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There’s nothing like a piping hot chug of foamy beer on a summer’s day. Right? Oh, wait. Strike that. If you plan to enjoy a few brews, you might think tossing them in the freezer would be the quickest way to chill your beer, but it’s a bad idea (and actually freezing your beer is even worse). You’ll be sacrificing the quality of your beer by putting it in the freezer.

If a beer spends too much time in the freezer, it could easily explode or, at the very least, break its seal. A broken seal will release the carbonation and lead to a flat drink. A lot of things can go wrong if you choose to freeze and then thaw out a beer to drink, but the worst consequence for a beer lover is how this affects taste. Losing carbonation isn’t the only, nor the most egregious, reason why cooling your beer down in a freezer is a bad idea.

It might sound like a cool, refreshing idea if your beer actually freezes solid, but the thawing process can come with some challenges. For example, if you don’t let the beer thaw completely, you’ll end up with sips of mostly straight-up alcohol while the water content of the beer stays frozen.

Another issue with freezing and thawing beer is that it can change its color and aroma. The Beer Syndicate conducted a taste test in which participants drank frozen to thawed beer and an “unadulterated” beer. Participants were not told which beer had been thawed and were told to identify the beer they thought was different.

Of the participants, 75% were able to identify the thawed beer, and those who described the beer said it had a duller flavor, less carbonation, and less aroma. It was also noted that the thawed beer had a lighter, hazier color compared to the non-frozen beer. The haziness is caused by proteins in the beer separating and binding together after being thawed. So, though you may want an ice-cold beer, it may be best to aim for a well-chilled can instead. (Surprisingly, though, you shouldn’t be afraid to let a chilled beer get warm and be re-chilled).

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