On the show, “Mythbusters,” the strange nerds do stuff to try to prove, or disprove, common myths. Stuff like, can a bunch of balloons bought at a carnival really carry off a small child? (It took 3,500 balloons to carry off a 6-year-old. So the myth was basically disproved – and that child is VERY upset right now.)
One myth that I found very intriguing was how people in the military sometimes try to cool off a six-pack of beer by burying it in sand, pouring gasoline on top of the sand, then lighting it. The theory being that the gas would remove all heat from the sand, and the beer would suddenly cool.
What happened? The beer ended up a few degrees HOTTER and the can had gasoline and sand all over it. Myth: Busted. However, the added fuel made for a great cocktail!
So then they tried to figure out the best way to get warm beer cold. The best drinking temperature for beer was set at 37 degrees F. So they tried a few different things, but they came up with one particular plan that I’ll be using next time I’m in need of emergency beer.
Put ice AND water into a cooler, then pour A LOT of salt (didn’t say how much, but it looked like about a pound) into the ice-water. Mix it around, and then drop your six-pack in.
Basically, the water has a lower freezing temperature because of the added salt (just like when you add salt to boiling water, it has a higher boiling point). So the water gets much colder, fully engulfing the six-pack, unlike ice which has corners and edges.
So how fast can you cool a six-pack this way?
It took just FIVE MINUTES to cool off a six-pack of beer down to 37 degrees.
That’s pretty awesome! It’s like a reverse-microwave oven! And now you know how to get warm beer cold quickly!
Just plan on doing shots during those thirsty five minutes.
On a related note — here are 12 Great Craft Beers for 12 Great Days! Now you know how to get them cold quickly!
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