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Sorry I had to edit ... I'm such a bad mahalo member :)
It's actually not any of those things above, though they are definitely part of it. You can open the below-freezing beer, and if you don't shake it or bump it with anything, and if you're lucky, it'll stay unfrozen. You can even drink it if you drink it slowly, and it can stay unfrozen. The colder it is, the slower you have to open it, but yes, it can violate all laws of physics by staying unfrozen. (Actually no laws are broken.)
The beer does need the pressure to avoid freezing, so the CO2 helps. But the reason is actually that water expands when it drops below 36 degrees (which is still above freezing). At this point, the pressure increases. If the water can't rearrange itself in the crystalline form, (like if the temperature drops extremely slowly and the bottle/can doesn't expand), then it can stay unfrozen even after dropping below 32 degrees.
What's weirder is, if you bump it or hit it then, it will freeze on you. You can watch it freeze if you get a corona bottle and do that. It looks almost like it was already partially frozen, and it's because the water molecules are so cold that they can't move, so all that has to happen is the water molecules get rigid around the ice around them.
The reason this works is, the only way to get ANYTHING to freeze is if you give it something to freeze around. A small piece of ice or dust will do, but then you need a small piece of ice or dust, which doesn't exist in liquid beer. But bumping it allows the molecules to jolt themselves free, and as they're moving freely, some small number come together around a tiny bubble and freeze. There you have that little bit of ice that the rest of the beer needed to freeze around.
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Source(s):
http://van.physics.uiuc.edu/qa/listing.php?id=1618
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However, you should still try and keep drinks above freezing (especially in glass bottles) since if it does reach a critical temperature, the glass can crack, and shards can fall into your drink!
Source(s):
http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/RefArticle.aspx?refid=761555245
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stevie3
yes, adding junk (salt, carbonization, anything in solution) lowers the freezing point of a liquid, but putting it under pressure REALLY lowers the freezing point. guess what? trying to freeze beer in a closed bottle (or can) puts it under pressure.
that is, until you open the bottle, the pressure goes back down to 1 atmosphere, and the beer freezes.
Source(s):
i did not sleep through physics or chemistry. (but it WAS a long time ago)
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Source(s):
Years of beers
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Source(s):
basic gas laws
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Answered Question
M$5
December 22, 2008 12:28 AM
OK chemists: Cold beer question?
It's 5 degrees Fahrenheit where I am and I accidentally left a 6 pack in my car. Now, I got it out and it hasn't frozen yet, thank goodness. However, in the past, I've had the following happen. I've got a very cold beer in the bottle. It is liquid. When I open the beer, it all of a sudden becomes frozen and slushy.
What's going on here? Is it something to do with the sudden change in pressure? It's been too long since I studied the inert gas laws to know why this is happening.
I'll buy you a beer if you can answer this. Well, give a $5 tip, which is about how much a beer costs, taking into account the Mahalo service charge
What's going on here? Is it something to do with the sudden change in pressure? It's been too long since I studied the inert gas laws to know why this is happening.
I'll buy you a beer if you can answer this. Well, give a $5 tip, which is about how much a beer costs, taking into account the Mahalo service charge
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| December 22, 2008 12:57 AM |
It's actually not any of those things above, though they are definitely part of it. You can open the below-freezing beer, and if you don't shake it or bump it with anything, and if you're lucky, it'll stay unfrozen. You can even drink it if you drink it slowly, and it can stay unfrozen. The colder it is, the slower you have to open it, but yes, it can violate all laws of physics by staying unfrozen. (Actually no laws are broken.)
The beer does need the pressure to avoid freezing, so the CO2 helps. But the reason is actually that water expands when it drops below 36 degrees (which is still above freezing). At this point, the pressure increases. If the water can't rearrange itself in the crystalline form, (like if the temperature drops extremely slowly and the bottle/can doesn't expand), then it can stay unfrozen even after dropping below 32 degrees.
What's weirder is, if you bump it or hit it then, it will freeze on you. You can watch it freeze if you get a corona bottle and do that. It looks almost like it was already partially frozen, and it's because the water molecules are so cold that they can't move, so all that has to happen is the water molecules get rigid around the ice around them.
The reason this works is, the only way to get ANYTHING to freeze is if you give it something to freeze around. A small piece of ice or dust will do, but then you need a small piece of ice or dust, which doesn't exist in liquid beer. But bumping it allows the molecules to jolt themselves free, and as they're moving freely, some small number come together around a tiny bubble and freeze. There you have that little bit of ice that the rest of the beer needed to freeze around.
| Asker's Rating: |
• There was a lot of science! going on in this question, and you summed it up in a way that made sense and that I understood. Thanks!
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Other Answers (9)
December 22, 2008 12:31 AM
If this happens it is due to the liquid being "supercooled"... I will let the physics department at UIUC explain since they do a better job than I can:
Source(s):
http://van.physics.uiuc.edu/qa/listing.php?id=1618
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December 22, 2008 12:34 AM
Yes. It has to do with the pressure. Water has different boiling and freezing temperatures when facing extreme pressures. This affect can be noticeable with even the pressure from inside a can of beer. You can also see this with other substances. When you buy a tank of propane, it is liquid inside, even though propane is naturally a gas at this temperature (and even a gas at much cooler temps!). There are other reasons why beer has a lower freezing point than water, such as impurities from CO2 to salts, but this won't explain why it stays liquid until opening. The pressure is the main reason. However, you should still try and keep drinks above freezing (especially in glass bottles) since if it does reach a critical temperature, the glass can crack, and shards can fall into your drink!
Source(s):
http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/RefArticle.aspx?refid=761555245
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stevie3
December 22, 2008 03:39 AM
We just talked about this in chemistry class, not with beer but with soda. You're right on!
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December 22, 2008 01:49 AM
it's boyle's law as the first answer said. yes, adding junk (salt, carbonization, anything in solution) lowers the freezing point of a liquid, but putting it under pressure REALLY lowers the freezing point. guess what? trying to freeze beer in a closed bottle (or can) puts it under pressure.
that is, until you open the bottle, the pressure goes back down to 1 atmosphere, and the beer freezes.
Source(s):
i did not sleep through physics or chemistry. (but it WAS a long time ago)
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December 22, 2008 02:35 AM
Even with all the science you have to face the fact that beer is self aware and knows that it's delicious. When the bottle is opened it years to be consumed, it waits for you patiently, but time waits for no one. Do not frustrate the beer. If you opened it around a warm fire with a number of friends it would not be frozen and slushy. Physics? I don't think so.
Source(s):
Years of beers
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December 22, 2008 03:42 PM
It is very simple. As you open the can there is a change in pressure. It is all physics. As Pressure decreases the temperature also decreases, that coupled with gas coming out of solution is what causes the beer to freeze when you open it. PV=nRT (the universal gas law)
Source(s):
basic gas laws
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December 23, 2008 03:49 AM
Well, because the beer is in a sealed container, it's under pressure. Frozen beer has a density of about 50% - 90% of unfrozen beer and a temp of 23-27 Fahrenheit. It will freeze at 0F up to around 30% ABV because it's 5% ABV and for every mL of beer there is 19 milliliters of H2O. The beer freezes at a really low temperature because it contains alcohol (ethanol to be exact which has a density of The density of ethanol is 0.789 g/cc), so to be honest the water (at 1.0 g/cc) is what is freezing. The alcohol bit of the beer just floats at the top because its density is lower so it cannot sink and is buoyed by the more dense water. Also, alcohol is diluted so it's hard to freeze it.
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