Making ice beer (eisbock, etc.)

[Noz03]

I just tried one of the best beers I've ever tasted, the Scheider Aventinus Eisbock (http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/schneider-aventinus-weizen-eisbock/10514/) and after reading the story that it was discovered accidently when regular Aventinus froze during transport it got me thinking... Could I freeze bottled beer from the shop and make my own ice beer?

I actually live in Germany right now, so have plenty of bock and weizen beer to try with at good prices. I know it wouldn't be possible to carbonate such a high alcoholic beer within special equipment but these beers are generally not super fizzy anyway.

What do you guys think about this? What beers would be good to try with? And what would be the best method of removing the frozen water?

 

[ktblunden]

If you're talking about freezing beer in the bottles, no, it will break the bottles.

If you're talking about pouring the bottles into another container and freezing it there, you'll end up with oxidized beer.

The other important thing to consider is that eisbocks are brewed with freeze distilling in mind. It isn't a matter of taking a doppelbock and freeze concentrating it. When you remove the water you concentrate the alcohol, but you also concentrate the sugars and flavors. Unless the beer is formulated to account for that, you'll end up with an overly sweet, unpleasant beer.