Nitro style beers and beverages have a number of characteristics that set them apart from more traditional beers, such as a smooth and creamy texture on the tongue, a cascading effect of tiny bubbles descending the inside of the glass and an enhanced flavour without all the gassiness created by pure carbon dioxide carbonation.
Prior to founding NitroBrew in 2014, Murthy Tata, Ph.D., was a process development specialist for Miller Brewing, where he developed Creamy Draft for Leinenkugel – the brewery’s first nitro style beer. Even though Tata’s Creamy Draft was delicious, aromatic and had all the characteristics nitro style brews are enjoyed for, it was also unstable and inconsistent when in transit to the customer.
“The problem with nitrogen is that it has a very poor solubility in a beverage like beer – 50 times less soluble than CO2 – which means that when the nitro brewed beer is produced and leaves the brewery, the act of shipping itself can actually destroy the nitro performance the brewer intended,” said Tata. “Something as simple as a slight increase in temperature can cause the nitrogen to come out of the beer very quickly, and there’s no putting it back in.”
The unpredictability of nitro brews during transport inspired Tata to devote years of experimentation to develop the NitroBrew system, a new way to easily and cost-effectively make nitro style beers at the point of service.
“Even now, with most nitro style beers you buy at the bar, there is a 50-50 chance the pour will be good by the time you get it back to the table – the care in handling is that extreme,” said Tata. “So, I really wanted to find a way to mitigate anything that could negatively affect the performance of the nitro style beverage and found that nitro is best done at the point of dispense by infusing nitrogen into the beverage when the consumer is ready to drink it, rather than preparing it in advance.”
Tata says the main problem with prepared nitro canned beverages comes down to consistency. Many nitro canned beverages read something like, ‘Shake well and pour with purpose,’ which means that when it’s poured aggressively, the beverage is stirred up to improve on the perception of the nitro effect. But it’s still just a perception.
Another piece of technology often used to give nitro cans some predictability is the widget. Developed by Guinness, the widget is a tiny plastic ball inside beer cans. During canning, pressurized nitrogen is added to the brew, which trickles into a hole in the widget. Once opened, the widget’s nitrogenated beer squirts into the rest of the beer, giving it a velvety texture – most of the time.
“Neither method provides an experience as good as a nitro brewing line dispense or kettle system like ours because NitroBrew has been designed to infuse the right amount of nitrogen into the beverage just at the moment when you’re ready to actually drink it,” said Tata. “If packaged nitro style beers were comparable to what you get with NitroBrew, we probably wouldn’t be in business today.”
A tailored solution for a range of customers
NitroBrew is a subsidiary of its parent company, QuantiPerm, which was founded by Tata in 2002. QuantiPerm is a name well-known by breweries for their solutions and services that help preserve the integrity of beverages through automated inline carbonation, deaeration and fermentation systems.
In the decade since its founding, NitroBrew has been able to expand its product offering and services beyond the brewing industry to include the growing coffee sector. The company started in the consumer market with its line of NitroBrew home kits.
“Our NitroBrew system was originally intended for bars and cafés, but a lot of home users – whether it’s DIY beverage enthusiasts or home brewers – have come aboard and bought their own systems,” said Tata. “Today, we serve a wide spectrum of markets, from home users and very busy cafés, bars and restaurants, to event organizers, wedding planners and coffee trucks. No matter what your need might happen to be, we have a solution to fit.”
NitroBrew’s line of products include
Nitrogen Kegerator Systems
By drawing a desired beverage from its supply container, infusing it with nitrogen on the fly and then dispensing it on-demand, NitroBrew kegerators produce robust and reliable results with low-maintenance operation.
NitroBrew Brix
The Brix concentrate dispense system dilutes a beverage concentrate to drinking strength, then infuses it with nitrogen or compressed air before serving. The system is ideal for bag-in-box setups or any other concentrate supply containers. NitroBrew Brix is a cost-effective method to make nitro brews accessible for cafés, cafeterias, taprooms, breweries, food trucks and more.
Nitro Tabletop Tap System
NitroBrew offers a tabletop tap solution that revolutionizes the way cafés and taprooms incorporate nitrogenated drinks into their menus. The single and dual nitrogen faucet capabilities deliver a streamlined and innovative solution that utilizes an inline nitrogen infuser to deliver that signature creamy texture and cascading pour. NitroBrew’s system can also be easily operated with a standard air compressor, eliminating the need for expensive nitrogen cylinders. This environmentally friendly approach also means zero consumables, reducing waste and lowering operational costs.
“Behind the tap is a nitrogen infuser and, as you open the tap and the beverage moves through the module, nitrogen is infused into the beverage,” said Tata. “This means when it dispenses out of the tap you have a full, continuous nitro effect and, so long as you have a supply of beverage and you have the tap held down, it’ll keep pouring nitro endlessly.”
Micro Nitro: Inline Nitrogen Infuser
The Micro Nitro infuser is a compact, highly versatile solution that customers can quickly incorporate into any existing beverage tap by easily hooking it up to an existing countertop tap or kegerator system. All NitroBrew’s inline systems are powered by the Micro Nitro Infuser.
NitroBrew Single Serve
The NitroBrew Single Serve is a solution for DIY home brewers wanting to enhance their coffee, beer or other beverage experience. Setting up the nitro brew kit is as simple as connecting the compressor and mounting the charging station to infuse the drink of choice with nitrogen for a smoother taste and feel.
“The whole process with the Single Serve kettle system takes less than a minute,” said Tata. “You pump your beverage with nitrogen or compressed air from a charger at a very high velocity to bring up the pressure, and then you shake it to mix, turn it upside down and pour it into a serving container where it presents a nice cascade of bubbles that eventually settles into a nice tight head of foam.”
You can drink it, you can NitroBrew it
While NitroBrew was originally designed to infuse beer products, the versatility of nitrogen infusion extends beyond your favourite pint and can elevate a wide range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
Nitrogen coffee is cold-brewed coffee infused with nitrogen gas and what once began as a unique trend, this caffeinated confection is becoming incredibly popular in homes and coffee shops around the world. With its visually stunning presentation and luxurious mouthfeel, nitro coffee presents a visually stunning presentation and a creamy feel on the palate without the need for dairy.
We serve a wide spectrum of markets, from home users and very busy cafes, bars and restaurants, to event organizers, wedding planners and coffee trucks. No matter what your need might happen to be, we have a solution to fit.
Murthy Tata, NitroBrew
Served hot or cold, tea is another beverage that can be elevated through a nitrogen infusion, enhancing not only the flavour, but also adding a thick and silky texture that can’t be achieved with a traditional tea kettle.
The NitroBrew Single Serve system also allows users to embrace their imagination at home and infuse nitrogen into everything from juice to root beer to soda. Or, for DIY mixologists, NitroBrew can also be used to infuse popular cocktails and mocktails.
“So long as the beverage has enough surface tension or some detergent activity that supports foam, as well as a little bit of viscosity to let those bubbles linger, nitrogen can elevate it to a new level,” said Tata. “I’m personally more on the science side of NitroBrew than the culinary, so I’m always learning a lot from our customers and dedicated drink aficionados who keep coming up with these amazing recipes like the espresso martini, which is a really popular drink with nitro. I’ve even heard of a guy doing a hard root beer on nitro – there is a lot of potential for discovery and innovation when it comes to NitroBrew and beverage development.”
A nitro boosted future
Even though nitro style beverages are becoming more popular, it still represents a small (albeit growing) part of the bar and beverage sector. The main challenge companies like NitroBrew face is reaching new customers and having them take the time so see how easy nitro infusion is to do, as well as clear up some lingering misconceptions of what nitro infusion means.
“A lot of people still ask us if NitroBrew is an energy drink – it’s not, although it can be used to elevate some energy drinks,” said Tata. “We are an innovative company with a bunch of technical people with a basis on science, engineering and physics, and we rely on our customers and beverage creators to help us get word out about what nitrogen infusions can bring in terms of texture and mouthfeel.”
Looking ahead, NitroBrew will continue tweaking its product line to meet the unique needs of its customers. The company will also further explore the home use application of its products, such as housing entire charging apparatus and the compressor within a single, small package that can be mounted on the counter or onto the backsplash in the kitchen, then be stored away in a drawer when not being used.
“Our customers can expect to see various innovations coming to NitroBrew in the months ahead, so stay tuned,” said Tata.
