundle have?

A NitroBrew kettle, a charger and a clean air compressor that is quiet and oil-free.

5. Do we have to buy an air compressor?

It comes with the home bundle but if you already have one, please call us and we can send the home kit without the compressor.

6. If I have a nitrogen tank, can I use NB at home?

Absolutely. If you can provide nitrogen at about 40-45 psig (2.4 barg), you won’t need air compressors.

7. Do I need a pressure regulator?

Yes. If you have your own air compressor or a Nitrogen tank, you will need a pressure regulator. This is for safety reasons. Gas supply pressure should be set at about 40 psig (2.4 barg).

8. Where is the Nitrogen coming from to infuse the beverage in the kettle?

From the Nitrogen cylinder hooked up to the charger or the air compressor. The air we breathe is 78% nitrogen!

9. Doesn’t the oxygen from air make the beer go stale?

Oxygen in beer is bad, but only if you let it sit around.  With NitroBrew, the intent is to enjoy the beer right after NitroBrewing or within a short time. In any case,  using air with NitroBrew is no different than pouring beer in a glass in ambient air.

10. Can the home kit be mounted on or under a counter?

The charger can be mounted over or under the counter with a double sided adhesive tape. If necessary, it can also be mounted on a vertical panel, like the side of a cabinet.

11. What are the beers that are best suited for NB?

This is really a personal choice. But most Stouts and Porters are well suited for NB. We have folks that also love an IPA on nitro. So try and see what appeals to your taste buds!

12. What other drinks can this be used for?

You can use it with cold brew coffee, tea, root beer, cream soda etc. The kettle system provides the flexibility for you to try any drink you fancy on nitro! Go ahead and experiment

13. Can NitroBrew be used to make nitro coffee?

Absolutely. You can use cold brew, espresso or drip coffee and use NitroBrew to make great cold nitro coffee without any dairy!

14. Can I make fizzy or carbonated drinks with NitroBrew?

Of course! You can make your own sodas or carbonated flavored water with NitroBrew. You will need to supply your own CO2 tank and make sure you have the pressure set to 35psi. For more details, see the NitroBrew youtube channels for making carbonated beverages!

15. Why is it important to shake after you charge?

It is very important to shake the kettle thoroughly so the nitrogen is dispersed evenly through the beer/beverage in the kettle. You don’t want to leave untreated pockets of the beverage.

16. What is the best way to dispense a nitro beverage once it is charged?

Make sure you completely tip the kettle upside-down over the drinking glass. To start the dispense process and gently press on the nozzle to control the pouring speed. Anticipate that toward the end when you run out of the drink, a shot of gas may shoot out. If the valve does not close by itself when the push-button is released, gently pull the the push-button with your other hand to help close the valve.

17. What is the best way to clean the kettle?

Vent the residual pressure completely before removing the lid. Rinse the kettle and lid under a faucet. Pushing the push-button and rotating it will latch it in the open position. Rinsing while in this position will run the water through the valve mechanism for a full rinse. You can also NitroBrew some tap water. Even better, the kettle is completely dishwasher safe. Just remember to latch the valve in the open position so the detergent and sanitizer will run through the valve and venturi and clean everything thoroughly.

18. How do you service the dispense valve system?

If you clean the system after each use, very little maintenance is really necessary. If the valve mechanism gets sticky, usually a squirt of PAM will lubricate the seals. Always remember to remove the excess lubricant by nitrobrew’ing some water. In extreme cases, the valve assembly can be completely disassembled and cleaned. First remove the channel screw. Then unscrew and remove the nozzle. Do not lose the crush seal O-ring at the base of the nozzle. Push-in the push button and hold the valve spool with a paper towel or another soft gripper. Rotate the push button to unthread, release the valve spool from the push button. Clean all parts with a soft cloth, and re lube them with a food-grade lubricant. Reassemble the system by retracing the process. Never attempt to dislodge or separate the valve body from the lid. Contact NitroBrew for replacement spare parts.

18. Do you need any tools to setup and start using NB home kit?

If you buy the entire home kit from us you will have everything you need. No other parts and tools should be necessary for typical installations.

19. Why can’t I open the lid sometimes?

The lid cannot be opened if the kettle is charged and under pressure. That is a built in safety mechanism. You should always vent the kettle before attempting to open the lid. ****Tip*** Until you are familiar with using NitroBrew, feel free to simply charge the empty kettle or pour water into the kettle and charge. Set the kettle on a flat surface and simply give a slight push on the handle. The kettle should spin and that means it was properly pressurized/charged. If it does not spin please make sure to charge it correctly. We don’t want you to waste your precious beer or coffee!

20. Why doesn’t lid seal sometimes?

The large gasket in the NitroBrew assembly forms the seal between the lid and the kettle. Although designed with very precise tolerances, this gasket sometimes tends to compress due to top loads during storage and transportation on stacked pallets. A gasket that may be a little too compressed may not seal consistently.

However, even the slightest internal pressure forces it to push outwards and seal positively. During charging, if you apply even a slight downward pressure on the lid (for example, press-down momentarily with your thumb of your free hand), you should find that the issue goes away. You only need to do this momentarily- just to get some pressure started. You can then continue charging normally

21. Sometime we see excess foam in beer and I don’t like it. Why is that and what can I do?

Excess of foam in dispensed NitroBrew’d beer is generally indicative of excess residual carbonation. And it is not necessarily the nitro-style creamy foam you would want.

Insufficient mixing/shaking is a common problem because it is so counter-intuitive. Whenever folks see excessive foam, they tend to mix less vigorously because usually wild pours are associated with disturbed beer 🙂

Certain factors may interfere with NitroBrew’s carbonation adjustment function, for example: – if the beer is too cold (i.e., less than 38degF) – stock beer is over carbonated (more than 2.65 volumes) – improper equilibration, i.e., insufficient mixing/shaking after charging – use of beer gas (N2/CO2 mixes) to NitroBrew normally carbonated stock beer, etc.

Lastly, if you have a pocket of untreated beer in the NitroBrew kettle (due to incomplete mixing), that slug of higher carbonation beer will ‘explode’ when it hits the millions of nitro style microbubbles during dispense. Nitro bubbles nucleate CO2 release much like those coca-cola and mentos experiments 🙂

Good mixing is important- both for carbonation adjustment and nitrogen infusion. Also, we recommend holding the kettle by the body (not the handle) while shaking.

22. What if I need a 220v compressor?

We ship both 110v and 220v compressors. It is important that you tell us which one you want included. All US shipments will receive standard 110v compressors.

23. What else can the NitroBrew system be used for?

You can also make your own soda if you like by connecting a carbondioxide cylinder to the charger. Some drinks could benefit from a touch of carbonation as well. To bring in the carbonation, you may use carbondioxide gas, or reduce/dilute your drink with a little club soda (carbonated water). Go ahead and experiment!

24. What to do when the valve is sticky/hard to operate?

If the valve mechanism gets sticky, usually a squirt of PAM or any food grade oil will lubricate the seals. Inside the NitroBrew lid (side where you see the gasket), there is a small port near the nozzle, simply add a drop or two of any food grade oil or food grade lubricant. That should make it easy to operate. Always remember to remove the excess lubricant by nitrobrew’ing some water.

25. My kettle gets charged and seems to loose the charge right away. What is going on here?

It is possible that you have the lid in the lock position. Make sure to first have the valve in the open position. You can push on the plunger and move it right to lock/close or move it left to open/unlock. Make sure you are charging in unlock position. This mechanism is to allow you to clean the valve thoroughly when hand washing or put it in the top rack of the dishwasher. Refer to the manual for more details.
Normal Operating position for the plunger
Locked position for cleaning