Oops! You’ve Accidentally Frozen Your Beer. Now What?

Here’s a familiar

The panic is real

Worst of All scenario: you’re expecting a bunch of friends over for a backyard barbeque. You’ve tossed a couple of beer cans in the freezer, planning to leave them in there for an hour or two so your friends can enjoy a perfectly chilled beer.

Meanwhile, the pool needs cleaning. You need to pick up extra paper plates at the grocery store. Then drive across town to borrow your cousin’s lawn chairs. By the time you get home, you check on your beers…and find that they’ve been turned into popsicles. The doorbell rings, signalling the arrival of your first guest. You start to panic. Who gets to a barbeque on time, anyway?!

So, what do you do? Make that last-minute beer run, we hope. Because we don’t want you to be known as a bad host. As for your frozen beer, don’t pour them down the drain just yet. Luckily, there’s an easy way to give them a second life.

What happens when beer freezes?

What you should know is that beer is terrible at freezing. Over ninety percent of beer is made up of water so what happens is that the water will turn into ice crystals. This process will also separate the water from the alcohol, meaning that frozen beer will taste more boozy. But in some cases, the carbonation and flavor in a frozen beer will be preserved.

Fixing a frozen beer

Chances are, a frozen beer can be restored to its original refreshing taste when you bring it back to an average temperature. While your first instinct might be to put the beer in a warm or sunny area and let it defrost, this can actually cause it to thaw rapidly and explode the can or bottle.

Just as important as keeping your beer from turning into a ticking bomb, is checking that the seal isn’t broken. If the seal is still firmly in place, there’s a good chance that the beer will taste fine once it has been returned to the standard temperature. If the seal is broken, there’s nothing that can be done to save the beer as you will have lost the fizzy goodness you enjoy.

How to de-ice beer

1. Place the beer in a sealed container or zipper food storage bag for protection in case it leaks.
2. Put the beer in the fridge or some area in your house that is cool, such as a garage or basement.
3. Let the beer sit until it has defrosted. This may take 12 to 24 hours depending on the temperature of the fridge or other storage location.

If your thawed beer is watery and unsatisfying, there’s still hope. Just because your beer isn’t good for drinking doesn’t mean it isn’t good for eating. A homemade beer bread is a delicious way of getting rid of those spoiled cans of lager.