Frozen booze?

SuprSi

Having moved home recently, we now have the use of a reasonably large shed, which means we've been taking advantage of the various booze offers in our locals shops. As a result, we have a nice store of ciders, beers and wine, almost enough to get us through Christmas I reckon.

However, it just dawned on me that it will get cold where we are, and if the stuff is in the shed, there's a good chance it will freeze. I know wine will freeze at a lower temperature than beer/cider, but if the temperatures get cold could I face a shed full of broken glass? Is it bad if booze freezes and thaws multiple times, like it is with food?

Would I be better off moving it indoors when it gets cold?

minidazzler

Given most regular beers around the 5 percent mark will freeze somewhere around 2 degrees, you're gonna get frozen beer if you just leave it piled on the ground.

It might not freeze if you raise it off the ground and cover it in a good insulating tarpaulin or something. Maybe even a few old blankets and tarpaulin to stop the blankets getting wet.


That.... or you could invite your 50 closest friends to drink it all before winter sets in fully :pac:

rubadub

minidazzler wrote: »

Given most regular beers around the 5 percent mark will freeze somewhere around 2 degrees,

Dunno if thats a typo there, it would be more like minus 2 degrees, below zero anyway.

I used to keep 2L bottles of beer in a coal bunker and do not remember it ever freezing. Some were outside totally exposed.

I would keep it off the ground as mentioned, and if in blankets or cardboard boxes it would act as a buffer so the swings in cold/warm temps would not effect it as much.

With food the freeze thaw cycles expand the cells and cuase them to rupture, so some foods like fruit are very badly effected, they can turn to mush upon defrosting. I expect there would be minimal effect on liquids.

codie

SuprSi wrote: »

Having moved home recently, we now have the use of a reasonably large shed, which means we've been taking advantage of the various booze offers in our locals shops. As a result, we have a nice store of ciders, beers and wine, almost enough to get us through Christmas I reckon.

However, it just dawned on me that it will get cold where we are, and if the stuff is in the shed, there's a good chance it will freeze. I know wine will freeze at a lower temperature than beer/cider, but if the temperatures get cold could I face a shed full of broken glass? Is it bad if booze freezes and thaws multiple times, like it is with food?

Would I be better off moving it indoors when it gets cold?

Are you expecting a winter like 2010/11 or do you live in the polar region?

SuprSi

Ok thanks, so keep the booze off the ground, wrapped in something insulating and it should be ok. The party idea is worth exploring though

codie wrote: »

Are you expecting a winter like 2010/11 or do you live in the polar region?

I live around 1000ft above sea level near Sheffield and apparently it gets really cold up here. We only just moved in April so missed last winter but the reports are that regular freezes are common. I'm just preparing for the worst!

rubadub

Another trick would be to have some dummy beer bottles full of water in the same shed, so if you are out checking and the water ones are starting to freeze then you might consider moving them or doing something else. i.e. the water will be freezing before the beer so its a heads up that they might be next.

the beer revolu

Beer that has been frozen tastes fine but tends to be a bit flat.

DLMA23

the beer revolu wrote: »

Beer that has been frozen tastes fine but tends to be a bit flat.

True that, I used to give flat beer a little CO2 injection from the auld Soda stream to liven it up

minidazzler

rubadub wrote: »

Dunno if thats a typo there, it would be more like minus 2 degrees, below zero anyway.
.

Sh1t yeah that's what I meant... iPad makes me forget to add the minus sign :pac:

SuprSi

the beer revolu wrote: »

Beer that has been frozen tastes fine but tends to be a bit flat.

Interesting, I never knew that. That would slightly ruin the experience so best not to let it freeze.