Beer - Different Gas

[WSC]

I saw a blog the other day that posed the question - 'can you use different gases in beer? if you use helium would you get a squeaky voice? if you used happy gas you you get happy? etc.

Any smart people know the answer to this?

Helium would be hilarious!!

 

[Banshee]

The only two gases I know to carbonate beer is CO2 and N. The gases you mentioned may leave a funny taste in the beer but that's about all.
You have to inhale the gases for them to make you speak or feel funny.

 

[drsmurto]

It comes down to the solubility of a gas in a liquid.

Some gases will react with molecules in your beer and N2O (aka laughing gas) likely would since it is an oxidant. What they would do would be the next question and i doubt the answer would be anything desirable.

 

[Synthetase]

Agreed.

The other thing to remember is that CO2 dissolves more readily into water than many other gases because when it does, a chemical reaction takes place which generates carbonic acid (H2O + CO2 <-> H2CO3), reducing the partial pressure of the CO2 already in solution and effectively allowing more to dissolve in than would otherwise be possible at that temperature.

 

[jonocarroll]

if you use helium would you get a squeaky voice?

Helium would be hilarious!!

It comes down to the solubility of a gas in a liquid.

As well as the partial pressure of that gas in the atmosphere (for helium, that's tiny; 5.2ppmv vs 390ppmv for CO₂) - supposing you could dissolve helium into the beer (at whatever temperature/pressure that may occur at), you had better drink fast if you want it to have any bubbles after any reasonable amount of time. My guess... helium froth.

[ see Henry's law ]

Anyway, I'm sure there's better uses for Helium... given that we're running out, apparently.

 

[QldKev]

I saw a blog the other day that posed the question - 'can you use different gases in beer? if you use helium would you get a squeaky voice? if you used happy gas you you get happy? etc.

Any smart people know the answer to this?

Helium would be hilarious!!

Would it make a Lite Lager?

QldKev

 

[earle]

On the other hand, wern't they imbibing alcohol vapour in England in the last couple of years. Perhaps you could mix your other gas with that if thats what you into. :blink: