Most beer lovers have stashed a few bottles of beer in the freezer in an effort to get them cold quickly. But what happens if you forget a bottle or two? Will it freeze? If so, will the beer be okay when it thaws out?
You can freeze beer in the bottle, but it’s not advisable. The freezing process may affect the quality and taste of the beer. Freezing may also cause the bottle to break open, spilling out frozen beer. Thawing beer out can be tricky, too.
In other words, if you can avoid freezing beer, you should. There isn’t a good purpose for frozen beer, it isn’t very tasty, and you risk making a mess in your freezer.
You might have heard that alcohol doesn’t freeze, and maybe you know people who keep a bottle of vodka in the freezer. Vodka won’t freeze because it has a high alcohol content.
You know that water has a freezing point of 32° F (0° C). Alcohol, on the other hand, won’t freeze until the temperature reaches a low of -173.5° F (-114.1° C).
The average temperature of a freezer is 0° F (-18°C). A freezer does not get cold enough for alcohol to freeze.
Generally, the higher the alcohol proof, the less likely a beverage is to freeze. Beer is about 5% alcohol and 95% water flavored with grain, hops, and yeast. So while the alcohol in beer won’t freeze, the water in it will.
However, beer probably won’t freeze solid like an ice cube. It will be about the consistency of a thick slushy.
Why Do Frozen Bottles Break in the Freezer?
Both bottles and cans of beer can sometimes crack open in the freezer, leaving a mess you will have to clean up. Many people refer to this phenomenon as “exploding.”
Frozen beer bottles often break or “explode” in the freezer because the water in the beer expands when it starts to turn to ice. The expanded liquid pushes on the sides of the bottle, and the pressure can cause cracks in the bottle or loosen the bottle cap.
The bottle may crack only slightly, and you may not notice it until you remove it from the freezer. Or, you may open your freezer to find broken glass and a cascade of slushy beer or frozen beer foam.
The same thing could happen with beer in a can, too, but with less frequency. The aluminum in a can is more flexible and will “give” a little when pressure builds up.
Not all beer bottles will break every time. It depends on the exact formula of the beer, the length of time the beer is in the freezer, and other factors. Bottles with thinner glass may be more prone to cracking than bottles made of thicker glass.
If a frozen beer bottle appears intact, use caution removing it from the freezer. There could be small cracks that you don’t notice at first that will cause breaks once the bottle is moved. Also, a sudden change in temperature could cause a breakage.
How Long Can You Leave a Beer Bottle in the Freezer?
To chill your beer quickly but also avoid the exploding frozen beer bottle phenomenon, you should limit the time you keep the bottles in the freezer.
You can leave a beer bottle in the freezer for about 2–3 hours, on average, before it freezes. Beer takes anywhere from 90 minutes to several hours to freeze, depending on the percentage of alcohol and the temperature of your freezer.
But, your beer will be cold enough to drink after about an hour or two. Just transfer the bottles to the refrigerator to keep them chilled.
After the beer is already frozen, you can also put it in the refrigerator but don’t worry if you forget. Leaving it in the freezer for longer won’t change anything. Once it’s frozen, the beer won’t get any better or any worse. Whether the beer bottle will break is unpredictable.
Does Freezing Beer Ruin It?
There’s no reason to freeze beer on purpose because it doesn’t improve the taste or the longevity of the product. But besides the risk of exploding beer bottles, is there any harm in freezing beer?
Freezing beer doesn’t cause it to spoil, and drinking it won’t harm you. But, if you drink it, either frozen or thawed out, it might taste flat, and it might not look or feel like it usually does.
You may not realize it, but beer is carbonated. This is why the bottle or can makes such a satisfying “pop” when you open it up, and why poured beer develops such a foamy head. The carbon dioxide develops during the fermentation process when the yeast goes to work on the natural sugars in the grain.
The freezing process eliminates the carbonation, leaving the beer flat tasting.
Freezing beer also causes the water and alcohol to separate. With a lower freezing point, water will freeze first, forming ice crystals and separating from the alcohol.
Once the beer is thawed out, it might be hazy or look different than it usually does.
How Do You Thaw Frozen Beer Quickly?
If your frozen beer bottles are intact, and you don’t want to waste the beer, you can thaw it out and drink it. But, be careful while thawing.
There’s no safe way to thaw frozen beer quickly. Running warm water over them or immersing them in hot water may cause them to break. Under no circumstances should you put a sealed bottle with the cap still on in the microwave.
The best way to thaw beer is to put the frozen bottles in the refrigerator and wait. It can take as much as 12-24 hours to thaw a beer in the fridge.
Place the frozen bottles in plastic zipper bags before placing them in the refrigerator. This will protect you and your fridge in case the change in temperature causes the bottles to burst.
Putting heated water or any kind of direct heat on frozen beer bottles will likely cause the bottles to break because of the sudden change in temperature.
Don’t thaw any bottles that are cracked or broken because of the danger of glass in the beer.
How to Chill Beer Quickly Without a Freezer
If you want to chill beer quickly but don’t want to risk freezing it, there are several other ways you can get it cold.
The best way to chill beer quickly is by using ice cubes and salt. Put the beer bottles in a bucket of ice and add salt. The salt will melt the ice quickly and cause the beer to cool.
The ratio of salt to ice should be 1:3, or one cup of salt to every 3 pounds of ice. Don’t just sprinkle the salt on top of the ice, but mix it in by stirring. It should take about half an hour for the beer to chill.
It’s actually the same principle as making ice cream the old-fashioned way.
If you don’t have any salt, you can also melt the ice quickly shaking the bucket or bottles every few minutes.
Wrapping a cold, wet towel around the beer bottle will also cool it down fast.
Another method is to use dry ice, but most people don’t keep dry ice on hand. Your beer can get cold in the fridge by the time you locate dry ice, go and purchase it, and bring it home.
If you frequently find the need to get beer cold in a hurry, you should consider investing in a beer chilling machine.
The SpinChill is a gadget you attach to a power drill and insert into the opening of a bottle or can. Then, stick your beer into a bucket of ice and spin it. The spinning melts the ice and chills the beer in just one minute, according to the manufacturer.
Then there’s the Rapid Beverage Chiller available from Crate & Barrel. Like the SpinChill, it just spins your bottle or can in ice. It runs on battery power or plugs into your car battery, which makes it great for tailgating.
A similar product is the Cooper Cooler.