October 19, 2005

PeltierBeer While drinking certain dark beers in the sun, I came to think about how to keep the beer cold until I finished it. Normally this isn't a big problem as I usually finish them before they get warm, but on really hot days this can be a problem. Having some hardware lying around in my apartment, I decided to build something that could keep the beer cool. Read on to see how I made my own PeltierBeer.

Seems that this would have been FPP'd already, since it's from May of 2003, but I couldn't find it in search.

posted by techsmith 19 years ago
  • Mmmm. Beer. Psshht. Glug glug glug glug. Gulp. WOOHOOO.
  • "A" for effort. My preferred solution is the same as Arneson's original solution. Drink faster.
  • Guiness Draught, though? Too watery for my taste. Extra Stout's much better.
  • Sic! Beer can get warm? I have never observed that happening. Sic! Sic!
  • If I had that much free time on my hands, I could build an empire!
  • Also pretty amazing, though.
  • *HUGE BELCH*
  • If I had that much free time on my hands I could drink more beer!!
  • Whoo! Chy, breath mint?
  • I remember people in college telling me that they could not get drunk off of beer anymore because their tolerance had increased. Drink faster, dimwits, I would tell them. As for the temperature issue: don't drink alcohol in the sun. It dehydrates you.
  • Sunlight is the enemy of beer. It'll start to taste skunky after about 10 minutes of exposure to direct sunlight. It dehydrates you I can vouch for that. I got severe dehydration this summer from an afternoon in the Wrigley bleachers. Not fun.
  • Americans seem to be obsessed with having beer so cold that it freezes your taste buds. This is largely a product of the commercial oil beer refineries gimmick-based promotional policies. Chilling tends to mask subtle flavours. Heck, it masks all flavors, so if you make it ice cold it all tastes roughly the same (which is a plus if you are brewing crap. Most will tell you that you really get all the flavors at around 48-55 degrees F.
  • Although I've seen the time estimates differ, your point is correct, rocket88. That's why most good beer comes in dark brown glass bottles. More info on Interplay of Photochemistry and Beer: How Lightstruck Flavor Is Formed and How It Can Be Prevented.
  • You are correct mecurious. And we have people who will tell you with a straight face, and in all sincerity that near-frozen gnat's urine is the best thing ever. Bah! Bah! I say!
  • In defense of American drinking habits, what we call "cold" is what Brits call "room temperature". *puts on sunscreen*
  • Free Leonard!
  • Can't you just use one of those freezer gel pint glasses? Aren't they more cost efficient?
  • Alright!
  • I feel I should add something to this thread, seeing as I started it... but alas, I have nothing to say. I'm not even drinking guiness now. Drat. Draught. (I'm drinking bud light! HA!)