With the muggy days of summer doing their best job of smothering us, there’s nothing better than a big mug of cold beer at the end of a long work day. This is why the best bars bring out a big mug covered in cold, frosty, goodness. It seems like the coldness has a refreshing element all by itself. Restaurants often use mug chilling devices to serve beer at the perfect level of frostiness. But there are cheaper, simpler ways to make your own ice cold mugs.
Where Causes the Frost?
Originally, the frost on the glass came from a natural condensation process. Even today, bars which do not have commercial mug frosters (these are becoming few and far between) can achieve the same affect by a natural, albeit longer, process. As the door to the freezer is repeatedly opened, warm air enters the freezer and creates condensation on the mug, once the freezer door is closed the condensation crystalizes on the mug creating the refreshing frostiness.
How To Frost a Mug Quickly
Here are three tricks to quickly frost a mug at home:
- Fill the mug with ice then level it off with cold water. Put it in the freezer for 5-7 minutes. When the mug is frosted, just empty it and fill with cold beer.
- Paper towel method: wrapping your mug in a wet paper towel around the mug and placing it in the freezer for three or four minutes should do the trick.
- Vodka method: put vodka in the freezer overnight then pour into a mug, remove the vodka after about 30 seconds and your mug will have frosted amazingly fast.
If you have too much ice on the mug, it can dilute the beer as it melts. Be careful that you don’t over frost the glass.
The Right Type of Glass
All types of glassware are fine for frosting. But the thicker glasses will retain the frost longer. A thin glass will actual cool more quickly but it won’t last very long. If you are going to the trouble to frost a mug, it ought to last long enough to enjoy it. Be careful not to try to freeze glass that is hot to fairly warm as it could result in cracking.
Consider a Residential Mug Chiller
The quick methods are great if you are enjoying a cold mug by yourself. However, if you want to get serious about using frosted mugs at your home for larger groups, you should consider a residential sized mug chiller. These devices have extremely accurate thermostats to regulate the coldness of beer or the frostiness of the mug.
Frosted might not be required to enjoy beer, but they sure do make it more enjoyable. The experts at Clean Beer, Milford, MA understand this and have developed a mug chiller which was built with residential use in mind. Contact us if you’d like to learn more about our products, services, or have a question for an expert.