How to Set Up Your Kegerator for Nitro Coffee 

Can you elaborate more on this topic? I am new to the whole nitro tank world.

Hey bro how many kegs are you able to reload with coldbrew with one of those nitro tanks under that psi?

Hi Adam. Apologies for the late reply, we've been caught up in the Black Friday/Cyber Monday hubbub! Corny kegs like this will be under continuous gas pressure controlled by the regulator at the tank. So, they can be filled to their max rated capacity and the gas pressure will be the same as when they are nearly empty. A full keg has less gas by mass than a less-full keg, so allowing some time for conditioning to let the gas dissolve into the coffee is important, but otherwise the flow rate and head should be fairly static as you run through each keg. If you have other questions our sales team would be happy to chat any time! sales@prima-coffee.com

ideally you’re using cold brew so presumably approx. 40° freedom.

Food grade. Its been checked for impurities.

3 pounds of coffee grounds for 3 gallons of water for concentrate or 1/2 to 3/4 lbs of grounds per gallon. Its up to your tastes also. Making concentrate will allow you to add water to get the right ratio you like per glass that's poured.

It certainly could, you'll just want to be diligent about cleaning the lines and spouts. You may also want to invest in a glycol chilling system so the milk does not warm up between the keg and the spout.

It depends on the coffee you're using, for sure, but for cold brew we often like around 90 grams of coffee per liter of water. We've got a whole slew of recipes here: prima-coffee.com/blog/what-everyone-ought-know-about-iced-coffee-cold-brew-31371

Cool Thanks!

Can you make hot coffee, pour it in the empty keg and let it cool? And use that? If so, how long, once it's cooled and in the keg box, will it last for..before it goes bad?

It's possible you've got a leak. Check all the fittings and seals - you can pour water over them to check for bubbling. Often the most likely culprit is a loose connection between the regulator and the gas bottle, but be sure to check your hose clamps and keg fittings as well. When filling a keg, capacity isn't all that important as they are designed to run until almost entirely empty regardless of how much liquid was present to start.

@@primacoffeeequipment appreciate the response. Going to troubleshoot this weekend. Your videos are great, keep em coming! 😉

@Devon Any luck with this? How'd the troubleshooting go?

@@primacoffeeequipment After nearly 10 months of putting this off...I finally took another stab at nitro this past weekend and got everything setup and isolated my leak. With the leak fixed I now have Nitro coffee! YAY! However I am not getting any cascading action? Am I using too low of a psi (currently at 40) or is there something I am missing? Regardless of no cascade action, it tastes amazing and is extremely strong (I brewed 1.2 gallons to 24oz of coffee)! Thank you for your help!

@@DevonConnelly you need N2 not No2, huge difference

We've had good luck using welding supply shops, as they will have a variety of gases available and often rent and exchange gas cylinders. Beer supply stores will also often have nitrogen and CO2, but may only be able to fill cylinders rather than rent them out.

Thanks. I went to Praxair. I think BevMo may have food grade nitro too.

Yes, you can chill kegs on ice and they'll still dispense properly as long as they are stored upright. You may want to check in with your health department to ensure they allow beverages to be stored and served this way.

No, you need to keep it connected. As you dispense coffee, the volume of the empty space in the keg increases, which will result in the gas pressure inside decreasing. So, you need to keep the gas bottle connected to maintain pressure as you dispense.

@Jeroma you can purge the air out of a keg and pressurise it, then store cold. If you do it right, you can store it in a cooler for 2-3 weeks without noting a flavor change. You would need to clean your lines if you are swapping between beverages. Cheers!

​@@primacoffeeequipment how many kegs are you able to reload with coldbrew with one of those nitro tanks under that psi?

@@ademirrosario9825 One tank is generally good for around 4-5 5-gallon kegs.

If you shake a charged keg for a few minutes you'll get a similar result.

Hi, Albert. Where is the leak coming from? If it is coming from one or both the posts (on the keg), the O-rings may need to be replaced or the poppets may need to be adjusted or replaced. If the problem is indeed in the ball lock itself, though, the best bet is to purchase a new ball lock quick disconnect from a reputable manufacturer. Good luck.

One tank is generally good for around four or five 5-gallon kegs.

@@primacoffeeequipment wow nice, good deal

Hi there! We believe this is a 22cu ft. tank. We refilled it with medical grade N2 at a local welders supply shop.

We used and prefer pure nitrogen. Carbon dioxide can do funny things to coffee's flavor, as it creates carbonic acid when dissolved into water-based solutions. You could try to account for that extra acidity by adding a sweetener or some kind of buffer, but in production it's usually easiest to just brew and keg without messing with the coffee too much. That being the case, pure nitrogen will have no impact on the flavor, and while the foam will be slightly reduced the overall result is quite similar.

That's what I figured. A CO2 blend works best for Beer but not for coffee. At a local roastery here they used a blend and it had a weird carbonic bite that did need loads of sweetener to tame. Makes sense to use 100% Nitro. Thanks for the explanation. Cheers.

Hey there, we have never tested that ratio so we're unsure what the results would be. It's possible it would be fine, but pure nitrogen is ideal.

About 35-40 PSI

@@primacoffeeequipment tanks

A standard gas cylinder will supply around three 5-gallon kegs

@@primacoffeeequipment thank you

@@primacoffeeequipment I am sorry, there is a stage that I did not understand, which is when pumping nitrogen gas into the keg. Do I close the gas bottle directly, or is there a specific time, or does it close when the keg is empty?

@@djelloulzaidi1016 Really the only time you need to shut off the gas or "close the gas bottle" is when you are changing kegs or gas tanks. When the keg is empty, there will just be gas coming out of the tap, then you would close off the gas and switch out kegs. If the gas runs out, you would close he outbound valve on the gas regulator, then remove the nozzle from the spent tank, then put the new tank on and open the valve and you are good to go.

@@primacoffeeequipment Thank you for your interest and response to my questions

FUCK YOU ASS HOL

Shame you can’t even spell hole, arse, that’s the harder one.

Man I was asking this question too...why would anyone be an asshole for asking this? I’m still struggling with coffee/nitrogen ratio’s to this day lol

@@Eatmykitty69 found any insight to how long your N2 lasts?

Pure N2

Hey Todd! We've been able to source it from welding and gas supply shops, where it's commonly available in different grades. We suggest purchasing food or beverage grade nitrogen if available for the sake of purity and flavor, but ask your local shop what they have available and would recommend for use with beverages.

+Prima Coffee Equipment . Thanks. I made some calls and managed to find a local company specializing in CO2 and N gas for food and beverages.

I want to ask you another question. So I'm also trying to make nitro tea. But so far I have been using the recommended psi for coffee, which most people says between 35-45 psi. But I'm not getting the creamy texture. Does anyone know what I should do? Thanks.

Two things you might try: the first is simply letting the tea sit longer, or agitate it more. This will allow more nitrogen to dissolve into the liquid and better create a foam when dispensed. Secondly, it may be that you need to brew a stronger tea. We didn't have any trouble nitrogenating normal strength drip coffee, but we did find we had better results when we increased the strength by using more ground coffee to brew with.

It might work similarly, but it won't have the same texture. It'll be coarser bubbles.

Thanks for the comment! We're sourcing our bottles from a trusted supplier and we're quite sure they're meant to be used specifically with nitrogen. Of course, if one is buying parts from other suppliers it would be wise to make sure they're using equipment meant for nitrogen as well. Cheers!

Is this comment ("stock bottle") related to the keg rather than than the nitrogen tank?

Hi Juan, we actually do this at 6:12 in the video above as well. You're right on - eliminating that extra oxygen in the keg will go a great length to slowing oxidation and does a good job of keeping the coffee tasting fresher.

Must of missed that part. Thanks for replying quickly!

@@primacoffeeequipment Question .... If i want to let the Nitrogen dissolve on its own , you suggested to let it sit for 8-10hrs . Do i leave the pressure Open at 25-35psi this whole time ?

Puneet I would say no. The keg has all the nitro it can hold.

The nitrogen in the video is plain nitrogen gas, N2, which makes up most of the air you breathe every day. It's perfectly safe to consume as part of a beverage. We do recommend sourcing nitrogen gas that is intended for food or beverage consumption, but some gas retailers do not make a distinction because all their nitrogen meets those purity standards.

@@primacoffeeequipment Speak for yourself fancy man I only breathe 100% pure oxygen! On the real though, I heard that a diffusion stone is necessary to use nitro. have you used one? is it really necessary to diffuse?

@@AD-iw4vy I'm not familiar with diffusion stones, but if you try to dispense coffee under N2 pressure through a standard faucet (like for carbonated beer) it would come out flat. A Stout Faucet (like they use for Guinness) must be used to create cavitation and incorporate the N2 into the drink as it exits the spout.

@@primacoffeeequipment interesting. thanks!

A kegerator is a refrigerator specially designed to hold beverage kegs, with lines and faucets for serving. They're most often used for beer, but as you can see they can also be used for coffee!