Had a bottle of Left Hand's Wake Up Dead Nitro last night and noticed that it does not use those nitrogen cartridges ala Guinness, I was wondering how they are able to accomplish that without the beer going flat after bottling.
My understanding is that the widget in guinness does not contain nitrogen but c02 which bursts out of the widget when the beer is opened and stirs up the nitrogen bubbles. I speculate that Left Hand found a way to pack a higher level of nitrogen in to the bottle and then they encourage you to "pour hard" to achieve the same activation seen from the widget.
They found a way to infuse nitrogen in the bottled beer and are keeping it a secret. First time I tried one I researched this very thing but left hand won't say how they do it, for good reason.
I would say @joyntbrewing hit the nail on the head. How'd you like Wake up Dead? I just bought a bottle and havent tried it yet. I was planning on aging it a bit.
I was wondering the same thing last week... some things are just better unexplained. It was fantastic though!
Yup, its their trade secret. My understanding is that they are simply force carbing with a higher mix of Nitrogen than what is in the normal blend of CO2...
Like many have mentioned, it's a trade secret that is closely guarded by Left Hand; they've even been seeking to patent the term "Nitro" for packaged beers. Good pick up though, OP. Wake Up Dead Nitro is one of my all-time favorites and my fridge is never without a few bottles.
Wake Up Dead was fantastic, incredibly smooth for an imperial stout which I have never experienced before with huge chocolate notes, but never having the original I don't know if they were coming through more because of the nitro. The lack of the widget caught me off guard, but I suppose it sounds like they are holding the system pretty close to their chest
You also have to admit, up-ending a bottle 10" above the glass to get that nice creamy head is so much fun too. Love this beer.
Da fuq?! Nitro is amazing! Not to say nitro is automatically better or anything than Co2 (or cask) but it's a unique and interesting way to experience some beers.
I do enjoy Nitro on some beers, but it's not my preference. Left Hand Milk Stout Nitro is great in my opinion though.
