Gas Cylinder Information and Frequently Asked Questions

Honestly, we don’t know for sure. With so many uses for kegs, gas cylinders, and even parts, plus the dangers of improper use, we can’t verify or confirm you’re purchasing the correct items.

It’s up to you. Please make certain that you are purchasing the right and safe item for your intended use before you buy. Your local cylinder filler is an excellent resource for the info you need.

All of our CO2 tanks have a standard CGA320 valve on them and are compatible with the standard CO2 regulator fitting.

Our nitrogen/Beer Mix cylinders have a CGA580 valve, an inert gas valve used for nitrogen, mixed nitrogen & CO2, and other inert gases (helium, nitrogen, argon). You must use a nitrogen regulator with Beer Mix / nitrogen tanks because the valve and regulators are designed for the higher pressure.

All cylinders have a manufacture date. Recertified cylinders also have a certification date. The most recent date on the cylinder is the currently active date.

The most important date to know when purchasing a cylinder is when the cylinder was last recertified. Recertification includes hydro-testing. The Department of Transportation (DOT) requires that most portable CO2 tanks, both new and used, be recertified every five years. Nitrogen and other high pressure inert gas cylinders generally have a 10 year recertification requirement (although there are exceptions). Certification must be performed by a DOT-licensed facility.

The date of the last recertification is the 8 digits stamped across the neck of the tank. The first two (which are larger) are the month, and the final two are the year in which the tank was tested. The four smaller numbers in the middle is the DOT registration number of the recertification facility. The cylinders we offer generally have been certified within 180 days from the time of sale.

No matter if you’re purchasing our products for brewing or any of the other thousands of gas applications like getting your weld on, creating a beautiful aquarium, because our prices makes you want to drink, or because you’re filling tires … PLEASE drink responsibly and use caution with any compressed gas cylinder. We’d like to see you again.

Steel tanks will have variations even when ordering the same size cylinder. Depending on the manufacturer, the cylinder’s dimensions may vary a couple of inches. We give an approximate height and width of the largest typical dimensions.

Generally, nope:

• The valve and regulator in a beer mix setup is specific to nitrogen running at a higher pressure
• With a beer mix tank you would be using a nitrogen regulator on a CO2 tank, and there’s a fitting mismatch (we do have an adapter to allow you to use your nitrogen regulator on a CO2 tank)
• The valve opening is too large for CO2 regulators

That’s not really a question, but take a look at a few things:

• Check for leaks using a soap and water solution. It will bubble where the leak is. Check the keg as well as the cylinder, as leaks can happen anywhere.
• Check that the gas disconnect is locked tightly and that the hose is tightly clamped to the regulator.
• Check to see if your hose clamps are too tight. Overtightening can give the hose a small cut that will leak under pressure.

Generally, it takes about half a pound of CO2 to pour a quarter barrel of beer, and one pound to pour a half barrel.

Here’s some approximate numbers to help you choose the right size for your setup – choose the keg size, and click to find out the pours per cylinder size. Your actual results may vary.

Tank should read ~750 PSIG until the liquid CO2 is gone and the cylinder is almost empty. Decreasing pressure is telling you the cylinder is almost done.

Cold Brew and Nitrogen-Infused Coffee Tips

Coffee is a very personal expression of taste and art. We’d never presume to know more than you about cold brewing your coffee, so we’ll leave that part up to you. Once it’s brewed, though, we can help you serve it up from your new kit.

General Cold Brew and Nitro Coffee Pointers

Always make sure that the coffee you add to your keg is free from grounds and other debris. This keeps lines and faucet flowing smoothly. It’s particularly important for nitro coffee taps. They have a perforated disc inside the tap body (it creates that great infusion/cascade) that can clog easily.

Nitrogen cylinders can be filled at welding supply stores, gas suppliers, and some homebrew stores.
Keep your coffee fresh by cleaning your lines, tap, and keg regularly. Cleaning instructions can be found on our site under Info > Instructions.

For Cold Brew Coffee Only

Cold brew coffee requires very low nitrogen gas pressures to deliver smoothly. Start with your regulator set around 5 PSI and experiment up and down until you get the pour you want.

Cold brew coffee is dispensed through normal beer faucets. They have no internal restrictions, so if your pressure is too high, you’ll get a foamy coffee bath. Again, start low, work up.

You do not need to take any special steps to infuse your coffee with nitrogen. Nitrogen only provides pressure to get it from keg to tap.

For Nitro Coffee Only

You’re serving coffee that is infused with nitrogen – and you must do the infusing. Two ways to do it:

• The “works OK” way: Fill the keg with coffee, connect the gas, pressurize it (35-40 PSI), and shake it/roll it around on the floor or your knee for quite a while. Yes, we’re serious. This gets the nitrogen into the liquid. You’ll need to do this every 4-6 hours to keep the infusion up. Note: be very careful if you choose to use this method. Kegs are heavy and the keg and cylinder are under substantial gas pressure. Exercise caution to protect yourself and those around you.
• The best way: Use what the beer guys call a “carbonation lid.” For you, it’s an infusion lid. The lid has a gas connection point that leads to a length of hose with a finely perforated stone on the end. This reaches to the bottom of your keg and bubbles the nitrogen up from below, infusing it with tiny nitrogen bubbles as it goes. Low (5-6 PSI) pressure and about 20 minutes is all that’s required to infuse the coffee; more time may be required to reach serving pressure in the keg. This is a lot less difficult than the first method, and much easier to freshen up throughout the day. They’re available on our site under the Cold Brew and Nitro Coffee Kegs menu or at goo.gl/qtSF4m.

Important note: nitrogen doesn’t want to stay infused in a liquid. The moment you put it in, it’s trying to separate back out.

You will need to re-infuse the coffee at intervals throughout the day. You’ll know it’s time when the cascade stops happening, and as you get more experience you’ll learn the intervals that work best for you and the results you want.

Nitrogen pressure for pouring nitro-infused coffee is much higher than cold brew. Start at 35 PSI and experiment until you get the feel and froth you like.