For centuries, beer has been one of the world’s most popular and sought-after alcoholic beverages.
However, few people other than beer tasters and brewers are curious about the process of brewing the various types of beer, let alone the important role that nitrogen plays in it.
1. Why use a nitrogen generator for Breweries?
At present, many beers and wine enterprises have achieved good results in applying nitrogen to anti-oxidation, and nitrogen generators have been gradually and widely used in beer brewing.
for example, The main purpose of nitrogen in beer brewing is to prevent the alcohol and maltose inside from being oxidized into acid, which can lead to a poor taste of beer. Beer brewing requires “oxygen-free brewing” and exposure to oxygen in all stages of production (except for cooling the wort for oxygenation) can greatly jeopardize the quality of beer. However, it is often difficult to ensure a full supply of CO2 from production with oxygen avoidance measures, or the CO2 is not pure enough because too much air is trapped in the CO2 recovery. Nitrogen is an inert gas, like CO2, that not only replaces CO2 and prevents oxidation but also improves the foam properties of beer.
2. Benefits of Nitrogen Generators for beer
1、Lower cost: nitrogen to air as raw material, the use of an adsorption method to separate nitrogen from the air, with less investment, low operating costs, and other characteristics.
2、Easy to use: not limited by the beer fermentation gas production, with the advantages of simple operation, fast start, with the on and off, etc.. Generally, it can produce qualified nitrogen after 20 minutes of start-up.
3、Significantly change the performance of beer foam: Nitrogen dissolves in beer, releasing very fine bubbles, making beer foam more delicate, lasting, and hanging glass.
4、No reaction with lye: As the nitrogen does not react with lye, the nitrogen can be washed with lye, which not only improves the utilization rate of lye but also avoids the formation of a vacuum in the can.
5、No effect on beer: Nitrogen is odorless, tasteless, and colorless, so it has no effect on the taste of beer.
6、Can be mixed with CO2: When the recovered CO2 is not enough, a mixture of nitrogen and CO2 can be used, which is more economical than using CO2 alone.
3. What is the difference between nitrogen and carbon dioxide in a brewery?
Breweries often use nitrogen and carbon dioxide as raw materials for pressurization and carbonation. Currently, carbon dioxide is still the most common choice for carbonating beer. However, these two gases differ slightly in various ways. Some of the major differences include:
- nitrogen is chemically stable, effectively helping to preserve the quality of beer.
- Solubility: the solubility of nitrogen is extremely low, carbon dioxide at standard atmospheric pressure can basically reach a dissolution rate of 1 volume, while nitrogen is only a minuscule 0.024, so it does not effectively form bubbles; therefore it is also not possible to add 100% nitrogen to beer, and the average so-called nitrogen beer is also inflated with 25-30% carbon dioxide.
- Taste: Carbon dioxide dissolves to form carbonic acid which adds to the bitterness of the beer, in other words, the bitterness is more easily perceived by the tongue under the effect of carbonic acid, while nitrogen does not have this phenomenon. This is why nitrogen is often used in beers that do not have a prominent bitterness.
4. How to choose a nitrogen generator?
For many breweries, on-site nitrogen production saves time, reduces waste, and reduces costs in the long run. Depending on usage, a brewing facility may break even within the first two years of installation! If you are considering converting from CO2 to nitrogen, you will need to give feedback on the following questions so that nitrogen generator suppliers can recommend the correct model.
1. What are the dimensions of your fermentation vessel and brine tank?
2. Are you inserting tanks and transferring products and packaging at the same time?
3. What is the transfer rate of your packaging?
4. What is the amount of CO2 or nitrogen you currently use per year?
5. How do you expect to use nitrogen in your system?
Generally, 35 cubic meter nitrogen generator is a frequent choice for breweries, with 99.999% purity, the price: $16,000
If you want to save time, cut costs, and reduce waste in your brewery then you need nitrogen generators, don’t wait to drink and waste time, getting nitrogen on site will help you save on operating costs while reducing the possibility of production delays
If you are looking for a high-quality, good price and reliable nitrogen generator supplier for your brewery, Minox nitrogen generators provide the highest air-to-nitrogen conversion and the lowest maintenance cost. Automation, high efficiency, high concentration, low maintenance, high life span, and quick payback are the advantages of our nitrogen generators. Now contact us!