What does Nitrogen Dispensed Mean?
No, its not a gimmick like ice beer, dry beer, dry ice light, or "heart of the
hops." Nitrogen dispense (or mixed gas dispense) has been used to serve Guinness
draught for a long time. It is used to mimic the mouthfeel and body of a beer pulled from
a traditional English Beer engine. A nitrogen dispensed beer like Ballast Point Special
has a lower carbonation level than most beers, but at the same time has a rich creamy head
that persists all the way to the bottom of a pint.
Nitrogen dispensed beers are pushed with a blend of 70 to 75% nitrogen, with the
balance of the gas being CO2. The beer is pushed at higher than normal pressure through a
a special tap which has a perforated screen. This agitates the beer and causes the gas to
break out of solution. The beer pours into the glass with a cascading foam that eventually
settles into a rich creamy head with the texture of whipped cream. The foam is very
persistent and may last for a half hour or more.
Why do nitrogen bubbles last much longer than CO2 bubbles? (science lesson time) The
Earth's atmosphere is 80% Nitrogen and only .5% CO2. This means that a bubble of CO2 faces
a large concentration gradient. Nature, in her tendency to balance every thing out evenly,
causes the gas to diffuse and the bubbles to collapse. Nitrogen bubbles do not face such a
drastic gradient, and therefore tend to stick around a lot longer.
The low carbonation level provides other benefits. CO2 and water form carbonic acid,
which give carbonated beverages a little tongue bite. A lower carbonation level gives a
smoother taste without a bite. Studies have shown that carbonation level is the single
most important factor in how the body of a beer is perceived (Langstaff, Guinard, and
Lewis 1991). Beers with lower carbonation are perceived to have a fuller body. The lower
carbonation level also prevents the beer from giving the drinker a bloated or gassy
feeling.
So try a nitrogen dispensed Ballast Point Special today and taste the difference.
P.S.
Home Brew Mart sells everything you need to put your homebrew on a nitrogen dispensing
system.
(Think Christmas present!)
The people of Ballast Point and Home Brew Mart.
(left to right): Nucci, Jack, Peter, Yuseff, Paul, and Tom. |
Click on image ! |
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Get The Point! |
PRICES
Half Gallon Jug...$11.00
($7 refill)
One Gallon Jug........$16.00
($11 refill)
5 Gallon Keg.......$45.00
15.5 Gallon Keg..$105.00
T-Shirts..$9.95
Pints.....$2.00
Hats.....$12.95 |
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What Is An ESB?
Ballast Point Special is an ESB style beer. ESB stands for Extra Special Bitter. In
England, where the style originated, most draft ales are known as bitter. A customer at a
bar will ask for "a pint of bitter." Pale Ale is a term who's meaning has
mingled with that of bitter, but Pale Ale usually refers to bottled beer. Both Pale Ale
and Bitter range in color from amber to deep copper. The beers are usually fairly bitter,
and have a good hop aroma. The breweries in Burton on Trent are especially famous for
bitters made from the extremely hard water found there. Breweries all over the world,
including Ballast Point, add gypsum to imitate Burton on Trent's water. Examples of Burton
Bitters include Bass, Double Diamond, and Abbot Ale. Unfortunately, many of these beers
get oxidized before they are ever bought causing many of their subtle flavors to be lost.
But now fans of classic English beers can enjoy the fresh taste of Ballast Point Special.
Breweries often have several bitters. The lightest one is simply known as Bitter,
Ordinary Bitter, or Standard Bitter. This beer is usually low in alcohol (3.5 to 4 %). An
increase in alcohol gives us Best Bitter or Special Bitter. This beer is slightly hoppier
and darker than an ordinary bitter. The strongest is known as Extra Special Bitter (5 to
5.5% alcohol). This beer is darker still, with a rich malt character lacking in the other
bitters. Even though these beers are called bitters, most are not nearly as bitter as
their American counterparts like Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. This is all a bit confusing
because different breweries use different designations.
Many public houses in England will carry a full range of bitters from several
breweries. The English will often pop in and have a pint of bitter with lunch, saving the
Best or ESB for an evening beer. Instead of using compressed gas to push the beer through
a tap, most of these bitters will be served on a beer engine. This system uses a hand pump
to pull the beer through the lines from a vented cask in the cellar. This gives the beer a
low carbonation level and a slightly warmer serving temperature that maximizes the hoppy
aroma of the beer. Beers that are served in this way are called Real Ales (You may have
heard of CAMRA-the Campaign for Real Ales). Our nitrogen dispensing mimics the effect of
the beer engines adding that final touch to a classic English Style Ale.
Ballast Point Brewing Company Gear
Ballast Point beers are available in half and one gallon jugs to go as well as five and
fifteen gallon kegs. Right now we have our Ballast Point Special, White, Porter and
Barleywine on tap. The Porter and Barleywine will be rotated with other beers so that we
can try new recipes. In addition to our beers, we have T-shirts, pint glasses and hats. |
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