<p>Yes, they will.   Given beer is (generally speaking) more than 90% water, and water expands when frozen, beer will make a mess of your freezer if left in there too long.  The bottles themselves don't tend to break, in my experience, but the cap seals fail and the beer will leak out everywhere.   </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-14T23:04:16.407Z
2018-05-14T23:04:16.407Z
Xander
<p>They do not explode (in a sense of explosion crushing your freezer) but may break. I have forgotten once three (different) bottles of beer in the freezer over night. Results: a) broken off bottom, b) sealed off cap, c) nothing happened (with the bottle, the beer turned to beer-ice of course). </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-15T23:26:02.407Z
All three cases render the beer useless,, I suppose ?
happybuddha
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-18T00:08:06.593Z
I've had beer turn to "beer ice" and I drank it when it melted. That was fairly cheap beer and I wasn't drinking it for nuanced flavor. I've also had a forgotten bottle break and spew beer all over the freezer. Not quite an explosion, but still a heck of a mess to clean up — and you don't want to risk drinking what's left in a broken bottle because of possible glass shards.
Gary R.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-15T08:50:44.593Z
2018-05-15T08:55:58.747Z
2018-05-15T08:55:58.747Z
Altbier is not Old Beer
<p>Bottles do not necessarily break or open. Seems to depend on the thickness of the glass. These three bottles stick together by ice. Brazilians love ice-cold beer.</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/Uo3WT.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/Uo3WT.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a>
<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/f7uBx.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/f7uBx.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-15T23:25:30.450Z
Brilliant. Do you know what beer this is ? Also, any reference on how the thickness of the glass can be measured ? Just want to know if I can chuck my beer into the freezer.
happybuddha
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-16T00:52:57.743Z
In my case it was Brahma, the 600ml bottle, look 2nd photo. But I guess it will do there in Brazil with all 600 ml bottles, also from other breweries. Can't tell you about your beer.
Salt
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-15T11:02:11.807Z
2018-05-16T00:51:44.860Z
2018-05-16T00:51:44.860Z
Salt
<p>There is indeed the possibility that a bottle of frozen beer does not break.</p>

<p>It depends mainly on the amount of alcohol in the beer and how the bottle was filled.</p>

<p>You can expect that a normal beer expands by approx. 6.5-7.5% in volume when you start cooling at approx. 20°C. If the bottleneck can contain this volume increase, the bottle should not break. This would be usually the case with homebrews. The exact amount depends on how much alcohol and solids are in the beer, as <a href="http://ddbonline.ddbst.de/DIPPR105DensityCalculation/DIPPR105CalculationCGI.exe?component=Ethanol" rel="nofollow noreferrer">ethanol</a> does not expand when the temperature is lowered and solids do not change their density significantly. </p>

<p>Depending on the alcohol content and the temperature of the freezer, the beer might not even freeze solid, or at least not fully, as ethanol lowers the <a href="https://www.thespruceeats.com/will-liquor-freeze-760302" rel="nofollow noreferrer">freezing point</a> substantially.</p>

<p>With a bad freezer, high ambient temperature (e.g. on a hot summer day) or short freezing times, the possibility of breaking the bottles is rather low.</p>

<p>Because ice has a very low compressibility compared to water and ethanol, you cannot expect that better and thicker bottles will solve the problem unless they have the necessary amount of elasticity. You could weld your beer into 2 inch thick cast iron and it would break just like your glass bottle. A better container would, however, be less susceptible to leaks.</p>

<p>A modern beer can would most likely not survive the process because it deforms at the top and creates a leak at the lid.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-06-12T16:01:33.903Z
2018-06-12T16:01:33.903Z
life-on-mars
<p>I have had cola cans explode in my freezer. But I cannot afford to test this on my long neck beer bottles.</p>

<p>Do beer bottles (or cans) explode in a freezer (of a typical fridge in a household) ?</p>

<storage>
Do beer bottles explode in freezer?
happybuddha
# Do beer bottles explode in freezer?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-05-14)

I have had cola cans explode in my freezer. But I cannot afford to test this on my long neck username_2 bottles.

Do username_2 bottles (or cans) explode in a freezer (of a typical fridge in a household) ?

**Tags:** storage


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## 4 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2018-05-14. Score: 11

Yes, they will. Given username_2 is (generally speaking) more than 90% water, and water expands when frozen, username_2 will make a mess of your freezer if left in there too long. The bottles themselves don't tend to break, in my experience, but the cap seals fail and the username_2 will leak out everywhere.


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### Answer by username_2 on 2018-05-15. Score: 7

They do not explode (in a sense of explosion crushing your freezer) but may break. I have forgotten once three (different) bottles of username_2 in the freezer over night. Results: a) broken off bottom, b) sealed off cap, c) nothing happened (with the bottle, the username_2 turned to username_2-ice of course).

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: All three cases render the username_2 useless,, I suppose ?  
> **username_3**: I've had username_2 turn to "username_2 ice" and I drank it when it melted. That was fairly cheap username_2 and I wasn't drinking it for nuanced flavor. I've also had a forgotten bottle break and spew username_2 all over the freezer. Not quite an explosion, but still a heck of a mess to clean up — and you don't want to risk drinking what's left in a broken bottle because of possible glass shards.  

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### Answer by username_4 on 2018-05-15. Score: 3

Bottles do not necessarily break or open. Seems to depend on the thickness of the glass. These three bottles stick together by ice. Brazilians love ice-cold username_2.

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/Uo3WT.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/Uo3WT.jpg)
[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/f7uBx.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/f7uBx.png)

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Brilliant. Do you know what username_2 this is ? Also, any reference on how the thickness of the glass can be measured ? Just want to know if I can chuck my username_2 into the freezer.  
> **username_4**: In my case it was Brahma, the 600ml bottle, look 2nd photo. But I guess it will do there in Brazil with all 600 ml bottles, also from other breweries. Can't tell you about your username_2.  

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### Answer by username_5 on 2018-06-12. Score: 1

There is indeed the possibility that a bottle of frozen username_2 does not break.

It depends mainly on the amount of alcohol in the username_2 and how the bottle was filled.

You can expect that a normal username_2 expands by approx. 6.5-7.5% in volume when you start cooling at approx. 20°C. If the bottleneck can contain this volume increase, the bottle should not break. This would be usually the case with homebrews. The exact amount depends on how much alcohol and solids are in the username_2, as [ethanol](http://ddbonline.ddbst.de/DIPPR105DensityCalculation/DIPPR105CalculationCGI.exe?component=Ethanol) does not expand when the temperature is lowered and solids do not change their density significantly.

Depending on the alcohol content and the temperature of the freezer, the username_2 might not even freeze solid, or at least not fully, as ethanol lowers the [freezing point](https://www.thespruceeats.com/will-liquor-freeze-760302) substantially.

With a bad freezer, high ambient temperature (e.g. on a hot summer day) or short freezing times, the possibility of breaking the bottles is rather low.

Because ice has a very low compressibility compared to water and ethanol, you cannot expect that better and thicker bottles will solve the problem unless they have the necessary amount of elasticity. You could weld your username_2 into 2 inch thick cast iron and it would break just like your glass bottle. A better container would, however, be less susceptible to leaks.

A modern username_2 can would most likely not survive the process because it deforms at the top and creates a leak at the lid.


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