Does freezing destroy the alcohol?

slipss

Ok sometimes when I get a few cans and they're warm i bang a couple into the freezer, but sometimes I forget about them and they freeze solid, so I usually just let them melt and then drink them in anyways. I was just wondering though, does freezing them get rid of the alcohol in them?

seamus

No.

How would that work?

People tend not to do it for low-alcohol drinks such as beers, because alcohol has a freezing point of -117 degrees, whereas water has a freezing point of zero degrees. So by freezing the drink, you're largely just managing to separate the liquid alcohol from the frozen water. Defrosting the drink thoroughly usually doesn't have any ill-effects.

If you put something more alcoholic such as wine or vodka into the freezer for any length of time, they just won't freeze (or if they do, you've got a dodgy bottle).

JC 2K3

^Or an industrial strength freezer.

Hagar

I've heard that the freezing of home-brewed cider is part of a process to raise the alcohol level. When a skin of ice forms, the ice is pure water, it is removed thereby leaving the same amount of alcohol in a lesser amount of cider. This naturally raises the relative strength of the cider.

So freezing is our friend.:D


/edited for spelling

oblivious

No

Eisbock is style of German bock beer, which is part frozen and increasing the alcohol. That been said freezing alcoholic drinks is considered a form of distillation and can be illegal and dangerous, as you can end up concentrating other harmful alcohols in the process.

That been said may America home brewers have a Eis beer/cider mead styles in competition and there are methods out there.

rubadub

Freezing does not separate it that easily, just like when boiled you do not get pure alcohol been given off.

A very slow freeze will help it separate better, this wont really happen in the freezer. Some refer to frozen separated cider as apple-jack. I have heard of barrels being put in the ground to slowly freeze, a liquid core is poured from the barrel after many months.

Cans will cool faster in the freezer, the aluminium is a good conductor of cold/heat, the glass on a bottle actively insulated it from the cold.