How to Set Up a Cold Brew Nitro Keg at Home or Office (To Coffeeshop Standards)

In this guide, I will show you exactly how to set your keg, maintain it, give you my recipes, tips and tricks.

It may look intimidating, but it's not. I promise.

In This Guide

Why Nitro?

When customers asked us, whats cold brew nitro? One explanation seemed to hit home run:

It's like a Guinness but with coffee.

Why Set Up a Keg at Home or the Office?

The answer is ultimately between you and your pastor—or husband or wife. But's if you ask me, if you work at home—it begs the question, why not?

So if you have $800 to spare and want to execute a power move—continue reading this guide.

Shopping List

I'll list the most budget friendly but reliable equipment. Know that as far as kegerators, there are high end alternatives—stainless steel, double or triple spouts etc.

For the main keg system:

Kegerator - $800 for this bundle is a solid price point. This bundle includes the refrigerator, lines, dual guages and a nitrogen stout faucet. If you buy elsewhere, double check you get a nitrogen stout faucet.
Nitrogen gas tank - This tank you will buy from your local gas company or brewers supply store. Read more on the Gas section below.
Cornie keg
Carbonating stone / lid: I'll explain later.

Accessories:

Commercial Toddy Brewer: for making liquid cold brew.
Sanitizing tables: You'll need these to sanitize the kegs after cleaning and before pouring a fresh batch.
Line cleaning kit: The juice will only taste as good with clean lines (the tubing and spouts)
Cambro 12 qts - will se useful for handling large amounts of liquids. You'll need a lid.

Lets Talk About Gas

Nitrogen is what makes the magic happen—heck, it's a building block of life.

Ideally, you want to use food-grade 100% nitrogen gas. Here in Florida I procured it from a place called Airgas. Hit up your local brewing supply store, they may carry nitrogen or at least tell you where to get it.

Second best, you can use beer gas. Its composed from around 75% Nitrogen and 25% CO2.

The Secret They Don't Want You to Know

This part is what I didn't want my competitors (or yours) to know.

The carbonating stone is the secret hack that allows you to pump out creamy cold brew nitro every single time.

photograph of a kegerator lid and carbonating stone

If you were to use one without it, you'd pull one nice pour with a nice thick head, then a few seconds later on a second pour, the head will be thin at best.

The carbonating stone allows for a superior "charge of nitrogen" or infusion in the keg.

Basic Setup

To set up the keg, you'll have to follow the manufacturer-specific assembly instructions. It should be straight forward.

Liquid Recipe for the Keg

For the cold brew recipe, you will use:

10 liters of water.
6 liters of cold brew concentrate.

Quick and Important Notes

Make sure you use replace the stock lid from the keg with the carbonating stone lid.
The PSI on the keg should be set to 35-40 psi. Anything within this range is great.
Depending on use, use the line cleaning kit to clean your kegerator spout and lines. Follow the instructions from your kit, again, pretty straighforward.
Make sure to clean and sanitize your keg after it empties. Instructions below: