CO2 Shortage

[Ian_68]

So today i've been trying to source CO2 in a 6kg (ish) bottle for use with a Corny Keg. The Mrs wants to buy me a keg and regulator etc for my birthday ;-)

I live outside Glasgow. I contacted BOC Online but they said they couldn't open new accounts at the moment; no reason given. I emailed SiG who supply it but had an email back saying they couldn't help due to a national CO2 shortage :-( Has anyone else heard of this? I thought the atmosphere was full of the stuff, global warming n all that!!! hahaha.

Anyway, grateful if anyone has any suggestions or knows of a reliable supplier

Cheers

Ian

 

[MickDundee]

The shortage is true:
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/possible-co2-shortage-in-the-uk.77567/

You might just have to wait it out.

 

[Ian_68]

Well i had no idea!!!! I'm not surprised it's been low key on the news; there'll be riots; nae beer for the fitba??? hahaha

 

[Leon103]

Make sure you get food grade c02

 

[Drunkula]

Make sure you get food grade c02

No way. I want drinks grade CO2 that comes out of mermaids.

 

[Leon103]

No way. I want drinks grade CO2 that comes out of mermaids.

What the **** are you on about

 

[Ian_68]

Hahahaha.... i'm curious too!

I see it finally made the national news. Bigger problem than i thought. Thought they were just out to get me

 

[MyQul]

What the **** are you on about

I think he might mean that all C02 is possiblly food grade. I remember a post somethwere saying the same as you, 'make sure the C02 is food grade' and the response was that all C02 is food grade. I dont know how true this is as I dont use C02 so have never really researched into this area

 

[MyQul]

Just a little off topic, but I'm surprised that no enterprising HBer somewhere hasnt managed to come up with something that captures and re-uses C02 from fermentation for force carbing

 

[MyQul]

Well i had no idea!!!! I'm not surprised it's been low key on the news; there'll be riots; nae beer for the fitba??? hahaha

It hasnt been. It's been in all the national newspapers

 

[foxbat]

I think 'food grade' in the CO2 context refers to the environment in which it's prepared.

 

[Hoppy]

The brewing industry used to provide recovered CO2 to their pubs.
Due to the break up of the brewery/pub ownership by the Monopolies and Mergers commission, the larger breweries producing less beer, cost of 'scrubbing and cleaning' the relatively impure recovered gas , health and safety, breweries having to cut costs to meet pub chain price requirements, means both pubs and breweries have to buy in CO2 produced from the Industrial production of Ammonia and Hydrogen, which is quite pure CO2 to begin with, therefore cheaper to make.

 

[Drunkula]

Just a little off topic, but I'm surprised that no enterprising HBer somewhere hasnt managed to come up with something that captures and re-uses C02 from fermentation for force carbing

The problem with this is that you need to capture it and then pressurise it. I came up with the idea of force carbing a keg using sugar fermenting in a pop bottle with a schrader valve on the top, and I'll do it but got nothing kegging for a while.

 

[Honk]

The problem with this is that you need to capture it and then pressurise it. I came up with the idea of force carbing a keg using sugar fermenting in a pop bottle with a schrader valve on the top, and I'll do it but got nothing kegging for a while.

Nice idea, or even easier use a carbonation cap on a pet bottle if force carbing a cornie keg.
Still have some 8g bulbs I never use now so thought I could always adapt a pet bottle to get co2 from the bulbs with enough pressure to serve from a cornie if c02 situation gets desperate.

 

[Cwrw666]

Put a plastic bag over the top of an active FV to trap the CO2, pipe this into the ar*e end of a foot pump and use this to pressurise your keg. No problem.

 

[Clint]

So....is the gas provided to fire extinguisher companies different to beer gas? Or do some home brewers buy their gas off fire bobbies? Or is it like patio gas...stick it in a different bottle and charge extra?
How does C02 become contaminated? It must then be C02..???

 

[Clint]

I just googled this....apparently...there is a very slight difference..by 0.9%! If you get the lower spec it has more benzene...enough to give you bad headaches...why do I think of cheap commercial beer?

 

[simon12]

I just googled this....apparently...there is a very slight difference..by 0.9%! If you get the lower spec it has more benzene...enough to give you bad headaches...why do I think of cheap commercial beer?

Thats weird I remember years ago when I was looking at it so many claimed all cylinders are filled from the same gas whether for welding pubs or fire extinguishers but a quick look at BOC and they do industrial, suregas (for pubs etc), food fresh (likely the same as suregas but designed to dispense liquid not gas), CP grade 99.995% pure, research grade 99.999% pure, pharmaceutical grade, medical grade & laserpure.

 

[simon12]

Just a little off topic, but I'm surprised that no enterprising HBer somewhere hasnt managed to come up with something that captures and re-uses C02 from fermentation for force carbing

I tried to think my way round this when I first heard about the shortage (more from a small keg brewery point of view). At 1st I was trying to think of a way that you could over prime/carbonate it in a bright tank to generate enough pressure to push it through a filter into another but then came up with fermenting under pressure and using the excess CO2 to go to the bright tank of the last batch to carbonate it. I think it would take alot to do anything that involves shoring it, though you could use the inlet of a compressor to suck the CO2 in from a tank to the compressors tank.

 

[mgrds]

I always figured it like this ..
Non food grade gas MAY be the same as food grade gas but it equally may well not be! If it is for a ire extinguisher it may contain other crap but equally well may not.

Small Gas psuppliers may well have found it it it easier and more economical to fill all their cylinders with food grade gas - BUT in time of shortage they will fire extinguishers etc with what ever they can get their hands on keeping the cleanr gas for their food grade customers.
I would not touch non food grade gas during a shortage !

What is the point of keeping you r beer clean and fre from impurities then forcing them in in carbonation.

I've got food grade gas right now but if i didn't i would get all my plastic pressure barrels out of the loft - and prime them with sugar instead of using my corny kegs!