You want your beer to stay cold, but you don't have a fridge! The methods you can use vary widely depending on whether you are indoors or outdoors; You have to be able to take advantage of what is there. In general, there are three simple options: you can cool the beer with cold water, ice, or snow; use the power of evaporative cooling; or bury the beer in damp soil to keep it cool all day.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Using Water, Ice and Snow
Step 1. Cool the beer with cold water
This is one of the fastest ways to lower the temperature of a drink, and you can do it indoors or outdoors. Submerge the surface of your beer container in cold water; the colder the better. If the water you're using is iced water, you can turn your beer cold in just five minutes. This process may take longer if you are outside, or if the water is not too cold.
- If you're indoors: Dip the beer in a bucket of ice water, or let it sit under running tap water for a few minutes.
- If you're outdoors: Put your beer in a natural water source – a river, spring, lake, or ocean. Be sure to secure the beer so it doesn't sink or drift away.
Step 2. “Bathe” the beer with cold water
Fill a bucket, tub, cooler, or other watertight container with the coldest water you can find. If you can, add ice cubes. When you're done, you can use the water for other things, such as watering your yard, garden, or filling your pet's drinking water tank. Place your drink in cold water and stir gently for 2-5 minutes. By stirring, you are using the force of convection to speed up the transfer of heat from the drink to the cold water.
- Add as much ice to the water as possible, but not so much that the beer container doesn't sink into it. A 50/50 ratio for a mixture of water and ice cubes is a good measure.
- The thicker and tighter the container you use, the better. Secure the container from air to maintain its temperature. Thus, the ice will melt longer.
Step 3. Add table salt to the ice
A little salt is enough. Salt lowers the freezing point of water – this means water can be colder than its freezing point (0 degrees Celsius) without turning into ice.
Step 4. Turn on the faucet
If you can use a sink, you can cool the beer quickly. Place the beer under the tap and run the water over the container continuously. You should be able to cool a can of beer in five minutes. Store running water in a bucket so it can be reused.
- If you don't have a sink, you can use a showerhead, bathtub faucet, or other water source.
- Don't waste water. Save the remaining water in a bucket, then use it to wash dirty dishes or water plants. Leaving the water running for five minutes just to cool a can of beer isn't very efficient.
Step 5. Dip the beer in the water
Look for cool, wearable bodies of water: rivers, lakes, springs, or the ocean. Set up a system to keep the beer from sinking or drifting away. Tie the beer in a net or bag; tie with rope; immerse in the sand; tuck it between roots, rocks, or bushes. If you chill your beer in running water, be sure to tie it to the shore, boat, or yourself to prevent it from drifting away.
- Do not use hot springs, such as hot springs or geysers. This certainly makes sense, but it is worth mentioning.
- If it rains, try to put the beer out in the open. This may not be as effective as dipping a beer in cold water, but it can be done.
Step 6. Immerse your beer in the snow
If there is snow on the ground, just immerse the beer in the snow and wait for half an hour. If the weather is chilly - say, below 4 degrees Celsius - but no snow, you can still put the beer outside to cool it down. Try to put the beer in the shade, out of direct sunlight. If the snow is deep enough, bury the beer below ground level to cool faster.
If you put beer in the snow, make sure you mark it on the ground so you don't forget where it is. Otherwise, your beer may be lost to the earth and only visible in the spring
Method 2 of 3: Using Evaporative Cooling
Step 1. Try to cool your beer with an evaporation system
The concept: You put the beer in a clay pot insulated by a layer of sand and a larger pot. Cover the top of the pot with a damp towel. As the water evaporates, the process cools the inside of the container. After an hour or two, you can put the beer in it to cool! You can use this method on a hot day – you may be able to cool the drink down to 40 degrees lower than the outside temperature.
If needed, you can use an evaporative cooling system on a smaller scale. Wet a towel, newsprint, or toilet paper in cold water, then wrap a beer bottle. As the water evaporates, the beer will slowly turn cold
Step 2. Find two clay pots
One pot should be large enough to hold 2-5 cans of beer at a time; while the other pots should be large enough to accommodate the first pot leaving at least 2cm of space on each side. Cover the bottom of both pots with clay, putty, or cork – anything that will help keep the sand inside.
If you can only use plastic pots (or other materials), then use them. However, keep in mind that clay is a better insulator. So, making a “clay refrigerator” is much more effective
Step 3. Insulate using sand
You can use any type of sand. However, fine sand from the river (which is not too dense and large) is best. Fill the bottom of the pot with sand, then place the smaller pot in it. Carefully fill the space between the two pots until they are full of sand. It's okay to spill a little sand on the bottom of the smaller pot.
Step 4. Wet the sand
Slowly pour cold water into the space between the two pots, until they are full. Let the water wet the sand, but don't use so much water that the surface is puddled. You want the sand to be damp, not turning into mud.
Step 5. Put the beer in it
Once the inside of the pot has cooled below 10 degrees Celsius, you're ready to cool the beer. You may need to wait a few hours if it's hot, or a few minutes if it's cold. Check the temperature of the beer every few hours, but not too often.
Step 6. Place a wet towel on it
Wet a towel with cold water, then wring it out so the water doesn't drip. Place a towel over the rim of both pots, making sure that the towel covers the entire lid. Now, your “clay pot fridge” is ready. As the water evaporates from the sand and wet towels, it cools the inside of the pot. Let the appliance sit for a few hours before placing the beer in it. After it cools down, you can drink it right away!
- If you want to cool the beer quickly, you can simply put the beer in it. However, keep in mind that the inside can cool faster if emptied beforehand – and your beer won't turn cold right away.
- Re-wet the towel with ice water as necessary. As long as the towel remains damp, you can wear it. If you remove the towels, don't leave the "fridge" open for too long or cold air will come out.
- Try to put the thermostat in the pot. This will help you gauge how well the “fridge” is functioning, and can give you an estimate of the exact time to put the beer in.
Method 3 of 3: Burying Beer
Step 1. Try to bury the beer in cool, damp soil
This method is not as fast as the other methods, but it can keep your beer cold for a long time. This is especially effective when the weather is hot. This method also doesn't make a mess of large containers, and can keep the beer cool when it's removed from the rest of the cooler.
Step 2. Look for moist, cool soil
Look for it in a shady place, out of direct sunlight. Try to bury your beer on the banks of a river, lake, or ocean – but be careful when the waves come. The wetter the soil, the better.
You can also pour water on the soil to keep it moist. This is the best option if you don't have a water source nearby, and you have water at your disposal
Step 3. Bury your beer
Dig a hole large enough for the beer container. Bury up to the neck of the bottle. In general, the deeper the hole, the colder the air in it will be. Keep the bottle cap on so it doesn't mix with the soil. If you bury a whole beer bottle, make sure you don't forget the location!
Tips
- Dry your socks in the afternoon. If you only have a pair of socks, use something else to create the cooling effect of a wet cloth.
- As mentioned above, if you want to cool your beer with the wind, you'll need to get the wind chill to make it work. The water will evaporate and the heat exchange will make the beer colder.
- The method of cooling with the wind is also influenced by the humidity of the air. High humidity (such as that found in the Appalachian region in summer), can reduce the cooling effect and cause your socks to get wet in the morning.
- Another way to cool your drink is to wrap it in tissue paper or something else that can be wetted. Add salt to half of the tissue paper and fold it over so it doesn't fall off. After that, wrap the paper around your drink to cool it.
Warning
- Always take the trash you produce outdoors. Do not leave bottles, cans, bottle caps, or plastic cups anywhere.
- Salt in high concentrations can kill plants and change the pH level of the soil so that it can change its fertility. Dry soil that is used as a drainage path (such as streams or irrigation, for example) can be subject to erosion. So, please don't throw salt water carelessly.
- Get ready to prepare ready-to-wear dry socks. If possible, try to wear clean socks.
