Instant Cooling to 35deg.F

[georgetews3]

I am looking for a means to instantly cool a can of beer to 35deg. F. When I go camping. On hot summer days I like to go camping and sit back to some very cold beers. I am the type of person whose job responsibilities tend to fluctuate every day based on the weather and other conditions. Therefore, I may discover at any time that there won't be any work for the next few days. That's when I take off to go camp at one of my favorite woods, and that could be any day of the week, not just holidays or weekends.

When I leave to the campsite I make a grocery and beer run, pack my cooler, hook up my camping trailer and within a few hours I am heading off to camp. The problem is that when I get to camp, my beer is never really cold. It sits in some ice for an hour or two and does not get cold enough in such short time. I dont normally keep beer in the fridge at home because I dont drink when I am working and it never fails someone else will drink it before I am ready to go camping. Otherwise I'd keep some right under the freezer compartment.

With that said, my object is to find a method to chill a can of beer, or soda, or anything else in a can from room temperature to near freezing temperature within a minute or less. I am aware that there are certain gases that cause ice to form on a tank. For example, using a disposible propane cylinder will form ice on the cylinder when the gas is released quickly (like when I use my big weed burner torch). I know there are other gases such as nitrogen or is it hydrogen that can have this same effect. My question is what can I use that is readily available, not extremely expensive, safe to use, and will chill the can in seconds? The other question is how to use the stuff in a portable environment. In other words, something I can carry in my camper that simply involves using a hose, some sort of cooling container for the beer can, and simply means turning on a valve, giving me an ice cold beer in a minute or less. Remember, it must be safe and something I can legally carry in a vehicle without using up too much space.

All useful advice appreciated.

George

[dpb]

[dpb]

[e-mail] wrote: ...

Ain't gonna happen.

In those hours you're getting ready add in a trip by the store and start w/ chilled would be far cheaper and simpler than all the b/s you're proposing.

This reeks of "troll"...

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[Grandpa]

More like a feeble attempt at viral marketing for the one minute beer can chiller ($68) after a 5 second Google search for "beer can chiller." Either that or he's just too lazy, and I've gone and done the work for him. No I haven't, I'm not posting the URL this time.

[Meat Plow]

Two hours on ice is more than enough time to chill any drink to where it's almost too cold to drink.

[Richard J Kinch]

Immerse in *drained* ice or snow and spin. Maintain *pressure* of ice against can. Drain the melt. *Spin* the can about 60 rpm with your hand. This gets you below 40 deg F in a minute.

You must maintain the pressure and drain the melt, or you spoil the heat transfer. The intimate contact with a phase-change substance is critical.

[frank megaweege]

I don't know where this guy lives that he can't buy cold beer. That would suck. Here's a good drinking game. Take a drive around any WV town and drink every time you see a sign that says "Cold Beer" (usually hand painted). Just keep it low when the cops go by. Anyway, even room temp beer will get ice cold in a couple of hours. Use more ice.

[RickH]

Dry ice (frozen co2).

[nicksanspam]

Starting at 70 F in an ice bath, a 12 oz 2.5"x5" beer can with 0.34 ft^2 of surface and 2 30 Btu/h-F-ft^2 natural convection water conductances in series and RC = 2/(0.34x30)x12/16 = 0.147 hours (8.8 minutes) would cool to 35 in -8.8ln((35-32)/(70-32)) = 22 minutes.

Spinning the can to raise the conductances by a factor of 20 would make this 1.1 minutes.

Adding 30% calcium chloride to lower the ice temp to -50 F would make this 0.44ln((35-(-50))/(70-(-50)) = 0.15 minutes, ie 9 seconds.

The $10 Tinchilla looks interesting...

Nick

[Chris Friesen]

Or you could just add a bunch of salt to the ice, thus lowering the freezing point of the meltwater. This allows for better contact with the can as there are no air pockets.

A saturated saltwater solution will get to -20C or -4F. Plenty cold enough to chill your beer.

Chris

[EXT]

Where I live the Beer Stores are refrigerated, the staff wears winter clothing even in the heat of summer, but the important part is all the beer is always cold in the store.

[N8N]

[clifto]

You're saying that dissolving calcium chloride is endothermic?

[RickH]

Or pretend you're in England and drink warm beer.

[Chris Friesen]

No. What he meant was that the calcium chloride would allow the ice to become liquid at -50F. This would give an icewater bath.

Pure ice at -50F would be solid, and wouldn't conduct nearly as well due to air pockets around the can.

However, good luck finding a freezer that will give you ice at -50F...

Chris

[dpb]

I guess the far North or South in their respective winter seasons get there on occasion...maybe OP should change his destination. :)

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[clifto]

That's what I figured.

[sonofabitchsky]

You need ice and water for the instant beer cooler. That makes a lot of sense....

[franz frippl]

Pitch camp next to a glacier fed stream. Put beer in stream and then set up camp. When done, the beer will be cold and you'll probably be ready for one.

Choice two would be to bring a mate who's frigid.

The world's falling apart the likes of Bush in office and you are worried about a cold beer... I'm happy your priorities are in place.

[Bob F]

It doesn't need -50F ice. Put salt in ice and the temp drops. Remember ice cream makers?

O.P. - Try a bucket of ice with some salt and enough water to fill the voids. Keep it moving to swirl the beer for maximum cooling.

Or - learn to enjoy good beer that doesn't need to be 35F to be drinkable.

Bob