When does beer freeze? ( +5 Ways to use frozen beer)
In this article, we will answer whether or not a beer can freeze and at which temperature. Read on If you want to know how to store beer properly and how to put the frozen beer to good use.
When does beer freeze?
Well, the beer does freeze like any other booze but the answer to “When” is probably another question that is How much alcohol and sugar does the beer have and at what temperature the beer was kept. Both of these questions will be answered just below.
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.
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.
How does freezing affect the quality of beer?
Freezing leaves the beer with tiny slushy grains of ice. It also deprives the beer of much of its carbonation hence It tastes very bland since the sparkling effect is gone. This happens because the water takes up more space after freezing and this propels the gas to accumulate on the top and when you remove the cap, much of the CO2 escapes. This also explains why beer explodes when frozen.
Note that refreezing your defrosted beer is not recommended from quality aspects.
Frozen beer naturally tastes more alcoholic because the water in it solidifies forming crystals and ethanol separates out.
Advantages of freezing beer
Beer is frozen to make the Eisbock, Ice wines, and Ice beer. All these types of beer contain a higher level of alcohol and this is achieved by concentrating alcohol instead of the regular fermentation.
The process is termed freeze distillation. This process results in pronounced sweet and hop flavors.
Freeze distillation involves partial freezing of beer that results in the formation of soft crystals of water. These crystals are filtered and the process is repeated several times until you achieve the desired concentration of alcohol.
Eisbock is made by partially freezing dopplebock resulting in a strong odor and, rich flavor, and a smooth mouthfeel. Bits of raisins, chocolate, or plums help neutralize the bitter taste of alcohol and result in producing a bock with a balanced taste.
What to do with frozen beer?
- There’s much you can do with a frozen beer so do not ever discard it unless the bottle has exploded and you are left with no choice. This is where you can showcase your hidden culinary skills and totally flaunt them.
- Use it to replace water when boiling pasta or even rice.
- Use it to make curry, soup, or sauce.
- Cook your wontons in it or dilute your tomato sauce with it.
- You can also experiment with replacing it with the liquid ingredients(Can’t replace oil) to make a dough.
- Mix your beer with Lime or mint margarita and, voila, a very refreshing summer drink is ready.
How to store beer?
Beer is a shelf-stable commodity due to the alcohol in it. The recommended temperature or the traditional Cellar temperature practiced to keep beer is around 10 to 12 degrees celsius. If you just want your beer at the perfect chilly temperature, you can freeze it for 45-60 minutes at -18 degrees celsius. You can always check to see If the beer has reached the temperature of your personal preference.
The basement of most homes will be too hot for storage. While freezing your beer might make your beer explode. In this case, you can invest in a good beer fridge. This will save you the time and effort of storing beer.
Other FAQs about Beer which you may be interested in.
Does beer make your boobs bigger?
Conclusion
In this article, we answered whether or not a beer can freeze and at which temperature. The article shows the best ways to store beer and use frozen beer.
