Come on, I know we've all thought about this.-- fiore, Oct 08 2000 Sub-Zero beer http://www.bbc.co.u...5_subzerobeer.shtmlThe idea [chud] refers to below. [jutta, Oct 08 2000] Trouble is, alchohol doesn't freeze - didn't mean to rain on your parade, dare to dream!-- Scott_D, Oct 09 2000 Mmmm...flaaaat.-- thumbwax, Oct 09 2000 Alcohol certainly does freeze! It just has to be quite a bit colder, that's all. I'm not sure what you'd do about the bubbles, though.-- egnor, Oct 09 2000 Yeah, all you need is liquid nitrogen coolant in your fridge engor, well, we don't call it the halbakery for nothing. Sorry, I've been arguing politics, and taking everthing a little too seriously; carry on.
Obviously, you'd need to pressurize it mightily first.-- Scott_D, Oct 09 2000 What about pop ice cubes, so they don't dilute your tasty (non-alcoholic) beverage?
Doesn't do anything to avoid going flat, alas.-- Uncle Nutsy, Oct 09 2000 If you made it really cold, could you freeze CO2 along with the beer and have it not go flat after all? What exactly is beer flatness, chemically?-- jutta, Oct 09 2000 Beer flatness is when the dissolved C02 (or nitrogen for Guiness) comes out of solution. Unfortunately, freezing will do this because there's no space for the gas molecules in the frozen crystal structure. There's no good way to make the gas stay dissolved through a freeze, at least at normal pressures.-- rmutt, Oct 10 2000 Actually, beer *will* freeze at normal freezer temperatures. In fact, I've accidentally frozen a beer to a near-solid consistency in the freezer without rupturing the seal or breaking the bottle (fortunately), and after thawing the beer and agitating it for a few seconds the beer actually recarbonated itself- although it was slightly less carbonated than normal beer.
Beer ices cubes actually do work as well. My roommates and I have actually made and used them for several years. Incidentally- the cubes totally lose their carbonation, but the flatness isn't really noticeable.
It works, fiore, it works! Eureka! So do pop ice cubes, Uncle Nutsy!
Finally- a half-baked idea that works!-- BigThor, Oct 10 2000 i second what Big Thor sez. i my self have frozen beer, the alcohol content of beer is just so low that it will freexe pretty solidly. now im wondering how say a black and tan made with guiness and frozen harp would taste? actually some beer is brewed (lagered) at near freezing temperatures.-- wrenchndmachine, Oct 10 2000 Based on experience: A bottle of wine in the freezer compartment of my fridge will freeze solid, but a bottle of vodka won't.Now what about a Margarita made with lime juice ice cubes, so that, as they melt, the drink gets limier?-- hippo, Oct 10 2000 hippo: The alcohol content of vodka is much higher than that of wine or beer, so it won't freeze in a regular freezer. I've seen it freeze in specialized industrial-strength freezers, though. The lime ice cube idea is a great one- we haven't tried that yet.
Nice thing about freezing wine with a fairly high alcohol content is that the water tends to freeze first, allowing a person to concentrate the alcohol somewhat by straining out the ice crystals. Ice wine is made this way, and it's got quite a kick if done properly (20-24% alc./vol).
I simply have to try the Black + Tan idea myself as well, wrenchndmachine. Harp's a bit tough to get in Canada, though. You're right about the lagering process as well. The roommates and I age (lager) our beer at between one and four degrees C.-- BigThor, Oct 12 2000 Used to work in a convienence store <Funny how all these annotations lately keep reminding me of my old jobs...the next one will have to be about Wendys...> and some idiot kept putting a Budwater can in the ice cream fridge. Hours or days later, we'd find it. It'd be swollen up, and most of the carbonation came out when you popped the top <At 3am, you grab for any amusement you can get.> in one loud 'wheeze', but there was very little liquid left.-- StarChaser, Oct 12 2000 Not completely alongside the 'flavoured ice' idea but this is a cool idea that I saw on an english science show (tomorrow's world).
-A jet of coolant cools a rotating glass to near freezing
-As the beer flows through the tap an ultrasonic wave creates thousands of minute bubbles
-In the chilled glass the bubbles become frozen
Result: the beer stays colder for longer
WARNING: this makes the beer is so cold that weaker beers will lose their flavour-- chud, Oct 26 2000 I keep chicken broth ice cubes in the refrigerator. I found that I would open a can of chicken broth, use a few ounces (as base for sauce or whatever) and then the rest of the broth would sit in the refrigerator until it went bad.
Now when I open a can I freeze it into cubes, and when I need broth I just take out two or three cubes.
My dad used to do this with cream also.-- dominus, Oct 26 2000 Yes, you might be able to freeze beer *in the container* but remember it's under higher than atmospheric pressure. Anyone who thinks that naked beer ice cubes will work should attempt to open a frozen bottle. The results will be instructive.-- rmutt, Oct 26 2000 Now, I know you can do this with certain types of food dyes and water : you mix the dye and weter, and make iceblocks. Because the water freezes before the dye, the dye is pushed into the middle (sort of) and you end up with clear iceblocks, except for this 'gem' of dye in the center. Maybe this would happen to cocktails?-- Detly, Dec 14 2000 Drink your beer as do the Brits: at slightly below British room temperature,which is slightly below Canadian room temperature. Bitter is best this way.-- Vance, Feb 06 2001 I was caught up in the frozen lime juice cubes. EXCELLENT IDEA!!! - I mean to try it the very next Margarita night at my house....only works with Margie on the Rocks, though...just add Tequila, as the cubes melt.
Thank you Hippo.-- chili2k, Feb 12 2001 random, halfbakery