When Does Beer Freeze
Generally, beer will freeze at 28 degrees Fahrenheit (-2.2 degrees Celsius). But this temperature varies according to the alcohol level of the beer. The higher the level of the beer, the lower the temperature it will freeze at. Similarly, the higher carbonation levels found in light beers help prevent ice crystals from forming during the freezing process.
The average temperature at which a beer will freeze is usually somewhere around two degrees C. Beer in the garage usually freezes into a crystallized state with an external temperature of 0-five degrees.
By the way, if you’re interested in How To Preserve Cucumber, check out my article on that.
It takes beer long enough to freeze in 20 degrees Fahrenheit, as the temperature is not cold enough for beer to freeze rapidly. The freezing temperature of beer is 0 degrees Celsius, so a 12 pack of Budweiser would take around 90 minutes to freeze at that temperature. Assuming that you have your freezer set to freezer temperature (0degC/32degF), your Budweiser will take approximately 90 minutes to freeze. If your freezer is set to zerodegC/32degF, then your lighter lager, which is around 5% ABV, will chill accordingly in roughly an hour and a half.
| Freezing temperature | Shelf life |
| Freezing temperature of beer is 0 degrees Celsius | In refrigerator 6 months |
| Beer will freeze at 28 degrees Fahrenheit (-2.2 degrees Celsius) but it varies according to Alcohol level of beer | At room temperature 4 months (unopened) |
If you just want to chill your warm beer, you can generally pop it into your fridge for 45-60 minutes without freezing or damaging the bottle. Putting a warm beer or white wine in the freezer to quickly chill can bring it to drinkable temperatures very quickly. You can prevent the can or bottle from blowing up if you remove it from the freezer before it hits its freezing water temperature, 32degF or 0degC. Any bottle or can of beer that is placed in a freezer is likely to explode, as the ice within will expand and exert forces.
Beer in a freezer not only has a chance of freezing solid and destroying the beers quality, but can also blow up, which would be an absolute pain. Unfortunately, keeping your beer in the freezer is an absolute no-no, because doing so could result in your can or bottle blowing up due to water contents expanding when frozen. If you put that beer in a freezer and let it get as cold as 0degC, then the contents in the bottle would freeze.
It is not improbable that beer contents could leak from the container when expanding and freezing. Removing any chunks of ice that are frozen into your beer will result in a smaller beer, all right, but a higher concentration of alcohol.
To learn about How To Preserve Carrots check out my article where I cover everything you need to know.
The ice means any beer that is half-frozen you pour in will have all of the alcohol from before it frozen. Since beer contains more water than alcohol, you can assume this drink is going to get pretty cold fast, developing ice chips within the bottle. We already covered how alcohol has a lower freezing point than water, so water from brews ices up first.
The freezing temperature of beer, composed mostly of water and ethanol, will be lower than that of hard liquor, composed mostly of alcohol and water. From higher-alcohol beers, such as craft beers, to lower-alcohol ones, such as Bud Light, beer freezing temperatures will differ accordingly. Beers with higher alcohol will freeze at lower temperatures than those with lower alcohol.
As you can already guess, lighter types of beer will be easier to freeze because they have lower alcohol. Generally speaking, stronger beers — the ones that have more alcohol — will freeze in lower temperatures than lighter ones.
Beers with less alcohol will take around 2-3 hours to fully freeze, whereas higher-alcohol beers, such as imperial IPAs, can take double that time. If your beer has very high alcohol percentages and sugars, then it will take longer than the normal 2-3 hours that it takes a more typical style of beer to freeze. Typical lower alcohol beers will take around 60-90 minutes to freeze, as long as they are started at room temperature. It depends on how much alcohol the beer is at the level, but most start freezing around -2degC (28degF).
Beers that are frozen through the whole thing lose most of their carbonation, which is why they will have that flat flavor when you are drinking them. In some cases, a frozen beer, particularly one that is canned, will lose carbonation from a frozen beer, and will taste flat.
Freezed beer in a can or a bottle that is already opened (or in a container that has been left unsealed in a freezer) will not have as nice of flavor as it did. Once your bottled or canned beer is brought back up to room temperature, you should not notice any differences in taste, provided that the bottle or can has not cracked or its seal has not broken.
Freezing is caused by beer, be it a canned, bottled, or beer from the keg, being pressurized by CO2 and being mixed in with liquid. In some cases, storage may break beer bottle caps, which causes beer to spill out and pour everywhere into your freezer, freezing. You can keep beer up to around 30 degrees colder to extend the shelf life, although that is not optimal for drinking.
If it is not completely frozen, you should be able to sneak it in the fridge right away to let it thaw. Just be sure not to go through the often-recurring cycles of freezing and steadily thawing the beer just before drinking. You just have to watch the beer to make sure it does not turn to slush, and make sure you get your drinks in before it gets truly cold overnight.
Since a freezing home camera has an interior temperature of -18 degrees Celsius, that is still higher than the temperature beer will freeze to. The temperature would not drop as low inside the freezing garage where beer is stored, since the garage would be unheated and uninsulated. If you leave your heat on high, the car is going to be about 60-80 degrees, so it will have to take a couple hours to go below zero, and probably will not ever reach the temperature outside.
Also, remember a big beer bottle takes longer to freeze in a refrigerator due to the volume of the liquid. Your bottle of vodka never freezes, but your beer does, because beer has a lower amount of alcohol in it compared to vodka.
Because the ethanol — the alcohol found in beer — has a lower freezing temperature than water, it is far more likely to freeze. Beer is made up of alcohol and other substances that are dissolved in water, giving it a lower freezing point than water. Because beer (even lighter ales) has multiple ingredients that separate them from water, its freezing temperature is lower than that of water and soft drinks due to its higher concentration of alcohol.
Will my beer freeze outside?
Nearly all beers will freeze solid at temperatures below 25 degrees Fahrenheit, although how quickly this happens depends on how much alcohol is in the beer. Since beer should not be stored too close to freezing, doing so could result in an explosive can or bottle.
How do you unfreeze beer?
Place the beer in the fridge or another cool space, like the garage or basement. Avoid placing the beer in warm or sunny settings since doing so could cause it to thaw too soon and blow the can or bottle.
How long does it take for a beer to freeze?
It entirely depends on the brand and variety; beer can freeze at any temperature. However, most beers will freeze at about 25 degrees Fahrenheit, and at this temperature, beer typically takes an hour to freeze completely.