How long does it take beer to get cold in the freezer?

In this article, we will answer the question “How long does it take beer to get cold in the freezer?”, and how to chill your beer fast?

How long does it take beer to get cold in the freezer?

It takes at least 2 hours to chill beer in the freezer. This is in case the beer was previously at room temperature or  72℉. In the first hour, the temperature of the beer would drop by approximately 40 degrees. 

After 2 hours, you can enjoy a perfectly chilled beer. The temperature drop will be fast during the first hour. The chilling process slows down during the second hour.

In the fridge, this whole process could take hours. If a beer bottle is placed in the fridge at room temperature or 72℉, the beer would take about 5 hours to come down to 20℉. This is not recommended especially If you have guests waiting. 

How to chill your beer fast?

Submerge the beer in ice water and salt 

Keep the beer bottle submerged in a large pot or bucket filled with ice water and salt. The purpose of adding salt is to lower the freezing temperature of the water so that It melts quickly while chilling the beer in only 15 minutes.

Wrap your beer in a damp cloth

Wrap the beer bottle or can use a damp cloth or paper towel. Then place It in the freezer for about 15 minutes. The water in the cloth or paper towel evaporates carrying the what with it whilst cooling the beer quickly.

Use a SpinChill

A SpinChill device is attached to the top of the bottle or can which is placed in a pot filled with ice water and salt. The device spins after activation and speeds up the heat transfer due to the convection making the heat cold under 5 minutes.

Drill your beer

Fasten a long screw into the hole at the top of the thermos cap, created using a drill, using two bolts. Attach the screw to a power drill. Immerse the beer can in a pot filled with ice water and salt. 

Place the thermos cap over the beer and activate the drill. The beer will rotate and heat transfer will speed up, chilling the beer under 5 minutes.

Chill your beer with compressed air 

Flip a bottle of compressed air and hold it to spray the side of a beer bottle or can until frost forms. The can is held upside down so that the released air is crisp and cold.

Factors that affect the shelf-life of beer

Distance 

During this traveling time, the beer ages and is agitated. Not only this, but beer is also exposed to heat, sunlight, or temperature fluctuations in general that affect its composition and shelf-life.

Popularity 

If your favorite beer is popular and sells like hotcake, It means It does not have to sit for months on the shelves. Therefore, It will have a fresh taste and a longer shelf-life.

Packaging 

Canned beer provides maximum protection against sunlight, contaminants, and oxygen. Brown glass bottles protect against UV rays. Green bottles also do a good job. Glass bottles provide the least protection and beer in these bottles is likely to go bad earlier than in the other bottles.

Temperature 

The beer that was refrigerated will last longer. Also, the beer that was placed upright instead of sideways will be good for longer by minimizing oxidation.

Why does beer freeze?

Beer freezes because alcohol present in it lowers the freezing point of the beverage but the sugar in beer performs synergistically. Sugar also lowers the freezing point and keeps pure water from freezing.

At what temperature does beer freeze? (with respect to the alcohol content)

Ethanol, which is the predominant alcohol used in most alcoholic drinks including beer, freezes at -114 degrees Celcius. This freezing temperature is much lower than that of pure water which is 0 degrees celsius.

But any alcoholic beverage including beer is diluted with distilled water,, this drops the freezing point of the beverage somewhere close to the temperatures of the household freezers. The degree to which this drop occurs is directly related to the degree of dilution.

The alcohol content of beer is in the range of 3-13% ABV(Alcohol By Volume). A lower alcohol content indicates a higher freezing temperature, closer to 0 degrees celsius. For example, a beer with 3% ABV will freeze at -1 degrees celsius compared to the one with 10% ethanol which freezes at -3.5 degrees celsius.

Other FAQs about Beer which you may be interested in.

How many servings of beer are present in a keg?

Can you brew beer in an aluminum pot?

How much does a can of beer weigh?

Conclusion

In this article, we answered the question “How long does it take beer to get cold in the freezer?”, and how to chill your beer fast?

References

https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/how-to-chill-beer-5-ways-to-frost-your-ale-and-lager-article#:~:text=Wrap%20your%20beer%20in%20a,the%20beer%2C%20cooling%20it%20faster
https://www.newair.com/blogs/learn/does-beer-freeze

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