What are nitro beers?

We are seeing more and more beers with the “nitro” prefix. That is, beers to which the producer has injected nitrogen gas. In any style, the nitrogen adds creaminess and long‑lasting foam while giving a false impression of a fuller body. We’ll understand it better with the quintessential nitrogenated beer. It is dark with ruby highlights and comes from Dublin, Ireland.

Guinness Stout is the benchmark nitrogenated beer. Newcomers might think they’re looking at a beer with quite a lot of body. Nothing could be further from the truth. Guinness Stout is a light beer, but the nitrogen creates a silkiness that fills the mouth. The same goes for that perfect foam made up of tiny bubbles. It feels like a magical experience, doesn’t it? Many small brewers have taken note.

In Spain we have, among others, the case of In Peccatum. This Galician brewery injected nitrogen into its Black Inverno beer, which it then canned. According to the producer, it’s an “imperial cocoa coffee smoked rye stout” with 12% alcohol. Once again we see the pattern of nitrogenating stouts. Although it may sound like a great idea, the result was poor. Why?

It was missing the Guinness widget. Without this little device, the nitrogen dissipates quickly and doesn’t dissolve into the beer. You can find excellent nitrogenated beers that, when opened, have nothing “nitro” about them. The widget’s operation is simple: it contains the nitrogen, which is released as soon as the can is opened due to the sudden change in pressure. Guinness’s goal is for anyone, anywhere in the world, to be able to drink their beer as if it had just been poured from a pub tap in Ireland.

That said, beyond those already mentioned, several other breweries have ventured into using nitrogen in their beers. Here are some examples of nitrogenated offerings:

• Belching Beaver Peanut Butter Milk Stout Nitro (California, USA)
• Berlina Stout Nitro (Argentina)
• BrewDog Jet Black Heart Nitro Vanilla (Scotland)
• Browar Stu Mostów WRCLW Imperial Stout Nitro (Poland)
• Petrus Nitro Quad (Belgium)
• Robinsons Trooper Nitro (England)
• Boga Nitro Black is Beltza (Spain)
• LERVIG Nitro Latte (Norway)
• Pyrene Wild Goddess Imperial NEIPA Nitro (Aragon)
• The Fucking Nitro Stout (Spain)

As we can see, they are mostly dark or black beers, although there is also room for hops. Now, every time you see a “nitro” beer, you’ll know what you’re in for. However, on the downside, the nitrogen head seals in the beer’s aromas. It can detract from styles whose strong point is aroma. The choice is yours!