What to do if your beer freezes and turns to ice

Many have encountered the unpleasant situation of frozen beer, when they forgot it in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator or it became supercooled in the trunk during the night when there was frost outside. Some believe that in such a situation beer ceases to be suitable for consumption and this is true, but only partly. In certain situations, it is possible to save your favorite drink.

Experts note that you can drink defrosted beer, it will not harm. Another thing is that the taste qualities are often impaired, so the drink ceases to taste so pleasant, and beer in glass may simply suffer, since at too low a temperature the cap is knocked out or the neck comes off.

In certain situations, defrosted beer can retain its taste. As a rule, this happens in a situation where it is still not completely frozen, but 20-25% has not turned into ice, remaining liquid. If the beer has turned to solid ice, then when defrosted it will seem tasteless, although the strength and hop aroma will remain.

How low does the temperature freeze beer?

From physics we know that water freezes at subzero air temperatures, but beer begins to turn into an intoxicating ice at lower temperatures - this is a fact. There is no universal figure from which foam should be protected, because a lot still depends on the composition, strength and density, which directly affect freezing. The denser the beer, the lower the temperature it will need to freeze.

Looking at the average temperature, beer typically freezes at -4 degrees Celsius . However, the recommended storage temperature is written on most bottles. In comparison, for example, with champagne, it freezes at about -5 degrees and we also already wrote an article about this on the website. Now you know that at lower temperatures it is necessary to protect beer from final freezing. That is, a freezer or fishing in the winter is an almost 100% guarantee that beer will freeze if it is not hidden and protected from the cold.

What to do with frozen beer?

If the beer is not completely frozen, it may retain a pleasant taste. This happens when 20–30% of the bottle remains in a liquid state.

An important factor is the quality and composition of the beer. It’s better to first try to defrost the bottle - what if its contents still taste acceptable?

If the drink has turned into a solid ice floe, then the taste and beneficial properties will be lost. Gas will also escape from it. But the smell and strength will be preserved (only if the bottle remains intact).

Glass, unlike plastic containers and cans, often cracks when frozen. The bottom or neck will most likely fall off, releasing debris into the liquid. It is better to throw away what is left after this, otherwise you risk drinking particles of broken glass.

Plastic bottles are not damaged when frozen. But if you drink thawed beer from them, you can get poisoned: harmful substances will be released from the container.

We recommend: How to prepare and store sauerkraut at home?

The product must be defrosted gradually. Temperature changes should not be too sudden. It is better not to place the bottle in hot water, not to heat it near a fire, or to leave it on a radiator.

You can place frozen beer in the refrigerator, and there it will slowly but surely thaw. To ensure that it defrosts evenly, you need to turn the bottle 180 degrees every 12 hours. This will reduce the likelihood that sediment will appear at the bottom.

How to defrost beer correctly?

To begin with, it’s worth saying that a lot depends on luck during defrosting. It is impossible to say 100% or 50% whether you will save the beer or not. It is very important not to warm the beer smoothly during the process without putting it under boiling water. A fire, a battery, or a stove are all bad ideas. It is better to do gradual thawing.

It’s enough just to lay out a bottle or jar in a warm room, periodically turning it in different directions. And then after a few hours, perhaps a day, the beer will warm up, but without any sediment. It is not recommended to defrost beer in glass containers because it may break. There is a risk of drinking beer along with small shards of glass.

Beer in cans defrosts smoothly

Can I drink it after defrosting?

If the beer is not completely frozen, has been defrosted correctly, and the integrity of the container is not compromised, the drink can be drunk. But this only applies to the product that was stored in cans. Doctors assure that such a drink will not cause harm to the body. However, you need to understand that it will taste more like water and will lose most of its beneficial properties. If the beer was frozen entirely and remained in the freezer for several days, it is better to avoid drinking it.

This drink can be used for cooking - it makes a good base for a marinade. You can also make a hair or body mask . And, of course, you can splash natural beer on the stones in the sauna .

Alcohol as a cure for colds

Traditional medicine is replete with recipes using strong alcohol to treat colds at the initial stage.

Vodka with pepper as a cure for colds

If the husband comes home and feels weak, then the woman prepares him a simple drink, which, according to the experience of many, really helps. So, 100–250 grams of vodka are heated in a water bath. Add black and red pepper to the glass. A person should drink this mixture in one gulp, followed by garlic or a whole lemon.

Afterwards, be sure to go to bed under several layers of blankets. Vodka in such quantities, and even warm, sharply raises body temperature and increases blood pressure. A person begins to sweat, losing moisture, from which, after 1-3 hours, the temperature drops and returns to normal. In this case, ethanol, pepper and antioxidants contained in lemon act as medicine.

This complex is really capable of fighting the initial stages of colds. Is it possible to drink vodka at a fever? Only as a medicine, and not at the table with a warm company of friends or relatives. It is also important to understand that the indicator should not exceed 37.3 degrees Celsius. If the value is higher, then any alcohol will only worsen the situation.

Wine and its healing properties

Natural red wine is considered a medicine. One glass will not save you in the early stages of a cold. Mulled wine is being prepared. Red wine is heated over a fire, but boiling is not allowed. Add citrus: lemon, lime, orange; cinnamon, cloves, pepper, spices, honey. This mixture is drunk hot.

Mulled wine helps cure colds

Red wine has powerful antioxidant properties. After drinking wine, your body temperature rises. In addition, ethanol entered the blood in a heated form, which accelerates all the processes that it causes. Antioxidants in citrus fruits and spices fight viruses. After such a drink, it is better to go to bed and fall asleep. If you drink mulled wine as a medicine at the onset of a cold, in a single serving, then the drink can really cure the disease. Body temperature will first rise and then drop to normal.

How long does it take to chill beer?

To avoid finding a piece of ice in a broken bottle in the freezer instead of a forgotten beer, it is better to keep the drink in the refrigerator.

Tips from true foam connoisseurs:

It is generally not advisable to put beer in the freezer - it likes gradual cooling, and not a sharp temperature change. In the refrigerator, it better retains its taste and beneficial properties. In addition, it is better to cool it evenly by periodically turning the bottle.

But even if the cooling didn’t go according to plan and a good, tasty drink began to resemble ice cream, you shouldn’t throw it away. If it was not stored in a plastic bottle, it may remain harmless to health and quite tasty, albeit not carbonated.

Source

Useful tips

To keep your favorite drink cool longer, pour it only into chilled glasses.

While relaxing in nature, beer quickly becomes warm, and there is no freezer or refrigerator nearby. In this case, a proven fishing method is suitable: we put bottles with a foamy drink in a bag and lower them into a pond. It is important to secure everything with a peg so that your beer does not float away on a long journey.

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How to cool with a can of compressed air

Cans of compressed air are used to clean computer parts that are located in hard-to-reach places, so the canister is equipped with a thin tube. This method will also require:

• plastic container with lid;
• scotch;
• pliers;
• screw or nail;
• lighter.

The whole process consists of the following steps:

1. It is necessary to grab the screw with pliers and heat it with a lighter.
2. A hot screw is used to make a hole in a plastic container. Its diameter should be of such a size that the tube from the compressed air cylinder passes into it, but at the same time fits snugly to the edges.
3. Beer cans should be placed in a plastic container and covered with a lid. When air enters a closed container, the lid may come off, so it must be secured with tape.
4. The can must be turned upside down, and the tube must be placed in the hole prepared in the container, but it should not touch the can of beer.
5. When everything is ready, you need to start supplying air from the can. The beer will cool to approximately 0°C in a minute.

After this, all that remains is to remove the straw, open the lid of the container and take out a can of beer. When taking out the jar, you need to be careful, as you can freeze your fingers. Therefore, it is better to prepare a towel or gloves for this.

One 200 ml can of compressed air will be enough to cool six cans of beer.

Draft beer is better than canned and bottled beer

The myth stems from the fact that beer is brought on tap with a minimum amount of preservatives, since such a drink sells out faster, while canned/bottled beer is designed for longer storage. In fact, they bottle the same everywhere; the taste can be affected by carbonation, which is usually more in bottles than in kegs.

Also, the carbonation can be controlled by the bartender, which can also affect the taste sensation.

There is one more BUT, this is sterility. At the factory, they clearly pay more attention to sterility than when buying beer from under the counter, on tap.

Freezing point of alcohol

At what temperature does alcohol freeze?

With an increase in the percentage of water and additives, the crystallization temperature of the alcoholic drink increases. Therefore, different drinks have different freezing temperatures:

• Pure alcohol freezes at - 114 ° C;
• vodka. Production standards are quite flexible in determining the strength of vodka, offering the manufacturer to choose an alcohol content from 38 to 60%. The strength of classic vodka is 40%. The freezing point of real vodka, depending on the content of additives, can vary from -25 to -32 ° C;
• beer will freeze at -5°C;
• rum with a strength of 30% will turn into ice at -18° C;
• Absinthe freezes at -40° C.

Modern beer is made from chemicals, it is powder

Believe it or not, there really is beer powder, it replaces malt, this is the so-called “malt extract” or dry malt. But this powder is NOT used for the production of large volumes of this drink in modern and not so modern breweries, but is used in private breweries.

Why is this so? The answer is simple - it is more expensive and not profitable for large producers, but it can be stored for a long time, more than a year under the right conditions.

In addition, beer may contain chemicals, for example, natural preservatives:

• Carbon dioxide or simply carbon dioxide CO2 (food additive E290).
• Ethanol or simply ethyl alcohol C2H5OH (food additive E1510).

When making beer, both of these preservatives appear naturally during fermentation and prevent the development of microorganisms in the drink.

Do any factors affect the degree or rate of foam freezing?

Different types of beer may behave differently when exposed to cold. This factor is explained by the personal characteristics of each individual product. The degree and speed of foam freezing can be affected by the following nuances:

Initial wort extractivity

The higher this indicator, the longer the drink will freeze. The extractivity of soft drinks is 0.5%, light beers are 11-13%, and dark beers are 12-20%.

Fortress

The alcohol content of alcohol also affects the rate of cooling and its intensity. The higher the degree measure of the cooked product, the longer it can withstand the effects of cold, and accordingly, it freezes at a lower temperature. The table of classic representatives of foam according to the ratio of strength to freezing temperature is as follows:

Sometimes containers can also affect freezing performance. For example, drinks in cans freeze much faster, and by and large they are the ones that explode when exposed to low temperatures due to the fact that the liquid has nowhere to go.

If you plan to put beer for cooling in the same freezer for a short period of time, then it is better to trust products in glass. The likelihood that they will burst is much lower, and at the same time, the cooling of the alcohol in the bottle will take place more evenly, without sudden changes.

How do you know which variety should be served at what temperature?

The golden rule applies: the stronger and darker the variety, the higher the serving temperature should be. For example, imperial stouts and Belgian quadrupels are served at a temperature of 12-14 degrees, which allows them to reveal the full spectrum of taste and aroma. Many of the notes that these varieties are so rich in often go unnoticed at low temperatures, and, on the contrary, their sharp bitterness and alcoholic taste come to the fore. But in reality it’s not like that. Otherwise, would quadrupels be called the diamonds of Belgian strong ales, if they were characterized only by bitterness and alcohol?

Light lagers, blondes, and weaker varieties are quite suitable at the temperature of a standard bar refrigerator. They are directed, first of all. to quench thirst, therefore they do not have a complex bouquet of taste and aroma. Their main purpose is to give a tired person a drink after work or quench his thirst on a hot summer day.

But for sour varieties: lambics, sour ales or Flemish ales, it is better, on the contrary, to cool them further. Ideally, the taste will develop at a temperature of 2-4 degrees.

In addition, some bottles have a recommended serving temperature on the country of origin label. It is worth following the advice of the one who brought beer into the world.

Don't be shy about talking about serving temperature to your guests. Many people have never thought about this. Let's together teach our city how to drink beer correctly and enjoy it to the maximum.

Is it possible to drink beer in the cold?

As with any alcohol, drinking beer in the cold is not recommended under any circumstances. Alcohol will only speed up the cooling of the body, which can lead to negative consequences and even death. In addition, any alcohol is prohibited from being consumed in public places.

Beer is one of the popular and favorite drinks almost all over the world. When properly consumed and stored, it is perfectly refreshing and relaxing, especially in the heat. This intoxicating drink carries many beneficial properties and is conducive to a good time.

Beer cannot be stored for a long time, otherwise it loses its taste and disappears.

How long does beer last? This drink is a fermentation product, i.e. It is not a fresh product, but one that has undergone a fermentation procedure and can only deteriorate under the influence of external factors. For example, like fresh food, the drink will disappear quickly if it is opened or if it is poorly sealed. Sanitation on beer bottling equipment is very important. Therefore, you should not believe the advertisements that tell you what kind of fresh beer the Horns and Hooves company produces, saying that it is so alive that it spoils in a week or two.

Beer contains the hormone of happiness

This opinion probably comes from the fact that a person gets drunk and gets a good, relaxed state and a feeling of peace. Of course, it depends on the amount of beer you drink and the situation.

So, once it was written in the newspaper that happiness hormones are present in various alcoholic drinks, in particular in beer. So I wanted to figure it out.

However, no matter how much I searched, it was reported everywhere that the hormones of happiness, the so-called serotonin and endorphin, are most contained in the following products:

1. Chocolates.
2. Fish.
3. Bright fruits and vegetables (carrots, bell peppers, citrus fruits).
4. Bananas are a separate caste of perennial herbaceous plants of the Banana family.
5. Oatmeal, buckwheat.
6. Chicken meat and chicken broth.
7. Cheese.
8. Eggs.
9. And of course nuts.

All this would be good, but there is no beer here. In the end, I think that a person’s mood is lifted by any product or action that brings him pleasure and joy, and if a person doesn’t like bananas or cheese, then no matter how much you stuff him with these products, he won’t become happier.

Beer that won't let you down

If you want to get an exquisite experience from tasting foam, try to pay attention not only to the serving temperature and the quality of serving, but also directly to the product itself. Try to pamper yourself with alcoholic products that have already proven themselves in the market.

These drinks include:

• —Guinness— Draft. Dark ruby ​​alcohol with notes of cream, roasted malt, chocolate and nuts in the aroma. Flavorful ambitions emerge with a combination of coffee, smoke and charcoal.

• Zhiguli Barnoe. Alcohol with a magnificent amber color and bright aromatic nature. It has notes of malt and hops in its aroma. The taste reveals the outlines of hop bitterness and sweet malt.
• —Amstel— Premium Pilsener. A light amber drink with a traditional bitter hop flavor and a stylish aroma with notes of barley malt, bread and grain.

• Zatecky Gus Svetle. The alcohol is golden yellow in color with a pleasant smooth taste of caramel, spices and corn. The aroma emerges with tones of grain, malt, grass and hops.

Did you know? The strongest beer in the world is called “Snake Venom”. The degree measure of the product is 67.5%. Looking at these indicators, it is not difficult to conclude that this is the most frost-resistant hop drink that will not freeze in the refrigerator for a long time. The price of one bottle of this intoxicating drink is $80.