At SoMa's Local Brewing Co., co-founder and brewmaster Regan Long wanted to share a lesson on N2 versus CO2 in beer. And she wanted to do it in a way you could taste. But this video might say it all.
We're releasing our wet hop pale, Bridge (on CO2) & Tunnel (on Nitro...seen here) this Wed., Sept 2! Come try both! pic.twitter.com/7BGhYyES1f
— local brewing co. (@localbrewingco) August 31, 2015
That's the "Nitro" — the beer is pushed by N02 from the keg, not C02 as usual. That way it comes out smooth, like, say, a Guinness. Or, for the initiated, like your cool-kid cold brew coffee on nitro.
But that's just half the trick of this beer. With a different mouthfeel and smaller bubbles on nitro, you can taste the hops — really the whole beer — differently. So, to add another layer of complexity, Long employed wet hops — fresh picked, not dried and made into pellets — which give off funkier, often unpredictable flavors. She scored these centennials hops from the Clear Lake region, just a couple hours north.
On the CO2 version, with those bigger bubbles the hops burst out. But now you can try each version side by side. Yep, it's a twofer. Starting today, Local Brewing Co. is pouring both.
Bridge & Tunnel now pouring! #craftbeer #drinklocal #FreshHop pic.twitter.com/RiMxgOe3xq
— local brewing co. (@localbrewingco) September 2, 2015