Cooling beer without a fridge

[disguisedpotato]

Hey guys I need your help:

Im throwing a party and I will have about 120 bottles of beer. The problem is, I live with my parents and we have a very small fridge, there's only room for a few bottles there. My freezer also isn't very big and I'm a bit cautious about putting beer in the freezer.

It will be about 22 degrees celcius (72 fahrenheit). The party's outside. I was thinking of putting the beer in trays with water, ice cubes and salt. I heard this cools them really fast. Problem is, will it keep them cool or will the water eventually become warm?

I'm thinking of maybe putting a few beers in this water, then renewing it and so on to keep a steady supply of cold beers. Another option would maybe be to put some beers in the freezer for 15(?) minutes and then keep a supply this way.

I figured some of you might be wiser than me and have some advice.

Thanks,

dp

 

[Blitz187]

Well putting them outside is not an option since it will be quite warm... A technique I use here in the winter So I think your best bet is a big cooler with ice and some backup ice for when it melts to replace the melted ice if necessary. Water + ice + salt is a combo I've never heard of, so I can't say much about that...

 

[deejayy2k]

yes they will eventually get warm outside like most things will, salt will help the ice cool the beers quicker.

seen here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc9BHiQUpWU

as long as the ice is still there you will be fine for quite a while, you can always buy ice if you run out in the freezer

 

[nick09]

This could help or this!

 

[opelgt1969]

Cover charge for party: ICE or loan of cooler. When is said party if not for a couple days you could freeze big chunks of ice(OK don't freeze chunks of ice freeze water) then use them in cooler as they wont melt as quick. Also do you know anybody that works in the food service/motel if so have them to bring bags of ice from work.

 

[slims]

You could buy a big ass cooler: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000G36KBO/?tag=gtplanet-20

Or if you don't want to drop a lot of money on a cooler that you may only use one time then get creative. No point in spending your time swapping beers from fridge to freezer to salt or whatever just find some sort of tub to put them in. Kiddie pools and bathtubs have always worked just fine.

 

[Neal]

I've done the bath tub of ice thing before and it worked fine, if you clean your bath first you can use the ice in drinks for the ladies too :tup:

 

[shmogt]

Easy solve. Get a big ass cooler and fill it with just ice and add a ton of salt to it than beer and a bit more ice to fill the gaps. Ice and salt make it super cold super quick. Another idea is get a fridge and buy a generator and you can move the fridge anywhere you want.

 

[webbyy]

get one of those childrens inflatable pool things and fill it with ice

much cheaper then a big cooler

 

[Red-Rice]

Sorry misread, I guess the bath tub method should be fine.

 

[disguisedpotato]

nevermind, you misread

 

[disguisedpotato]

OK i guess I need to go for the tub filled with ice method, I'll need a ******** of Ice cubes though

 

[slims]

That's why man invented gas stations. They sell bags of ice.

 

[terminator363]

That's why man invented gas stations. They sell bags of ice.

Well done, well done. 👍

 

[Keef]

That's why man invented gas stations. They sell bags of ice.

Schwoo, I was getting nervous that nobody in the thread had any idea how to make things cold. 👍

But wait, there's more! One cannot simply buy bags of ice to keep beer cold. No, you must combine the two. Into what, you may ask?

A cooler. It's July 4th, so I'd like to mention that it is yet another American invention.

Ah, yes. That's more like it.

 

[Mr. S]

That's how we roll in Bavaria.

 

[Omnis]

If you want to get all super-science:

 

[Cale]

Ice + water + salt = really cold beer

Mythbusters tested this... sorta. They said Ice + water + salt made the water below freezing temperature, and should keep the beers cold. Or if you have spare fire extinguishers laying around...

 

[Ross]

Isn't salt supposed to melt ice, that's why here in England we put salt on the roads to melt the ice.

 

[ell470]

Isn't salt supposed to melt ice, that's why here in England we put salt on the roads to melt the ice.

Exactly, that's why you can get the water below freezing without actually freezing

 

[dhandeh]

Isn't salt supposed to melt ice, that's why here in England we put salt on the roads to melt the ice.

It lowers the freezing point.
So if the ice on the road is -3 degrees, ambient temp is -3 degrees, you add salt it then would have a freezing point of -6 degrees, the temp is still -3 so it melts.

As it lowers the freezing point, the ice will not be colder, if the freezer is -30, the ice wont miraculously go to -50.
Its all about latent heat and the amount of energy needed to melt pure ice compared to ice with salt.

 

[Villain]

Saltwater and Ice will work fine. 72 isn't so bad, so just keep them in the shade. 👍

Ice and water will also work, but if you go with the salt just make sure you have a towel or something to wipe it off before drinking. No one wants a salty beer unless it's a Mexican one like Dos Equis or Corona.

 

[Ross]

It lowers the freezing point.
So if the ice on the road is -3 degrees, ambient temp is -3 degrees, you add salt it then would have a freezing point of -6 degrees, the temp is still -3 so it melts.

As it lowers the freezing point, the ice will not be colder, if the freezer is -30, the ice wont miraculously go to -50.
Its all about latent heat and the amount of energy needed to melt pure ice compared to ice with salt.

Exactly, that's why you can get the water below freezing without actually freezing

Thanks for clearing that up guys, just not very good with science.

 

[Mrs. Famine]

Paddling pool + shade + filled with cold water + as much ice as you can get = cold beers for hours and hours.

Sorted.

 

[CDailey]

How much ice do you need? Look no further http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/07/how-much-ice-do-you-need-for-your-drinks/

 

[slims]

How much ice do you need? Look no further http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/07/how-much-ice-do-you-need-for-your-drinks/

Between this and the science behind the salt cooling I think some of us are getting a little too deep into this.

 

[Wenders]

We use a couple of 40-50 litre tubs, fill them with 2-3 bags of ice (2.5kg each or there abouts) for each tub and they do the trick for a 40C day in OZ, beers are always still cold next morning.

 

[disguisedpotato]

Thanks for all the advice, those formulas are pretty epic

 

[disguisedpotato]

We use a couple of 40-50 litre tubs, fill them with 2-3 bags of ice (2.5kg each or there abouts) for each tub and they do the trick for a 40C day in OZ, beers are always still cold next morning.

I have four 10L tubs, if I'll fill them with ice, won't the ice melt and the water just warm up if I put them outside?

 

[Bdx]

💡 I cant believe that we have a two page thread on how to keep beers cold for a party lol.