Beer aficionados know that there is nothing quite like an ice cold beer on a hot day. However, few people know that it is possible to turn one into a real block of ice in a matter of seconds. All you need for this amazing trick is a sealed bottle of beer (or other beverage), a freezer, and a solid surface that's hard like concrete or a floor tile. See step 1 to get started!
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Freeze a Beer in front of your Eyes
Step 1. Place several sealed beers (or other such drinks that are still bottled) in the freezer
Let these drinks stay in the freezer long enough to bring them to freezing temperature, but make sure the contents remain 100% liquid. You want your drinks to get very cold inside the freezer, but not solid or gooey. This process can take anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours depending on the power of your freezer, so check your beer frequently to make sure it doesn't freeze in bottles.
- If you let the bottles stay inside the freezer for too long, the liquid they contain will eventually freeze and solidify. Since water expands its volume, once frozen, it can cause bottles to crack or break. This is why it is recommended to use multiple bottles - if you lose one due to breakage, you may still have time to use another one.
- Drinks contained in clear glass bottles work best for this trick because they allow you to clearly see the state of the liquid inside the bottles.
Step 2. Take the bottles out of the freezer and place them on a hard, flat surface
This trick requires a solid surface to work with - floor tiles are ideal, but if you don't have any on hand, you can use concrete / concrete, stone, or another surface with similar characteristics. Don't use a top that you think will scratch, crack, or get damaged easily, so avoid soft wood and metals.
Set aside any bottles whose contents have solidified
Step 3. Grab the bottle by the neck and hold it above the hard surface
Make sure you have a firm grip on your bottle but don't squeeze it too tight. Keep the bottle several inches above the plane of your choice.
Step 4. Tap the bottom of the bottle against the hard surface of your choice
Your goal is to encourage the creation of bubbles inside the bottle, but trying (obviously) not to break it, hit the hard surface with the bottom of the bottle in a firm, but not violent way. If in doubt, be cautious. When you do this, the bottle may generate a sound similar to that of a tuning fork.
Step 5. See how the ice spreads through the liquid in front of your eyes
If done correctly, the bubbles created by shaking the bottle against the hard surface should freeze immediately, therefore, the ice should propagate from the bubbles throughout the bottle, freezing all the liquid it contains in about 5-10 seconds.
- If you run into trouble using this trick, you may not have allowed the bottles to cool enough. Put your bottle back in the freezer and try again later.
- It is also possible to try uncorking the bottle just before hitting the bottom on the surface, as this can also help the production of bubbles.
Step 6. Understand the science behind this trick
This fascinating process works on the principle of "supercooling". Basically, when you leave the beer in the freezer long enough, its temperature drops "below" its freezing point. However, the fact that the inside of the bottle has perfectly smooth, uneven walls that allow the ice to solidify in one place rather than another, will ensure that it remains in a supercooled state for a while. When you tap the surface with the bottle, bubbles form, as would happen with any other carbonated drink. These bubbles provide the ice crystals with something to "cling to" at the molecular level, so if you look closely, you should be able to actually see the ice radiating from the bubbles through the liquid.
Now that you understand how this trick works, use it to impress your friends! If you're at the bar, use this trick to win free drinks for other customers
Method 2 of 2: Freeze a beer for ice-cold drinking pleasure
Step 1. Put some salt in the water and let it freeze
If you're not interested in the trick described above and need to chill your drinks at the last minute for a party, try soaking the bottles in a mixture of water, ice, and salt. Use roughly one cup of salt for every three pounds of ice you use. If you want your drinks to cool as quickly as possible, use as much ice as you can but make sure you add enough water to the mixture so that it retains its liquid state. Unlike pieces of ice, water comes into contact with the entire surface of the bottle or can and reduces the time required to cool the drink.
- Salt further decreases the cooling process. When salt dissolves in water, it dissociates from its constituent elements (sodium and chloride) and causes the water temperature to drop.
- Keep in mind that the thicker and insulated the container you use for the ice water and salt mixture, the more it will keep the temperatures inside.
Step 2. Use a wet paper towel
Another effective way to cool drinks is to wrap each individual bottle or can in a damp paper towel and place it in the freezer. Water is a better conductor of heat than air, so as water cools in paper towels, it will lower the temperature of the drink faster than cold freezer air. Furthermore, the evaporation of the water present in the napkin will increase the cooling rate of the drink.
Don't forget your beers in the freezer! If you leave them in for too long, the bottles or cans can crack due to the increase in the volume of the liquid during freezing and end up turning into a soggy mess
Step 3. Use cold cups or glasses
You may have seen this method in some bars: To quickly chill a drink, pour it into a cold cup or glass. While quick and convenient, this method has several disadvantages: it does not lower the temperature of the drink like the other methods described, and it only works effectively for the drink you pour into the glass. Keep a supply of glasses or cups in the refrigerator in case of a drink emergency, do not use this method if the space in the refrigerator is essential for something else.
You might think you should put the glasses in the freezer to decrease the time it takes to cool, but be careful. Rapid drops in temperature can cause cracks and cracks in the glass or actual breakage. You would probably get a better result if you used plastic cups specially designed for freezer refrigeration, which often come with a layer of antifreeze liquid to ensure a long-term cooling effect
Advice
If you use beer, Corona is best because of the clear glass
Warnings
- Be careful when placing any of the drinks contained in the glass into the freezer, as if left there for too long, the liquid will freeze and the increased volume could break the bottle.
- Do not hit too hard with the bottom of the bottle on the surface or you risk breaking it.
- Don't let drinks stay in the freezer for too long, you definitely don't want a scattered iced crown for the freezer.
