Keep the Beer Cold!

[Dale M.]

For some reason all that calculating on keeping things cold puts a chill on the fun of camping.....

Dale

[eamarquardt]

Remember the laws of thermodynamics. You never get something for nothing, and in fact you don't even get what you pay for. So using salt may cool your beer faster and colder, but your ice will melt sooner. My brother in law (a rocket scientist PhD at Rocketdyne who specializes in heat transfer) and I were playing around a week or so ago and got water down to 24f by adding salt to a water and ice mixture. So, be careful and dont freeze your beer and only use salt water to cool the first (for those of you requiring instant gratification) beer or two cause you pay for this extravagance.

For the record, I never suggested diluting beer with melted ice water. But, in a pinch I do put ice in my beer and haven't noticed a big difference in taste. It still tastes better (in my humble opinion) than those "light" beers. I'd rather have one real beer than three "lights". I can see the value in using melted ice water as a starting point for other refreshing beverages.

Cheers,

Gus

[Ira]

I don't get it:

You live in Wisconsin, where you only need a cooler two months out of the year anyway.

HAH!!!!!!

[prohandyman]

Dale wrote"

'For some reason all that calculating on keeping things cold puts a chill on the fun of camping.....

Shouldn't need much ice on our "Shiveree" camping trip next weekend!

[Greg M]

What would happen if you used your deep freeze and made your own ice from salt water? Does the salt precipitate out leaving you with fresh-water ice and salt or do you get extra cold ice?

-Greg
(I can do physics,but not chemistry)

[George Kraus]

Here is a much simpler method for cooling your beer
http://www.asciimation.co.nz/beer/

George

[Classic Finn]

Is that like the theory of relativity, or something?
Anyway, I am going to insulate the cabinet area inside of which the cooler slides into, thus providing a cooler climate for the cooler!

Dan that is sharp.. That reminds me I can do about the same with the door handles except with reindeer horns.

Classic Finn

[eamarquardt]

I'm not sure if the salt precipitates out (I didn't even have to look up that word) but it works in marine refrigeration cold plates. On boats, it is common to freeze a eutectic solution by running the refrigeration unit for a while and then shutting it down. As the eutectic (which melts below 32f) solution melts, it absorbs heat keeping the "ice box" cool. Then when the solution is all melted, you run the refrigeration unit again. The time between runs is considerably longer than a conventional reefer.

Brine has been used as the eutectic solution, but has been largely replaced by conventional antifreeze due to corrosion problems. Brine is, however, a better eutectic solution (more calories associated with the latent heat of fusion).

Hope this helps.

Gus

[Tripmaker]

I just put my beer in a cooler and cover it with ice, wait a few minutes, then drink.

Dan - I've been to some camp outs where we had to set the beer around the fire to thaw so we could drink it. You may need to do that at the Shiveree. If that is the case I suggest Jack Daniels. It won't freeze.

[jeep_bluetj]

What would happen if you used your deep freeze and made your own ice from salt water? Does the salt precipitate out leaving you with fresh-water ice and salt or do you get extra cold ice?

-Greg
(I can do physics,but not chemistry)

The salt stays in solution, and yes, the freezing point is sutibly reduced.

This works FANTASTIC for keeping a cooler cooler. In my "dry" cooler, I generally keep it cold with a frozen gallon of water (fresh). For desert trips, I add a 6 pack of frozen gatorade. Frozen gatorade, due to the salts, is a totally killer cooler cooler.

(The "wet" cooler, has ice and beer. Maybe a soda or 2 for the kids. They seem to diminish at the same rate, so that works out.)

[prohandyman]

If that is the case I suggest Jack Daniels. It won't freeze.

Then JD it is!

[Classic Finn]

Here is our way of keeping beer cold and ready to serve.

Household current or 12v. ready for a 5 litre keg. Its great, holds the beer cold for 10 hours without having to plug it in. And if there is any to keep cold aftewards.



Classic Finn

[Hillbilly Gene]

I don't get it:

You live in Wisconsin, where you only need a cooler two months out of the year anyway.

HAH!!!!!!

Yep, Wisconsin does have a long winter. But I do have another cool feature for my teardrop…......two wheels underneath, so I can visit my brother in Orlando. ..

What would happen if you used your deep freeze and made your own ice from salt water? Does the salt precipitate out leaving you with fresh-water ice and salt or do you get extra cold ice?

-Greg
(I can do physics,but not chemistry)

I believe one of the laws, or rules, or whatever of thermodynamics states that anything that goes from a solid to a liquid (melts) needs heat to do so. Throwing course salt on crushed ice or snow gets the combination cold enough to make good ice cream, or cold beer. The salt brine, in the right proportions, can get to about minus 7 or 8 below F. But it’s a quickie deal. Once the ice and salt are melted, the brine can no longer cool and will start to get warm. Hopefully, by that time, the ice cream is done, or the beer is cool enough.

Starting out with saltwater (brine) might not be the best method to make ice. Ice at 32 F is about as warm as ice will get. If your freezer is set at 5 below, the freshwater ice it normally makes will also be cooled to that temperature. If you start out with a saltwater solution with a freeze-point of 5 below, the freezer will have to work longer, not only to freeze the water, but to turn the salt back to crystals. The ice would be salt free (internally) and at minus 5 degrees. May as well start with fresh water.

Like you, I can do some Physics, but I really suck at Chemistry.

Gene

[eamarquardt]

My brother-in-law and I were screwing around on New Year's Eve and with a saturated salt water solution (and freshwater ice) we were only able to get to about 24f in a water glass.

Cheers,

Gus

[raprap]

When I drink dark beer I prefer it to be cool, not cold. Consequently, if the beer is warm I can cover it with a wet towel to cool it down in low humidity areas. If that doesn't work, you can always use a CO2 fire extinguisher.

To keep beer cold over the long run, it is best to use a superinsulated cooler (I use a 32 quart maxicold), use block-- not crushed-- ice, keep the cooler out of the sun, open the cooler infrequently, and precool the beer.

I ;ike your thermodynamics (good application of the first law) but the salt (NaCl) water low melting azeotrope is a physical not a chemical property. Unfortunatly, if you use block ice the salt addition is less effective.

Rap