Guinness famously developed and popularized the process of infusing beer with nitrogen gas — a marriage that subtly alters a beer’s aroma and flavor while lending it a silky, creamy mouthfeel. How does nitrogen do this?
It’s all about the bubbles.
Most traditional beers are carbonated, a process that can occur naturally during fermentation. As yeast converts sugar to alcohol, it also produces carbon dioxide. That carbon dioxide — if the brewer chooses to trap it — infuses a beer with tiny gas bubbles that give it a lively, prickly texture akin to soda or seltzer water. Brewers can also add carbonation during the bottling or packaging process.
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Most nitro beers are mildly carbonated. But the addition of nitrogen — an insoluble gas that forms smaller, more profuse bubbles than carbon dioxide — gives beer a smoother texture.
For a long time, craft brewers tended to eschew nitrogen infusion. Part of that was the challenge of incorporating the gas into their brews — either in the can, or in barroom taps. Many also felt nitro-infused beers — especially floral, citrusy, hoppy brews like pale ales — lost a lot more than they gained. Not long ago, the only nitro beers you could find — on tap, or in cans — were Guinness and Left Hand Milk Stout.
All that’s started to change. Even Budweiser is catching on. While some hardcore craft fans still consider nitro-infusion anathema, others have come around to the idea that texture — along with aroma and taste — plays a big role in a drinker’s enjoyment.
While most nitro beers are still only available on tap, there are now a handful of good options available in cans or bottles. Here are six of them.
Guinness Draft by Guinness & Co.
Gotta give credit where credit’s due. And when it comes to nitro beer, the originator deserves a prominent place on the list. If you didn’t realize the nitrogen in your pint (or bottle or can) of Guinness was the cause of those wonderful, dusky, downward-flowing bubbles, now you know. Sip and enjoy the frothy goodness.
Milk Stout Nitro by Left Hand Brewing Co.
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While Guinness was the pioneer, Colorado’s Left Hand Brewing has taken nitro beer and run with it. The brewery offers both nitro and non-nitro versions of its popular milk stout. Sampling them side by side is a great way to understand how nitrogen changes a beer. Left Hand also sells a half dozen other solid nitro brews. Their Hard Wired Nitro is excellent.
Nitro Vanilla Porter by Breckenridge Brewery
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Aromas of dark malt, cocoa, and cola waft out of this black-amber beer from Colorado’s Breckenridge, and those same notes come through in your mouth. While it looks thick and rich, it’s a surprisingly light-bodied (and refreshing) brew.
Polygamy Nitro Porter by Wasatch Brewery
A great beer from a great under-the-radar brewery, Wasatch’s Polygamy Nitro is a smooth, malty bone-warmer. Lots of chocolate and bread on the nose — clearly, there’s a profile brewers believe works best with nitro beer — with some mildly sweet hits coming through on the palate.
Red Velvet by Ballast Point Brewing Co.
This amber-hued oatmeal stout from San Diego-based Ballast Point is modeled after its namesake cake. It gets its color — and some of its earthy flavors — from beets incorporated during the brewing process. There’s a lot going on here, but spice and malty sweetness are dominant. It’s a wildly unconventional beer and worth seeking out.
Nitro Coffee Stout by Sam Adams (Boston Beer Co.)
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If you like coffee and you like stout, you’re already sold. And while there are plenty of excellent coffee stouts out there — Sierra Nevada makes a great one — the incorporation of nitrogen takes this Sam Adams offering to another level.