A new **** up.....

[Brewnaldo]

I seem to have managed to freeze a whole keg of lager in my fridge.

Now I cold crashed it at -1, then put it in the keg and into the fridge.... The fridge is turned up to full power but I certainly never agine it would be able to freeze the keg of 5% lager.... But frozen it is.

I guess the most obvious question then.... Is the lager ruined?

 

[Agentgonzo]

As long as the keg didn't split, it'll be fine. It'll melt, the co2 will redissolve and in a few days you wouldn't even know if was frozen.

All the yeast (if you needed it) will be dead though

 

[Brewnaldo]

As long as the keg didn't split, it'll be fine. It'll melt, the co2 will redissolve and in a few days you wouldn't even know if was frozen.

All the yeast (if you needed it) will be dead though

Lovely cheers. I dint need the yeast I'm force carbing it anyway, which makes me wonder..... I checked the temp and it was at about -2. Again, I wouldnt have thought beer would freeze there... Does the pressure raise the freezing point?

 

[Brewnaldo]

Saying that, Google is telling me -2.2 for 5% beer, so aye... My fault

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

Does the pressure raise the freezing point?

Normally, yes higher pressure raises it, but bizarrely for water it's the other way round - unlike most liquids, water expands when it freezes...

 

[AnimatedGIF]

I seem to have managed to freeze a whole keg of lager in my fridge.

Now I cold crashed it at -1, then put it in the keg and into the fridge.... The fridge is turned up to full power but I certainly never agine it would be able to freeze the keg of 5% lager.... But frozen it is.

I guess the most obvious question then.... Is the lager ruined?

Do you bypass the thermostat? I thought fridges only went down to 3 or 4°C
Only reason I ask is so I can avoid doing the same thing!

 

[Brewnaldo]

Do you bypass the thermostat? I thought fridges only went down to 3 or 4°C
Only reason I ask is so I can avoid doing the same thing!

No I haven't done anything clever like that. Just lobbed the keg in and turned it up to 5. Most perplexed about the whole thing tbh

 

[AnimatedGIF]

No I haven't done anything clever like that. Just lobbed the keg in and turned it up to 5. Most perplexed about the whole thing tbh

Thanks for sharing though, as it'll help others (cough, me) avoid doing the same, as I didn't realise fridges could do such a thing!

 

[AJA]

My inkbird sensor had slipped off my keg and out of the fridge door, so my keg was frozen solid. I spent ages wondering why the beer wasn't coming out!
After it defrosted, the second drink poured was absolutely fine.

 

[The Baron]

The beer will be fine as long as the pressure vessel is not split. I have done it and served it as it began to melt but all I got was Tennants Super Strength as it left most of the water in the beer behind.
I think thats how the Germans make Eisbock? freeze the beer and remove the ice to concentrate the beers alcohol

 

[Brewnaldo]

Thanks folks. I am really excited for this lager as it tasted great before going in the keg... Would have been gutted if it was ruined.

 

[Agentgonzo]

The beer will be fine as long as the pressure vessel is not split. I have done it and served it as it began to melt but all I got was Tennants Super Strength as it left most of the water in the beer behind.
I think thats how the Germans make Eisbock? freeze the beer and remove the ice to concentrate the beers alcohol

Provided you remove the ice, then yes (it's also how some super-strong beers like Tactical Nuclear Penguin are made). But in this case Brewnaldo isn't removing the ice - it'll just remix with the beer.

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

Provided you remove the ice, then yes (it's also how some super-strong beers like Tactical Nuclear Penguin are made). But in this case Brewnaldo isn't removing the ice - it'll just remix with the beer.

Indeed - as per the Wikipedia entry for Applejack:

The name applejack derives from the traditional method of producing the drink, jacking, the process of freezing fermented cider and then removing the ice, increasing the alcohol content.[1] Cider produced after the fall harvest was left outside during the winter. Periodically the frozen chunks of ice which had formed were removed, thus concentrating the unfrozen alcohol in the remaining liquid.[3]​

 

[Bernie]

Indeed - as per the Wikipedia entry for Applejack:

The name applejack derives from the traditional method of producing the drink, jacking, the process of freezing fermented cider and then removing the ice, increasing the alcohol content.[1] Cider produced after the fall harvest was left outside during the winter. Periodically the frozen chunks of ice which had formed were removed, thus concentrating the unfrozen alcohol in the remaining liquid.[3]​

but the methanol and higher alcohols are concentrated too.

 

[DocAnna]

I’ve had 2 corny kegs kept at -3 for a couple of weeks without freezing the beer in them, both about 5%. The solutes also reduce the freezing point so it shouldn’t freeze till a fair bit lower than an equivalent water - alcohol mix. I’d guess for some reason your fridge has gone a fair bit colder!

 

[Brewnaldo]

I’ve had 2 corny kegs kept at -3 for a couple of weeks without freezing the beer in them, both about 5%. The solutes also reduce the freezing point so it shouldn’t freeze till a fair bit lower than an equivalent water - alcohol mix. I’d guess for some reason your fridge has gone a fair bit colder!

Once the keg is liquid again il put the fridge back on at 1 for a day or so and check the temp and work my way up till I hit a reasonable temp.

That learning curve just doesn't get any shallower, with a failure to operate the most basic apllicance just the latest reminder of this

 

[The Baron]

No harm done Brewnaldo it will be ok and as Anna said it must have gone quite low as the alcohol reduces the freezing point

 

[Brewnaldo]

No harm done Brewnaldo it will be ok and as Anna said it must have gone quite low as the alcohol reduces the freezing point

Yeah there was a point where I observed -2 but I somewhat naively wasn't concerned, since it had cold crashed at -1 happily

 

[Jordang]

I did the same thing twice!! Once when I forgot to put the inkbird in the freezer and another when my fridge just went mental and ended up going super cold for no reason…. Just defrost it, drop any pressure out then re carb. Remember to give it a good shake once it’s defrosted as all the alcohol will drop to the bottom and it’ll taste a bit ethanolly!

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

I did the same thing twice!! Once when I forgot to put the inkbird in the freezer and another when my fridge just went mental and ended up going super cold for no reason…. Just defrost it, drop any pressure out then re carb. Remember to give it a good shake once it’s defrosted as all the alcohol will drop to the bottom and it’ll taste a bit ethanolly!

Not sure about all the alcohol dropping to the bottom tbh.