Cold Weather Trading / Winter Shipping Thread

Alright, thanks guys!

 

Low 30's is nothing. I have had a beer freeze in a box, but it was like 7 degrees. AND it tasted just fine once thawed. The issue is the caps popping off IMO. I've seen that happened too.

 

They should be ready to drink when you get home

 

Low 30s outside but it's realistically a little warmer on your porch, even if by just a couple degrees. You're fine. I left a half growler on the (uninsulated, unheated) porch after my girlfriend's birthday party the other night where it hit 15 outside. Granted it was a 10.5% beer but it wasn't frozen.

 

Some good nerd info here:
http://www.themadscienceblog.com/2014/01/chemistry-of-beer-part-ii-freezing.html

 

As long as it's close to freezing I think you'll be fine. If it were like 10 degrees out then you may be in trouble.

 

I wouldn't say "much colder" . 4.8% ABW is roughly 6% ABV. By this chart the freezing point of your average beer is only 28 F.

 

Not buying that......have had beers in the 5-7% abv range out in my (unheated) sunroom in the low 20's and no problems whatsoever.....higher abv's (8-10%) in the single digits also not affected

 

But is your unheated sunroom really the same temperature as outside? Probably not, given some residual heat from your house.

 

Lemme guess, you don't "buy" climate change either? Just kidding, but if this is a scientific chart then it is what it is. I'd like to see it cited to be sure, but it looks right. That'd be like not "buying" that water freezes at 0 C.

 

This graph is from the Methanol Institute, agrees with the chart I posted above. That's the trade group for methanol manufacturers, so I don't think you can get a source that's any more reliable
http://www.methanol.org/CMSPages/GetFile.aspx?nodeguid=d03b10ef-a1f6-4a75-ab9f-3d2f242b4809

 

It should be ok. If it is in the 30s at 11:30 am it should warm a little over the course of the day unless you have a front moving through. As other people have noted, beer freezes below 32 F depending on the alcohol. Wind chill doesn't mean much to stuff in a box. The packaging will also provide some insulation and if it is an enclosed porch even better.

 

It's most likely fine. I had a case of 4.7% beer outside over night, and it didn't freeze with temps in the mid 20s.

 

One must factor in the volume and the initial temp and how cold the environment its in, in order to determine how long before we reach that 28F-26F window for your average beers. So what are the odds it will freeze (and we are all guessing and hoping no) can it freeze sure but there are too many factors at play.
*real feel is the perceived decrease in air temperature felt by the body on exposed skin due to the flow of air. beer has no sense of temperature (yeast yes) so does not apply

 

I would not worry...I went on a backpacking trip for 4 days, highs in the single digits, lows of -20. The IPA's I carried didn't freeze...they were cans, so not sure if that makes a difference...

 

Good news is that everything survived the day.

Bad news is the trader swapped out a key bottle without telling me.

 

If you aren't careful you might end up having an accidental "ice" beer

 

Let them warm up a bit before you open them just to be sure they are ok. I don't know why but the sudden decompression of a below freezing beer will turn it to slush instantly. Some science or something happens to it! Sincerely, a liberal arts major.

 

I had beers as low as 5% ABV in a car overnight with a high in the low 20s and a low of about 18. I was pretty surprised everything was fine. I'm curious how much warmer the car is versus sitting outside in the weather, and at what temp these beers would've frozen?!

 

The first time I was struck by an instant beer slushie I cried 'what is this sorcery?!' and had to look it up - pretty interesting science: http://chemistry.stackexchange.com/questions/18612/beer-freezing-after-being-opened