It is vital to use the correct gas blend for different drink types to serve beers and ciders at their optimum. Most beers and ciders are carbonated. The more carbon dioxide trapped in a drink, the fizzier and livelier the brew will be. Nitrogen is an insoluble gas. It produces larger amounts of smaller bubbles than carbon dioxide, which creates a smoother consistency. Nitro beers and stouts are mildly carbonated with a greater quantity of nitrogen. Using too much nitrogen in lagers, IPAs, and regular ciders would make them too flat. For this reason, the following beer gas blends are generally applied to certain types of drinks:

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• Highly carbonated lagers and ciders – 60 / 40

• Nitro beers and stouts – 70 / 30

• Fanta, Coca Cola, Tango Ice Blast Frozen Drinks Machine 100% CO2

• Bag in a box Post Mix 100% CO2

For certain drinks, such as Guinness, Tetley’s Smoothflow and John Smith’s Extra Smooth, you should always use a 70 / 30 gas mix. It’s also perfectly acceptable to use 100% CO2 for lager and cider kegs such as Carling, Stella Artois or Strongbow, Stella Cidre. The beauty of drinking and serving ales, lagers and ciders is the sheer variety of every drink and every pour. Just as brewers do, you can experiment with your beer gas blends to see which suits your taste and that of your customers. At Hattons Gas, we supply beer gases to standard mixes (100% CO2, 60/40, 30/70 and so you can ensure you have the right beer gas to pour the perfect pint, no matter the brew.