Introducing the BeerBlast® Plus Mixed Beer Gas Dispense System

The BeerBlast® Plus is the latest version of the premium mixed beer gas dispense system from South-Tek Systems.  Featuring an internal Nitrogen Generator and blender to create the ideal N2 / CO2 beer gas blend, the BeerBlast® Plus is equipped with reliability and performance improvements to help reduce costs and increase convenience for the end user.

August 11, 2010, Wilmington, N.C. -- South-Tek Systems, the Leading Designer and Manufacturer of Nitrogen Generation Technology, has just introduced the BeerBlast® Plus, their second generation Mixed Gas Dispense System. The BeerBlast® Plus generates its own beverage grade Nitrogen onsite and blends it with CO2 to provide a very pure, cost effective, accurate blend of Beer Gas. This new system maintains the same high quality standard of its predecessor while offering a variety of reliability and performance improvements as well as decreased install and life cycle costs.

The BeerBlast® Plus Series is available in four models; S-200P, S-400P, S-600P and the S-800P the range of models are sized to handle the low volume draft beer serving establishment right on up to the large, mega sports bars.

The BeerBlast® Plus Series has several new features that are of benefit to both the end user/establishment and the installer. Some of the more significant improvements are:

• * The BeerBlast® Plus produces 75% less vibration which allows for mounting the unit in more areas within the back rooms of the establishment and the units are barely audible as their sound level also has been dramatically reduced. Less vibration within the cabinet translates into a significantly higher level of durability and adds to the overall life of the unit. 
• * The new BeerBlast® Plus internals are more user/maintenance friendly and so are the outside connections and labels. In the event of downstream draft beer system leaks during everyday use, which usually occur in the keg cooler, the patented BlastOff™ - Leak Detection System coupled with new integral flow/leak-rate meters have been added as a standard feature to the Plus series. This allows for quick diagnostics of gas leaks in the draft beer system and ensures leaks are found and action can be taken to address such leaks in a timely manner. The BeerBlast® Plus is the only Nitrogen generator on the market to offer these key features. 
• * To reduce install time and cost, all Plus models are designed to require only (1) 28 gallon Nitrogen storage tank and now use a single IN/OUT Nitrogen line to reduce leak points. 
• * The Plus series also contains a variety of internal component simplifications including, color-coded tubing, elimination of the AB switch, and a “Filter Changeout Schedule/Verification Label” in order to improve serviceability.

South-Tek Systems continually strives to improve upon their products to stay one step ahead of the constantly changing demands of the restaurant industry. In this modern competitive world with many choices and substitutes, every customer expects to be delivered a perfect pint of their favorite draft beer. The BeerBlast® Plus series has been improved to ultimately benefit the customer in as many ways as possible and lets you spend less time worrying about your draft beer system and more time enjoying the utmost confidence in serving the perfect draft beer, one pint at a time.

To learn even more about the BeerBlast® Plus and South-Tek Systems, please visit: http://southteksystems.com/beerblast-mixed-gas-dispense-system.asp or call (888) 526-6284.

Mixed Gas for Draft Beer

Mixed Gas - or Beer Gas - for draft beer service is a brewer-recommended mixture of CO2 and Nitrogen. Using mixed gas instead of straight CO2 helps eliminate over-carbonation, foam, and ultimately wasted beer. It also creates a smoother pour. On the customer end, mixed gas produces a higher quality draft beer.

So, all in all, mixed beer gas generates higher profits, an efficient pouring system, and happy customers.

In the past, compressed air was used as a part of the mixed gas system. However, air is now seriously discouraged from use because the qualities in air react negatively with the beer, affecting both the taste and quality. Nitrogen is now encouraged as a part of the mixed gas system with CO2.

The advantage of using Nitrogen as a part of the beer gas system is that it is safe, readily available, does not react chemically under normal circumstances, and will not affect the flavor of the beer.
[Source: McDantim Gas Blending Technologies: Using Mixed Gas for Beer Dispense]

The BeerBlast™ Mixed Gas Dispense System from South-Tek Systems combines a Nitrogen Generator with a compressor and a CO2/N2 dual output McDantim gas blender. It is an all-in-one system for producing the optimal mixed beer gas to create the perfect draft pour.

The BeerBlast™ will increase profits while improving quality, safety, reliability, and convenience. For establishments that already use a McDantim blender for mixed gas, South-Tek Systems can provide a Nitrogen Generator which is an economical and efficient source of high purity N2 gas for draft beer service.

Contact South-Tek Systems today to learn how the BeerBlast™ Mixed Gas Dispense System can help your business right away: 888-526-6284.

Nitrogen for Draft Beer

Top brewers recommend a Nitrogen / CO2 beer gas blend to optimize draft beer systems both for beer quality and for the bottom line. Adding Nitrogen to the beer gas ratio reduces over-carbonation, creating a perfectly carbonated draft beer pour without all the extra foam that gets poured down the drain. Nitrogen helps improve the beer drinker's experience while also saving valuable product from literally going down the drain.

Some pubs and restaurants already use a McDantim CO2 / N2 Blender and have high pressure Nitrogen cylinders hooked up to this system to supply the N2 gas. However these high pressure cylinders can be costly to maintain, require storage space, and must be handled with great care. They also present the risk of running out of Nitrogen at unexpected times. The gas company contract is a regular expense that can really add up over time.

South-Tek Systems has created the N2 GEN Nitrogen Generator specifically for use with the McDantim Blender for draft beer systems. A Nitrogen Generator uses a simple technology to produce high purity Nitrogen from the air, on-site and on-demand. Since the Nitrogen source for a Generator is simply the air around it, you eliminate the risk of costly Nitrogen run-outs at inopportune times. It also eliminates your gas company contract as well as the need for your employees to handle high pressure N2 cylinders.

A Nitrogen Generator for your CO2 / N2 draft beer system is a safe, reliable, and more cost effective solution for supplying the necessary N2 gas. With the BlastOff Leak Detection System, you will be warned of any gas leaks and can rest assured of the system safety. You will never have to worry about running out of N2 gas, will never have to deal with ordering and storing high pressure cylinders again, and you will reduce service call expenses. Plus, by eliminating your gas company contract for Nitrogen, you will cut out that regular expense.

Any restaurant or bar owner already using the Co2 / N2 beer gas blend for draft beer needs to consider the benefits of replacing the high pressure Nitrogen gas cylinders with a cost effective, convenient, compact Nitrogen Generator.

For more information about the N2 GEN for draft beer systems, please contact South-Tek Systems today: 888-526-6284.

Nitrogen Beer Gas

Too much foam!

Draft beer served in bars, pubs, restaurants, event centers, and stadiums require a specific blend of beer gas to push the beer from the kegs to the taps without corrupting the beverage.  It is important to maintain the proper temperature, gas pressure, and gas mixture when pumping the beer from the kegs to the taps to preserve and enhance the quality of the beer.

Brewers recommend a CO2 / N2 (Nitrogen) blend of beer gas to maintain these elements and preserve the beer taste and quality.  Getting just the right beer gas blend is important to prevent flat beer, over-carbonation and foaming, and to deliver a pure taste.

While the optimum blend of beer gas will improve the consumer's experience, it will also help the bar owner or stadium supervisor by eliminating lost beer due to over-foaming and helping to maximizing profits in beer sales. If a kegged brew is over-carbonated due to an imbalance in the beer gas blend when it reaches the tap, it will produce excess foam that has to be poured down the drain.  This is akin to pouring money down the drain for bar owners. 

The ideal blended beer gas will produce just the right amount of carbonation as well as keep the beer from going stale.

South-Tek Systems designed and manufactures the patented BeerBlast™ Mixed Beer Gas Dispense System specifically for bars, restaurants, and stadiums.  The BeerBlast™ turnkey system consists of an internal Nitrogen generator, compressor, and a CO2/N2 dual output gas blender to deliver the perfect draft pour.

Using the correct beer gas blend ensures that the beer maintains the desired pressure and carbonation so that the beer doesn’t become flat or over carbonated. These are 2 conditions that cause over foaming and waste. By eliminating these conditions with a BeerBlast™, you can improve profits and customer satisfaction immensely.

Contact South-Tek Systems today for more information about the BeerBlast™ Mixed Beer Gas Dispense System or for their N2 GEN Nitrogen Generator for establishments that are already using a McDantim Blender and high pressure Nitrogen Cylinders: 888-526-6284

Anheuser-Busch Budweiser Gas Blends

Anheuser Busch Beer Gas Blends

Using Mixed Gas for Beer Dispense

Using Mixed Beer Gas - South Tek Systems

The Truth About G-Mix - Serve Better Beer and Save Money!

Reprinted with permission from Garrett Oliver, Brewmaster, The Brooklyn Brewery

Over the last decade, many draught systems have begun to employ pre-blended gas, “G-Mix”, to dispense beer. For many, G-Mix was a great improvement over what they had been using - an air compressor (air is one of beer’s worst enemies, and begins to destroy the product immediately on contact, damaging flavor and causing it to go flat. Serving your beer with air is the equivalent of pouring a pint, setting it down, and then drinking it the next day).

G-Mix is composed of 75% nitrogen and 25% carbon dioxide. The selling point for G-mix is that it will not over-carbonate your beer. This is true.

Unfortunately, it’s only half the truth. Instead, G-mix often makes your beer go flat, ruining the quality of your beer, and costing you business and plenty of money.

The “G” in G-mix stands for “Guinness”. Guinness is a beer that is almost flat and needs to be served under very high pressure. The purpose of G-mix is to keep Guinness from becoming over-carbonated or going completely flat under high pressure. The problem is that G-mix has this effect on all beers - they will become as flat as Guinness or flatter.

The reason goes back to the gas mix. When you put on a keg of beer, you want the beer to be pushed to the tap at a good rate and for the beer to remain stable, with the beer becoming neither flatter nor more carbonated. We call this state “equilibrium”, meaning that everything is properly balanced. At 40 degrees, this state can be maintained at about 15 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) pressure.

Here is the slightly confusing part (unless you remember your high school physics, which most of us don’t). Only CO2 can hold CO2 in your beer and keep it from going flat.

Nitrogen can help push your beer to the tap, but it can’t hold CO2 in your beer. Since G-mix is 75% nitrogen and 25% CO2, when you apply 20 pounds of G-mix pressure, you’re actually applying 15 pounds of nitrogen pressure and only five pounds of CO2 pressure. The beer “acts” as if the nitrogen isn’t there at all.

And since it’s only under five pounds of CO2 pressure, it slowly goes flat (to get 15 pounds of CO2 pressure from G-mix, you would need to apply 60 pounds of pressure, which would burst your keg). The beer doesn’t taste as good, you sell less of it, and may often toss out the end of the keg, which should have been good to the last drop.

So what do you do?

If all your draught lines are high-volume and you go through each keg in a day or two, you probably have no problems - your beer doesn’t have time to go flat.

Otherwise, if you can get your beer to the tap with 16 pounds or less of pressure, you can use straight CO2 without any problems. It will keep your beer in perfect shape, and it costs less than G-mix.

If you have a long run to the tap, and need higher pressure on your lines, then you might seriously consider getting a gas blender unit. This allows you to customize your nitrogen/CO2 gas mix to obtain a perfect pour every time (of regular beer and Guinness), regardless of the pressure.

- Garrett Oliver
Brewmaster, Brooklyn Brewery