Nitrogen charger for wine in corny keg

[nicklausjames]

I saw there are co2 chargers for homebrew. I have a 2.5 gal corny filled w red wine and I want to take it on a trip but don't want to bring along my nitrogen tank. Are there cartridgess for nitrogen? Would the handheld co2 charger work w a nitrogen cartridge?

 

[JohnT]

Why Nitrogen? Why not simply use CO2?

 

[nicklausjames]

My understanding is that NO2 is better for wine, it doesn't dissolve in the liquid like CO2. Maybe I am mistaken but I used to use CO2 to push my wine and would get some bubbles.

 

[whackfol]

You are correct about using Nitrogen (or Argon) as opposed to CO2. They will not carbonate your wine. I cannot answer your fit question as I have seen multiple sized cartridges and do not know what CO2 charger you have. I have a picnic CO2 regulator that works with a corny that I purchased from a brew supply store. Mine has a regulator, some don't. I never thought to try what you propose. The only non CO2 cartridge I have is in my Coravin and from what I can tell without taking it off, it does not look like it will fit. I have tried many of the home wine preservation and dispensing systems on the market. Each use N or Ar to dispense. Look up: Winekeeper, Winesaver, PEK Preservo, Coravin, Cuvinet. Each, except the Cuvinet, has a cartridge option. For my beer use, one cartridge was not sufficient to dispense a 3 gallon corny.

 

[Calamity Cellars]

Why Nitrogen? Why not simply use CO2?

Red wine soda pop and carbonic acid.



Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making

 

[JohnT]

Red wine soda pop and carbonic acid.



Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making

I was under the impression that CO2 needs to be cold in order to go into solution. My thinking is that if the wine is kept at, say, 65 degrees or so, then the amount of carbonation will be light.

 

[ibglowin]

CO2 is about 40X more soluble in water than O2 at 20C

Solubility of Gases in Water

 

[JohnT]

CO2 is about 40X more soluble in water than O2 at 20C

Solubility of Gases in Water

Interesting.

I have never been able to fully force carbonate at that temp. I have found that if I cool down to, say, 36F degrees, force carbonation seems to work well.

 

[francois_du_nord]

Cold liquids hold more gas in suspension than warm. That's why a coke will overflow if poured warm vs cold.

A chemical property is that unless insoluble, compounds will move from areas of higher concentration to areas of lower concentration. Thus the liquid will take up the CO2 over time.

A layer of gas being used to dispense from a corny keg shouldn't go into suspension over the course of 24 hours. But if you left it over time A number of days or more, it would as the liquid would accept the gas at the surface, and the gas would disperse in the liquid.

That's why you shake the beer when you force carbonate, to expose more 'underpressurized' liquid to the gas.

Best, Fran