Mythbusters: Fastest way to cool a 6-pack!

[fretlessman71]

It's on right now on the Discovery Channel. Anyone gonna watch? :D

[Jake]

Hope I did not miss it. Turning it on right now

[fretlessman71]

All over by then... at least the part about cooling a 6-pack. but they did determine something very interesting, and it makes perfect sense: They were able to take a 6er of beer (in cans; probably takes a little longer in bottles to do this) and cool it from 62.3° to about 35° in FIVE MINUTES. All they did was fill a cooler with ice, add water, and add a LOT of salt. So if you're in a rush to get something that cold that fast, that's the way to go! Very useful if you got a warm 12er from the liquor store just before a big weekend and you forgot to get the brew early enough to chill it the old fashioned way. :)

[chazwicke]

And here I was watching West Wing.

THat actually makes a lot of sense. Like making home made Ice cream.

And isn't the same kind of true with boiling water too. Cold water boils faster? Something to do with the rate the molecules move?


I think I heard there was some sort of fire extinguisher that shot out a cold substance back when I was in college and some guys would fire it on their cases of beer to cool them. Not sure If I am remembering that correctly.

[fretlessman71]

Well, they tried that too - and it worked very well. So, if it's worth the $30 necessary to refill a fire extinguisher, and you just HAVE to have your beer cold NOW, you can do it in about 3 minutes. Think I'd rather go for the ice/water/salt mix.

[BluesHarp]

Good ol' CO2...the huge pressure drop from the extinguisher to atmospheric pressure creates the cooling effect

[fretlessman71]

The whole thing started from a myth that apparently began during the Vietnam war: If you buried a 6 pack in the sand, poured a quart of gasoline over it and lit it on fire, you'd end up with a cold 6 pack when the fire burnt itself out. Strange, huh?

Jamie and Adam tried it out... didn't work. :( Would've been cool, though.

[Audiopup]

VERY interesting. I just have to reply to say that "Mythbusters" is one of the most entartaining and informative shows on TV. Now, if I can only get it On Demand...

[wild]

Originally posted by chazwicke
I think I heard there was some sort of fire extinguisher that shot out a cold substance back when I was in college and some guys would fire it on their cases of beer to cool them. Not sure If I am remembering that correctly.

Sounds like an old movie with Bob Hope. The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell I think it was. They chilled all of the steel cans of beer with fire extinguishers.

Wild

[SoxyinMO]

Damn! I missed it :(

Still, thanks for keeping us informed, Fret! You never know when that information might come in handy.

Aren't Jamie and Adam the best! What a job.

[kevin]

When I read the title I read Fastest Way to Get a Six Pack, thinking there's no way I going to be able to accomplish that with this hobby.
If I need a cold beer quickly I just put it in the ice cube container for a few minutes plus I'm not trying to get my beer down to 35F.
What type of beer did they use for the experiment?
I remember seeing the episode where they got drunk and tried to fool the breathalyser. Reminded me of a old WKRP skit.

[Jeff]

Originally posted by chazwicke

And isn't the same kind of true with boiling water too. Cold water boils faster? Something to do with the rate the molecules move?




The engineer in me can't let this go untouched. See this link (http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_101c.html) for a quick explanation.

[Wilson]

In college I heard a rumor that you could take a warm beer can, lay it on a bed of ice (i.e. in a cooler), and rotate the can for a minute, alternating contact with the ice, and it would be cold and ready to drink. Never tried it though.

[chazwicke]

Ahhh Cecil Adams! His info won a bet for me recently. About the urban legend about the suicide on the set and on film in Wizard of Oz.

Anyway, Thanks for that info.

[davesarman]

Originally posted by kevin
Reminded me of a old WKRP skit.

Next to the Thanksgiving episode, probably my favorite WKRP episode!

[fretlessman71]

Originally posted by kevin

What type of beer did they use for the experiment?
They tried to disguise it, as I'm sure they're not "allowed" to mention brand names on the show; they had painted the cans with gold paint so they looked like "generic" Miller cans or maybe the collectable Bud cans. But after being "extinguished", you could see where enough of the paint had come off in Adam's hand, and the beer was identified as Modelo Especial. No accounting for taste, eh?

[chazwicke]

Wonder why they selected that?

[wortchillergoal]

My way of quickly cooling beer would be easy. Just jump in to Doc Brown's time machine and hit 88 mph as someone puts a beer in tne fridge. Jump a head in time, grab the cold beer and be back before anyone knew you were gone.

[BrewDog]

88 MPH!!!! Too funny!

My 6 yr old LOVES Mythbusters. It is her favorite show. I told her that the cooling techniques would work for soda cans and her eyes got big and wide. I have a feeling that I'm going to find her trying this out herself in the near future. Or, next time we pack for a picnic, there she'll be with the salt......

I was dissapointed that nobody thought of pumping the iced-salt water through a makeshift counter-flow chiller with the beer going the other way. I bet it could have beat his inverted immersion chiller and possibly the fire extinguisher, too.

Just a thought.

[janna]

Originally posted by fretlessman71
All over by then... at least the part about cooling a 6-pack. but they did determine something very interesting, and it makes perfect sense: They were able to take a 6er of beer (in cans; probably takes a little longer in bottles to do this) and cool it from 62.3° to about 35° in FIVE MINUTES. All they did was fill a cooler with ice, add water, and add a LOT of salt. So if you're in a rush to get something that cold that fast, that's the way to go! Very useful if you got a warm 12er from the liquor store just before a big weekend and you forgot to get the brew early enough to chill it the old fashioned way. :)

FUNNNNY! I've been giving this tip to people in need of a quick chill for years! I'm sorry I missed the Special - Dang!

[BluesHarp]

I have no desire to EVER cool my beer to 35°F...;)

[janna]

Originally posted by BluesHarp
I have no desire to EVER cool my beer to 35°F...;)


Oh.......... you're just to "cool" for this technique, hahahaha. Put on your Buddha Hat and try to understand the needs of some......

Happy Easter!

[fretlessman71]

Actually, upon further review, the target temp was 40°. And they got it to drop - the beer temp, that is - 22° in five minutes. Pretty darned impressive, eh? :D

[SoxyinMO]

Next to the Thanksgiving episode, probably my favorite WKRP episode

And the one where the bomb is in the tool box at the transmitter!

And bluesharp, think beyond beer. You may need to cool SOMETHING quickly in the future and you'll know how! Though you have to admit that beer was the perfect tag! It got all of us interested. :D

[BluesHarp]

Originally posted by janna
Oh.......... you're just to "cool" for this technique, hahahaha. Put on your Buddha Hat and try to understand the needs of some......

Happy Easter!
...groan..... lol...

My Buddha hat has been at the cleaners this past week I'm afraid...[sigh]...

Happy Easter to you too!

I still need to decide on an appropriate Easter Dinner refreshment...;)

[BluesHarp]

Originally posted by SoxyinMO

And bluesharp, think beyond beer. You may need to cool SOMETHING quickly in the future and you'll know how!

beyond beer??.....

Maybe myself after the next insipid meeting with my "pointy-haired" boss...;)

[SoxyinMO]

beyond beer??..... Maybe myself after the next insipid meeting with my "pointy-haired" boss

LOL! See, you're thinking of new uses already! :D

[chazwicke]

Originally posted by BluesHarp
beyond beer??.....

Maybe myself after the next insipid meeting with my "pointy-haired" boss...;)

Are you trying to say he has a point? Fortunately his hair covers it?

[BluesHarp]

Chaz...are you a Dilbert fan?...

[chazwicke]

I like it when I see it. But that is not often. I s that where that came from?

[BluesHarp]

Yes...Dilbert's manager (who is utterly clueless) is known as "The pointy haired boss".

My boss, who got the posiiton through default years ago, somehow manages to keep afloat by taking credit for everything positive, assigning blame for anything negative, and making sure to kiss the right heinies.

He volunteers to coordinate every "highly visable" project and delegates all the work; the items he is responsible for go unfinished until somene else comes to the rescue and bails him out.

This is a guy who has probably read every book on "dressing for success", "how to hold a successful meeting", etc....

Sorry for rambling, but I do feel better now...:D

Ps - I went to business school with him and got better grades in every class; but as he is still my boss, he feels the need to justify his position by pulling rank at every opportunity.

[chazwicke]

That sucks! What is your line of work? Any chance you could consult or go independant? My boss is a pointy haired geek too.

[BluesHarp]

Originally posted by chazwicke
That sucks! What is your line of work? Any chance you could consult or go independant?

I work in engineering; designing, building, and calibrating computerized testing and electro-mechanical systems. I really enjoy my job as long as I don't have to try to explain what I'm doing to someone who is clueless. I am working to manuever myself into a different department...my responsibilities now extend far beyond the engineering lab.

My boss is a pointy haired geek too.

haha....your hair isn't pointy...:D

I know a lot about process control...PLC's, temperature controllers, etc...

[janna]

Originally posted by fretlessman71
They tried to disguise it, as I'm sure they're not "allowed" to mention brand names on the show; they had painted the cans with gold paint so they looked like "generic" Miller cans or maybe the collectable Bud cans. But after being "extinguished", you could see where enough of the paint had come off in Adam's hand, and the beer was identified as Modelo Especial. No accounting for taste, eh?


YEEEEEEECCCCCH!

[janna]

Originally posted by BluesHarp
...groan..... lol...

My Buddha hat has been at the cleaners this past week I'm afraid...[sigh]...

Happy Easter to you too!

I still need to decide on an appropriate Easter Dinner refreshment...;)

Buddha Hat at the cleaners, HAHAHAHA! 'Doh! An appropriate refreshment??????? More HAHAHAHA!

How about a Kosher Beer? He'Brew might be perfect for this Holiday, provided you actually like the stuff!

[BluesHarp]

Maybe a Corsendonk Christmas ale; might seem strange for Easter, but it may have kind of a "Circle of Life" sort of karma about it...

[greengod]

Greetings;

Hello all This is my first post here. I ran into an article in the past about a jet powered beer cooler and I thought here is the place to post it.

Quote
"the final result after running the engine for about 5 minutes. The engine itself will run at up to 100000 rpm with exhaust temperatures of around 500 C and noise levels in excess of 125 dBA. The beer is successfully chilled to a nice cool 2 C"

http://asciimation.co.nz/beer/ (Jet powered cooler)



http://asciimation.co.nz/beer/engine2.jpg

Scott

[BluesHarp]

Welcome, greengod...that is too cool (pardon the pun):D

[greengod]

Greetings;

Thanks for the greet BluesHarp. I like this forum and the subject of beer.
Does anyone know of any good Micros around Aberdeen MD?

Scott

[BluesHarp]

You won't find a friendlier or more laid-back beer forum.

I guarantee someone will find what you are looking for.

[janna]

Originally posted by BluesHarp
Maybe a Corsendonk Christmas ale; might seem strange for Easter, but it may have kind of a "Circle of Life" sort of karma about it...

(In the voice of Homer Simpson): mmmmmmmmmm, Corsendonk, yum! The Abbey Ale is a great "foodie". I adore it!

[janna]

Welcome GreenGod -

I agree with Blues - this site is amazing and the peeps are always ready to chime in and help. You're SURE to get answers! :)

[greengod]

Greetings;

Ok now how does one get an avatar? Do I need to start a thread to ask a Moderator?
NEVER MIND I GOT IT--THANKS

If anyone has any questions please ask.

Scott

:p

[Grog]

Originally posted by greengod
Greetings;

Ok now how does one get an avatar? Do I need to start a thread to ask a Moderator?

If anyone has any questions please ask.

Scott

:p

Click user cp (top left). Click edit options. Scroll down, you can't miss it.

Here is a thread (http://www.realbeer.com/discussions/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5731&highlight=avatar) that might help you with a custom jobby.

Welcome to the boards.

[greengod]

Greetings;

Most of the forums I am a member of do not use vBulletin so I was HUA. The bad thing is I am a moderator on a Pocket PC forum that uses vBulletin .

Thanks Grog, sometimes the hardest thing id to figure out the avatar size allowed.

Scott

[chazwicke]

Originally posted by greengod
Greetings;

Thanks for the greet BluesHarp. I like this forum and the subject of beer.
Does anyone know of any good Micros around Aberdeen MD?

Scott

Duclaw in Bel Air But Baltimore has lots. Worth the trip.
Welcome to the board