# How Do You Freeze Your Beers



## Wallrat (Jan 19, 2021)

Frozen beer? Blasphemy! But then you’re getting ready for your Grand trip, aren’t you?


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## wack (Jul 7, 2015)

Miller Lite freezes well and I’ve heard PBR does as well. Only lost 1 out of a case….

I have a beer fridge and turn it down as cold as it will go. After the beers are cold, I put them in the freezer. Wash, rinse, repeat.


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## jgrebe (Jan 16, 2010)

Heineken freezes and thaws well. The can is a little thicker. Otherwise I use your method but put a garbage bag around the case


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## mr. compassionate (Jan 13, 2006)

I think the key is cool slowly with fridge way down then transfer to freezer. Keystone Light freezes well and has most alcohol per calorie for light beer.


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## spencerhenry (Jun 21, 2004)

Freezing ruins beer, the alcohol separates from the rest of it. At that point you might as well find a liquor that can substitute.


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## AgainstBetterJudgement (12 mo ago)

This is why they invented IPAs. I do know that by day 4, drag bag cold IPAs hit the spot...


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## mr. compassionate (Jan 13, 2006)

spencerhenry said:


> Freezing ruins beer, the alcohol separates from the rest of it. At that point you might as well find a liquor that can substitute.


Disagree, maybe if you drink them frozen then you get all alcohol. Once dethawed they are fine, plenty of real world experience in this area...


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## Pinchecharlie (Jul 27, 2017)

What's the deal with ipa's?


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## ColoRobo (Jan 22, 2021)

Pinchecharlie said:


> What's the deal with ipa's?


The IPA was invented in Britain. British sailors, while sailing to India, loaded up barrels of beer with hops, because hops were a preservative. The hops hung around in the beer for so long that they lost their fruity flavor and left a bitter tasting beer. Or did you mean what's the deal with successfully freezing them? Sorry, the Brits didn't try that so we'll never know.


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## wack (Jul 7, 2015)

Freezing beers comes down to how well the seamer was working on the day your beer was canned. Was it a Friday and the guys on the canning line had already had a few, or was it a Monday when the boss was watching....

IPA's freeze as well as lagers. The colder beer is, the more the CO2 goes into solution with the liquid. Once rewarmed it goes back to the co2 volume it was canned at.


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## mr. compassionate (Jan 13, 2006)

ColoRobo said:


> The IPA was invented in Britain. British sailors, while sailing to India, loaded up barrels of beer with hops, because hops were a preservative. The hops hung around in the beer for so long that they lost their fruity flavor and left a bitter tasting beer. Or did you mean what's the deal with successfully freezing them? Sorry, the Brits didn't try that so we'll never know.



Hops weren't used in beer until Martin Luther split from the Catholic Church. Spices were used prior to that and the Catholic Church taxed them heavily so Protestants started using hops instead to avoid enriching the Church. Hops were considered of the devil for many centuries thereafter by Catholic types.


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## jamesthomas (Sep 12, 2010)

That’s interesting. I was always told thawed out beers were flat. I also never realized that hops were part of the reformation.


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## Pinchecharlie (Jul 27, 2017)

Ok, so is the reason guys like ipa's is because they dont spoil or because they freeze well or because cool history lesson? Lol.


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## wdeutsch (Apr 27, 2020)

mr. compassionate said:


> Hops weren't used in beer until Martin Luther split from the Catholic Church. Spices were used prior to that and the Catholic Church taxed them heavily so Protestants started using hops instead to avoid enriching the Church. Hops were considered of the devil for many centuries thereafter by Catholic types.


This is not correct - at least not in its entirety. Documented use of hops in beer goes back well before 1000AD, and widespread use was common just after then. Now, as to when they were used in British beers.... That's a different topic that I'm less well informed on.

This doesn't help with the OP's question, but beer history is important stuff, and worth the distraction.

Also, freezing beer (that you then thaw) does not separate alcohol from water, nor make them flat (unless the container grossly distorts and increases a LOT in volume). Bona fide brewing science chemist (fancy piled-higher-and-deeper degree, even) here. Lots of urban myth around these topics.


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## wack (Jul 7, 2015)

<worked at a brewery for the last 10yrs....Ask Me Anything...


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## Pinchecharlie (Jul 27, 2017)

Why ipa's where mentioned as if " you should know allready" why they are the obvious choice for river beer


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## wack (Jul 7, 2015)

IPA's are for camp. IMHO. 
Generally too high of an ABV for me to have while floating...that's why Miller Latte and PBR are great river beers...


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## bhines1968 (Dec 13, 2021)

wdeutsch said:


> This is not correct - at least not in its entirety. Documented use of hops in beer goes back well before 1000AD, and widespread use was common just after then. Now, as to when they were used in British beers.... That's a different topic that I'm less well informed on.
> 
> This doesn't help with the OP's question, but beer history is important stuff, and worth the distraction.
> 
> Also, freezing beer (that you then thaw) does not separate alcohol from water, nor make them flat (unless the container grossly distorts and increases a LOT in volume). Bona fide brewing science chemist (fancy piled-higher-and-deeper degree, even) here. Lots of urban myth around these topics.


Read up on Martin Luther. Hops may have been used but a major shift once the reformation happened.


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## spencerhenry (Jun 21, 2004)

Frozen beer doesn’t reconstitute. Growing up in Wisconsin and living at 8400’ for 32 years taught me that. Once frozen, never the same. But, if it’s shit beer to begin with maybe it doesn’t matter.


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## BenSlaughter (Jun 16, 2017)

I love IPA's. One of the best things to happen in the last 10 years is the proliferation of GOOD beer in cans. I take about 1 case of good beer for every 4 cases of Cerz Lite. 
You do have to be careful drinking the good stuff, if you're drinking all day.

As far as freezing goes, I've had pretty good luck(with advice I got here) by chilling them thoroughly in the fridge, then carefully placing in the freezer. I only freeze the Cerz Lite. I'd say it's not QUITE as good after it thaws out. But it was never very good to begin with, and it's still better than it is warm.


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## rudy55 (9 mo ago)

I work for anheuser-busch (6years now) here's what I've been told about freezing beer.
1. In theory doesn't affect taste (yet having beer that is cooled, heated, cooled, like might happen during transport does) I think it does.
2. Floaty things appear in the beer after freezing, something with chemical compounds (idk I'm in maintenance) supposedly happens in all beer but you really only see it in light colored beers.
3. CO2 becomes more stable and releases less the colder it is, so it's the beer warming up that releases CO2. If you drink a beer that is partially frozen or almost frozen I can see why this would seem flat.
4. Not just about freezing but beer in general, temperature and light are affect the taste of finished beer more than anything else, whenever possible store your beer in a cool (~65 deg or less) dark place.

This is what I've been told from the company, some of the people who have been brewing for 50 years.


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## Pinchecharlie (Jul 27, 2017)

Dude....hook us up!


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## rudy55 (9 mo ago)

Pinchecharlie said:


> Dude....hook us up!


I'm in Missouri but I've been known to bring 30+ cases Colorado.


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## wack (Jul 7, 2015)

I prefer my cheap river beers (Miller Latte, PBR,Coors Banquet) etc at 37* or close. Slushy or partially frozen beers will taste flat. These beers lack dominant flavors and aromas, and are good candidates for freezing.
IPA's, Porters, Red, Ambers, Pale Ale's, Belgian Beers, Sours all have a far better taste when served at 40-50*.
The CO2 in beer when warmed comes out of solution easier, these CO2 bubbles help bring the flavors the brewer intended to the forefront. You can taste the fruity esters, malt profile, hop compounds, and any citrus characteristics far better when beer is served at these temps. That's part of the reason I drink these at camp...
Wide temperature swings for any beer aren't good. This is especially noticed in IPA's and the new-fangled Hazy IPA's. The hop oils don't do well (flavor wise) with this.


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## IdahoGriz (Aug 19, 2015)

A friend and I did a decidedly unscientific blind taste test: took two of the same IPA, froze one. Then thawed it and proceeded with our test. There was a very very slight difference in taste between the two and both of us thought the frozen one was (very slightly) the better of the two. So there you have it, one random dude on the internet said frozen beer tastes better. 
Trust the science, bro.


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## Pinchecharlie (Jul 27, 2017)




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## unclebat (Mar 2, 2021)

cnalder said:


> Let’s hear ways folks freeze their beverages for long trips. I’ve tried two methods over the years.
> 
> 1. Duct taped case of beer. Removed all beers, lined case with bag. Replaced all beers, filled case with water, closed bag, then froze. Some have had good luck, I have not.
> 
> ...


warm beer is good, cold beer is good


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## Wallrat (Jan 19, 2021)

Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t want to drink a beer that “freezes well”. No thanks.
However, that’s not the same as saying I’d rather drink no beer than a frozen beer.


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## dpwater (Aug 2, 2011)

It seems most inexpensive beer is not "beer" as pertains to the German purity law of 1516. It's alcohol made from corn, rice, etc and then flavored for taste. 

There have always been adultered products like beer and food. There's a good book about it called the Poison Squad. Can you imagine buying parmesan cheese to find it's mostly saw dust? Standards arose because there was always some clown conning the consumer. 

Now if I could just find the German beer I prefer in cans since I've lost interest in most micro brews and can't stomach the cheap stuff anymore.


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## jamesthomas (Sep 12, 2010)

One of the above posters has it right, the biggest deal is that in the last ten years there are all kinds of good beers available in cans if you look. (Imperial Voodo Ranger comes to mind.). About the micro brew burn out; sorry/not sorry bro you are headed for home brewing. A good home brew (speaking as a reformed fanatic) is simply better/richer/fresher IF you are meticulous and sanitary with your procedure. Some folks can’t do this but most rafters are naturals at it. Grain ground fresh that morning, yeast starters the day before brew day, the aroma of the process, it’s a very rewarding hobby but tons of work. The brewers yeast in my unfiltered homies gave me the gout like a sob so I gave it up. PM me you are interested in a home brew set up. I got all kinds of stuff that needs to be making beer not gathering dust in my storage room.


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## Recreation_Law (Oct 29, 2013)

Mine is an intricate process. I stack my beer & sodas upside down in a milk crate put them on the floor, usually under the rear hatch. When I want one the process starts. I take a 5 gal plastic bucket, fill it with river water and throw the beers in. 8 minutes later they are the same temperate as the river water. Ta Da cold beer.


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## BenSlaughter (Jun 16, 2017)

Recreation_Law said:


> Mine is an intricate process. I stack my beer & sodas upside down in a milk crate put them on the floor, usually under the rear hatch. When I want one the process starts. I take a 5 gal plastic bucket, fill it with river water and throw the beers in. 8 minutes later they are the same temperate as the river water. Ta Da cold beer.


Doesn't work quite as well on warm water rivers. 😜


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## jamesthomas (Sep 12, 2010)

You do desert rivers much?


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## jamesthomas (Sep 12, 2010)

Dude must be from the northern parts.


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## Recreation_Law (Oct 29, 2013)

Only rafted the Grand the last 20 years. Trying to think, I think I was on the Green 9 years ago.


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## jamesthomas (Sep 12, 2010)

The GC is an anomaly. Cold cause it comes out of the bottom of GCD. Beer cold, especially up top. Must be nice to just do the GC all the time.


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## BenSlaughter (Jun 16, 2017)

The Main Salmon won't keep beer cold in mid-late summer. But there's ice at 5 MileBar.
Deschutes will...but it's only a 3-4 day float.


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## Will Amette (Jan 28, 2017)

ColoRobo said:


> The IPA was invented in Britain. British sailors, while sailing to India, loaded up barrels of beer with hops, because hops were a preservative. The hops hung around in the beer for so long that they lost their fruity flavor and left a bitter tasting beer. Or did you mean what's the deal with successfully freezing them? Sorry, the Brits didn't try that so we'll never know.


Sort of, but not quite.

The British colonized India. The soldiers in India needed beer. The normal ales served in England wouldn't stand the long journey, so they concocted a beer that would survive the voyage. It has a higher level of hops AND a higher level of alcohol. Both are preservatives. The beer did change rocking back and forth in those wood barrels, but the beer wasn't spoiled when it arrived.

Modern West Coast IPAs aren't anything like a traditional British IPA. Seems we tend to over-do things. And yes, I like hops.


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## Will Amette (Jan 28, 2017)

mr. compassionate said:


> I think the key is cool slowly with fridge way down then transfer to freezer. Keystone Light freezes well and has most alcohol per calorie for light beer.


Yes.

Chill the beer and leave it cold for SEVERAL DAYS. Gas is more soluble in liquids at colder temperatures. Over time, the CO2 dissolves in the beer. Only after the gas is in the liquid can you GENTLY move it to a very cold freezer and let it freeze completely. 

Having more CO2 in the headspace above the beer means that as the liquid expands as it freezes, it increases the pressure in the headspace. That is what ruptures cans. If the gas is dissolved and less is in the headspace, it works fine.

Then you use them as part of your ice packs in the cooler.

After day five or eight, they might be thaw. You want them thaw before you open them or they really aren't good. If they are thawed, no problem.

The bonus, just like water ice, is that as they melt from frozen, they absorb heat without changing temperature (latent heat). So you get extra cooling power for your food as they thaw. And as a bonus, instead of having jugs of water you have cans of delicious beer!


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## Will Amette (Jan 28, 2017)

Pinchecharlie said:


> Ok, so is the reason guys like ipa's is because they dont spoil or because they freeze well or because cool history lesson? Lol.


Because they are delicious.


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## ElGuapo74 (May 23, 2020)

spencerhenry said:


> Freezing ruins beer, the alcohol separates from the rest of it. At that point you might as well find a liquor that can substitute.


Not a damn thing wrong with some frozen beers...


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## raftman55 (Mar 21, 2014)

jamesthomas said:


> One of the above posters has it right, the biggest deal is that in the last ten years there are all kinds of good beers available in cans if you look. (Imperial Voodo Ranger comes to mind.). About the micro brew burn out; sorry/not sorry bro you are headed for home brewing. A good home brew (speaking as a reformed fanatic) is simply better/richer/fresher IF you are meticulous and sanitary with your procedure. Some folks can’t do this but most rafters are naturals at it. Grain ground fresh that morning, yeast starters the day before brew day, the aroma of the process, it’s a very rewarding hobby but tons of work. The brewers yeast in my unfiltered homies gave me the gout like a sob so I gave it up. PM me you are interested in a home brew set up. I got all kinds of stuff that needs to be making beer not gathering dust in my storage room.


Allopurinol can get you back home brewing - Allopurinol & moderation.


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## Whitewater Worthy Equip (Dec 11, 2013)

in short, Learn to drink warm beer. Or surfer the consequences, including but not limited to food poisoning. And for the win, take a gift of an open bottle of Bailey’s. The good news is you won’t have to endure gluten-free spaghetti night. Pretty sure I was still winning. 

Who knows the link to the GC version of thIs…




__ https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=2192862834288855&id=1418247871750359


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## Will Amette (Jan 28, 2017)

*RESULTS:*

I had some beer in the deep freeze from a year ago. I had several flavors frozen for a few trips. One of the trips got cancelled, and I just left the beer there.

A couple days ago, I pulled one out. It's a Deschutes Twilight. I saw it back on the shelves recently, so it really probably has been in the freezer for a year. I put it on the counter. A beautiful coating of hoar coated the outside within a half hour. Eventually I popped it in the refrigerator and left it a couple days meaning to try it.

Well, in the name of experiments, I figured it's time to open it. Unlike on a river, I poured it into a pint glass. It looks fine. It tastes fine. The carbonation level is the same as it was when it was fresh. 

I bet if I had left a can from the same batch in the refrigerator for a year it wouldn't have held up as well, but there ya go. I think there's still a dozen or more different cans in there. Until I need the space, I'm leaving it. Good thermal mass, and you never know when you might need to pack for a river trip on short notice. I'll have frozen beer ready....


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## Will Amette (Jan 28, 2017)

I wrote a follow-up on a similar thread about making ice last longer, but in reality it belongs here. It's clearly a follow-up of my previous post above.

I was on the Deschutes last week. As usual, I pulled out some frozen beers to line the bottom of my cooler. That's when I noticed a failure. Finally. Yep - I had a rupture. Perhaps I was due.

It was a 10 Barrel Pub Beer. I'm not sure if that makes a difference. There was one other can that had expanded at the top but not ruptured. All the rest were fine (more Pub Beer, Sierra Pale, Ninkasi, Hop Valley, and some others). When I went to pack the cooler, there was some frozen foam coating a couple of the cans. I rinsed it off and packed it up inspecting all of them. I saw the failed can. The rupture was a tiny quarter-inch slit on the can (not the lid) near the top. I tossed it in the sink. It still wasn't completely drained a week later when I got home. I tossed the expanded one in the cooler I was going to use before launch. It tasted fine when we got to Mecca Flat the day before launch.

Another person on our trip is drinking non-ethanol beer. He found one he likes called Athletic. He had some cans chilled and left some in the rig in a cooler that still had ice when we got done. He did not freeze his beer. One of his beers wasn't full. I'm not sure if it leaked or just didn't get filled properly. He opened it, and it was still carbonated, but was only half full. Odd indeed. We wonder if maybe some "sharp" ice made a micro tear somewhere and let out some liquid. Maybe it just wasn't filled in the brewery.

Will I keep freezing beer as part of my ice pack? The answer isn't yes, it's HELL YES. I will accept one rupture per five years as a payment to the beer goddess Ninkasi.

In fact, I probably should restock the freezer because I put a pretty big dent in the supply for this trip. Not that I have another trip in the immediate plans. Well, there's one, but the beer and cider is provided; it's a fundraiser for a non-profit.


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## ColoRobo (Jan 22, 2021)

Will Amette said:


> I wrote a follow-up on a similar thread about making ice last longer, but in reality it belongs here. It's clearly a follow-up of my previous post above.
> 
> I was on the Deschutes last week. As usual, I pulled out some frozen beers to line the bottom of my cooler. That's when I noticed a failure. Finally. Yep - I had a rupture. Perhaps I was due.
> 
> ...


Excellent update to this very informative thread. Leaving one frozen solider behind after all these years is part of doing battle with the gods.


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## ColoRobo (Jan 22, 2021)

ColoRobo said:


> Excellent update to this very informative thread. Leaving one frozen solider behind after all these years is part of doing battle with the gods.


Meant to ask, If I put 5-6 frozen beers in a day cooler at 7:00 am with no additional ice, how long do you suppose it would take for them to thaw? Maybe it would be better to place them in a drag bag and let the water help defrost them?


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## Will Amette (Jan 28, 2017)

ColoRobo said:


> Meant to ask, If I put 5-6 frozen beers in a day cooler at 7:00 am with no additional ice, how long do you suppose it would take for them to thaw? Maybe it would be better to place them in a drag bag and let the water help defrost them?


Will really depend on many other factors, but it won't be THAT fast. I smell some experimentation. One October Rogue trip that was just three days, I had to leave frozen beer out by the fire on the second night before I could open it.

More data: I was doing a canoe trip that had an option for resupply by my house. For the first two days, I put three frozen beers in the bottom of a 12-can soft cooler, then added some not frozen beer on top and maybe a frozen water bottle or something. I also used it for my lunch. First night I enjoyed the non frozen beer. The frozen beers still had frost on the outside and were hard to the squeeze. Then, on the second night, the frozen beer was still cold, liquid, and oh, so delicious. I walked home from "camp" (a half mile from my house) and re-stocked for the next two days.

I definitely recommend taking some thawed beer too. Just in case. Unless you like beer flavored shave ice.


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