Corny, cornelius kegs and what gases to use?

[Soton]

Hi
I am just coming back to brewing my own beers and wines and have decided to go for a cornelius keg set up for my largers and ciders
Being the only male in a house of two student daughters and Mrs Soton I am under pressure to brew up some fruit ciders so it got me looking into how things might of changed and if there are ways to replicate and copy pub like products, so I have decided for my fizzy ciders and largers I am going to use cornelius kegs and carbonate and despence them with Co2 from a smallish cylinder which leads me on to my question
On this website ( http://www.gascylindersuk.co.uk/shop/in ... ct_id=1041 )they can sell me my needs for Co2 gas but also sell mixed Co2 with nitrogen gas mixes, the mixes come in different % for different types of beers,
so 30% carbon dioxide / 70% nitrogen mixture used for dispensing a range of stouts and ales. Up to
60% carbon dioxide / 40% nitrogen mixture used for dispensing highly carbonated lagers and ciders.
What I would like to know is if anyone has used these and are worth while, what I am most interested in is if I was to get the 60% Co2/40% Nitrogenmixed cylinder would the Co2 in the mix be enough to carbonate the ciders or would I need just Co2 to get the right carbonation, if Co2 mix dose the job are the bubbles smaller like commercial ciders and largers?

[MTW]

I wouldn't even consider anything but CO2. To the best of my knowledge, the nitrogen mix stuff was created for those terrible smoothflow type beers, popularised in the 1990s, which create that tight hand-pull-looking head, but also an unnatural foamy mouth feel. It makes smaller bubbles I think. Not what I'd want in ciders for sure (or anything). Careful carbonation with CO2 is the answer for me.

[GrowlingDogBeer]

CO2 is used for nearly all kegged beer and cider, the only drinks that use a CO2 Nitrogen mix are Guinness and them Smoothflow bitters.

[Wonkydonkey]

Please correct me if I'my wrong,..... But I thought the mixed gas was there so they can get it out of the tap quicker and longer lines needs more pressure, thus it would and does go into solution at the pressure needed to serve. The nitrogen does not stay in the beer or what ever liquid is being served as Long as co2 does. It gases of very quick and does not make the beer taste to gassy ( co2----carbonic acid)

So therefore us homebrewers just use co2.


That my understanding.

Edit and your not paying for somthing that just vapourises in front of your eyes ( well not as quick as co2)

[phil.dadd]

Yup, the CO2 nitro mixes are used in pubs with long beer lines to prevent the beer over carbonating with pure CO2. My wifes pub uses it for just that purpose as they have long lines (they have no "smoothflow" lines, it's used in place of CO2).