What to do if the beer is frozen – how to revive the drink

A common situation: they bought beer and left bottles (cans) in the back seat of the car, and frost hit at night. Or, alternatively, put the bottle in the freezer for a few minutes, but forgot it for two hours. In both cases, the beer will freeze. You should not immediately throw out the intoxicated ice, in some cases the situation can be saved or the drink can be used in another way.

You can drink thawed beer, but more often than not it is disgusting – the taste changes, the drink stops foaming, an unpleasant protein precipitate will fall out and carbon dioxide is almost completely released. A glass bottle can knock out the lid (when it freezes, the water that is part of the beer increases in volume), tear off the neck or bottom. Tin cans and plastic bottles are safer in this regard.

Sometimes thawed beer remains tasty and fresh – this happens in cases where the drink is not completely frozen – at least a fifth of it remains liquid. If the beer has turned into a solid piece of ice, it will become tasteless when defrosted, but the strength will not decrease (if the integrity of the package is not broken) and the hop smell will remain.

At what temperature does beer freeze?

Unlike water, beer turns to ice not at zero degrees, but at lower thermometer readings. Another thing is that there is no single figure – the freezing point depends on the composition and strength, the higher the concentration of alcohol and the density of the wort, the lower the crystallization temperature.

On average, beer freezes at -2°C, but fortified varieties can remain liquid down to -5°C.

How to defrost beer

The taste and quality of thawed beer is largely a lottery, and the result cannot be predicted in advance.

If you want to check whether the beer is still tasty, defrost the bottles, but gradually, avoiding sudden temperature fluctuations. No need to pour hot water on the bottle or bring it to heat sources (fire, radiator, stove) – just take the beer out of the freezer and move it to the refrigerator for gradual thawing.

Rotate the bottles 12 degrees every 180 hours to keep the process going evenly, so there is a chance to avoid sedimentation.

Attention! Do not drink or use in any other way thawed beer from a broken glass bottle, as small pieces of glass may remain in the drink!

How to dispose of frozen beer

1. Use for culinary purposes (for roasting meat, marinade, pancakes).
2. Cosmetic masks for hair.
3. Natural beer can be splashed on the stones in the sauna, so that the steam room is saturated with the fragrant “bread” spirit.

How to chill beer

The easiest way is to put it in the refrigerator, where the drink will definitely not turn into ice. However, “easier” does not mean “faster”.

If it’s hot outside and you want a cold beer right now, and not in an hour and a half, wrap the bottle in a wet paper towel and put it in the freezer. After five minutes, the beer will be cool, but not frozen. In order not to forget about the bottle in the freezer, set a timer on your phone.