Frozen Corny

[camedmeades]

Guys Some help is needed.

I did my first partial and kegging - a pale ale - and finally today was the day I was going to crack it and try it.

I put in my garage fridge to cool for the last few days but made a discovery just now. Apparently, I'd set the fridge too cold and its actually frozen my beer in the keg. I don't have a gas system, so I'd primed the keg with malt before kegging.

Anyway, what are my options now? Can I let it just defrost and expect to have a decent beer? A flat beer, in which case it'll give me a good excuse to go out and get a gas system.

OR

is my beer now just rooted.

The over pressure value in the keg now doubt was opened when the beer froze and i can hear it hiss a little as it defrosts. Hence, I believe it will definately be flat if I were just to use the co2 charger to get the beer out.

HELP WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED.

 

[cozmocracker]

your the second person today who has frozen there beer.

just defrost it and all should be fine, as for carbination, wait and see, if its flat prime again or as you really want to do, get a co2 bottle!!

 

[camedmeades]

your the second person today who has frozen there beer.

just defrost it and all should be fine, as for carbination, wait and see, if its flat prime again or as you really want to do, get a co2 bottle!!

Really? Bizarre!

Will there still be enough yeast in the beer for a second priming to work?

 

[cozmocracker]

yes the yeast will be sleepy and slow to start but if your really worried add a little bit from a kit that you have lying around.


heres the other chilling story

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...c=29889&hl=

 

[camedmeades]

Yeah, I didn't see that thread. Sorry, and thanks for the link.

I'm going to use this as a good excuse to buy a co2 system. It was always going to happen anyway. Anyone, know how much I should pay, where to go, what equipment I'll need etc.
The local brew place has a deal of $299 for a 6kg (IIRC) co2 bottle + 2 cornie kegs.

Cheers guys, can't believe I got an answer so quick. I'm a little more relieved now

 

[Kleiny]

Happens to the best of us

I left my temp probe out of my fridge and froze a keg, defrosted and it was fine

You will need a full CO2 system to get goin and id suggest a kegs on legs gas bottle if you can get one, or at least one you own and dont rent as its a real cost.

Hope everything is good

Kleiny

 

[cozmocracker]

sounds like a good deal ,my kegs on legs is about the same price but no kegs to sweeten the deal.

 

[shayne]

...sorry to dig-up old questions - i froze some bottles (PET), not all the way rock-solid, but close to it. obviously, i can't pitch more yeast/reprime (without alot of mucking around). i have one defrosting now and plan to try in a couple of hours but some weren't great in terms of carbonation anyway (long story) though drinkable and some are fine.

i googled for a decent answer but couldn't find one - will the beer be compromised? flatter than usual? have an after-taste? the main reason i'm asking is it still has a month or lagering to go (in the bottle) and i could use the space in the fridge. the one i try might be a little flat due to other problems so i'm hesitant before throwing the rest (really not something i want to do!)

it would be nice to understand the science behind it - ie. how can they be flat - where did the CO2 go if it didn't go out the cap?

 

[Adamt]

If the beer was previously carbonated and it was frozen, if the seal wasn't broken and thaw it, it will have the same amount of carbonation... If the beer was primed but not yet carbonated and it was frozen, the yeast will likely be dead and hence no more carbanation will occur.

There should not be any other problems with it.

 

[buttersd70]

Many is the time when Butters has gotten hammered to the point of referring to himself in the third person....and put bottles of beer in t'feezer to rapidly chill. And many is the time what Butters, in 'is Hammered state has forgotten about said bottles..... and frozen em solid.

Having, the following day, realised what a complete policemans' helmet he's been, butters has removed the bottles from the fridge to let them thaw....and every time, with nature allowed to take it's course, the bottles in question have turned out to be anbsolutely 100% fine. :lol:

In seriousness, don't rush the thaw (ie don't put them in a 'hot' place, and ffs don't microwave defrost them!), and they'll be fine. Let them defrost fully, naturally, then refrigerate until back at the desired serving temp. You'll never know that there was an issue....

edit: Unless, like me ole mate adam has pointed out, it was frozen pre carbonation. Then Your in the shit.

 

[clay]

Well I froze two kegs last week. Thoght that all I had to do was thaw them out and they'd be fine. Unfortunately not. BOTH BEERS ROOTED!

Both were insipid, stripped of all flavour and even colour. thought that maybe the beer had kind of sparated so I mixed them up. No change.

Worst part is that I was enjoying both these beers.

 

[Adamt]

Clay: That sounds like an infection of sorts. There's no reason why freezing and thawing (when sealed) should cause any harm to beer, apart from the killing of yeast.

 

[shayne]

lol.... thanks guys -.Super. i just cracked one as the last iceberg was retreating... (nothing else cold) a little flat (but that's likely my other problem). tasted fine - i found this on ABC self-serve science forum. they're talking about a can filled under pressure but i expect the principle is the same.

>>so where has this pressurised gas gone?


If the vessel is not ruptured during the freeze/thaw cycle, then the gas will slowly (it is not a rapid process ) go back into solution and reach the same equilibrium as prior to the whole event. That is, no (or very little) pressure on opening.

The can at this stage is in a state of unstable equilibrium. If it is shaken, a small amount of CO2 will come out of solution, forming microbubbles. These will then nucleate the dissolution of further CO2 and there will be a rapid expansion of the whole gas/liquid mixture.

 

[shayne]

interestingly.... the second/third glass was gassier than the first - more time in the fridge 'stabilizing' maybe? it also appeared to have more floaties, but that could have been from me shaking with rage when i realised what i'd done

 

[Adamt]

At warmer temperatures more CO2 will come out of solution. This makes it appear like it's fizzier when in fact, more fizz is just leaving the beer before it hits your mouth.