If you ask Samuel Adams Brewer David Grinnell what’s different about nitrogenated beers—or beers infused with nitrogen and carbon dioxide—he’ll tell you that the drinker experiences a beautiful cascade of beer and foam down the side of the glass, along with a thick, creamy, frothy head and smooth mouthfeel. Three years ago, the Boston Beer Company launched the Samuel Adams Nitro Project to bring that experience to consumers both on-premise and at home.
“When people think about the ingredients in beer, they typically think about the four traditional ingredients of hops, yeast, water, and malt,” says Grinnell. “With our Nitro Project beers, we wanted to introduce drinkers to an unexpected fifth ingredient that can completely change the flavor profile of a beer: nitrogen.”
“We’ve seen that there are few American breweries that offer nitro beers to drinkers at all and virtually none that offer a variety of nitro styles on a daily basis. While nitro beers have existed for decades, it’s a largely unexplored area of the brewing world when you think of how many beers are carbonated versus nitrogenated. There is a big opportunity to offer drinkers a variety of nitrogenated styles rather than just your standard nitro stout.”
After brewing more than 50 beer styles on nitro and experimenting with more than 100 recipes, in January 2016 the Nitro Project launched three varieties: Nitro Coffee Stout, Nitro IPA, and Nitro White Ale. The last, Nitro White Ale, is available on draft, dispensed with a specially designed nitro faucet that forces the beer out using a blend of 75% N and 25% CO2.
All three varieties are available at retail in 15-oz aluminum cans from Ball that incorporate widget technology that duplicates the draft experience. The cylindrical, hollow widget mechanism, positioned at the bottom of the can, releases nitrogen when the consumer opens the can. “The pressure from the nitrogen in the widget is so intense,” says Grinnell, “that we recommend pouring the beer immediately into a glass straight down the center to experience the beautiful cascade, the big, creamy head, and the full-bodied mouthfeel.”
To educate consumers on this new beer-drinking experience, Samuel Adams decorated its cans with a images of billowing, creamy foam and copy around the top of the can that instructs, “Pop and Pour, Enjoy from a Glass.” Additional copy on the back of the can explains the widget technology, promising, “You’ll notice a swirling cascade of energy as the beer settles into your glass.”
Says Grinnell, “We wanted to help educate drinkers about nitrogenated beers and included the visual of the nitro cascade as well as information about the best way to enjoy a nitrogenated beer on our cans.”
Samuel Adams’ Nitro beers are available nationwide. The suggested retail price for a four-pack is $8.99 to $10.99, depending on the market. See more information and videos on the Nitro Project and packaging.
