Stout in Keg Froze

[BigDog007]

So I had an Irish Stout I've had kegged for the past couple months and I found that it wasn't pouring well, if I had to much pressure it was 100% foam, if I didn't have enough it seemed kind of thick. Either way I thought it tasted good and it was the first beer I'd actually kegged so I kept drinking it little by little. I only have two kegs and honestly I prefer IPA's so I had another beer ready to keg and had Pliny in the 2nd keg so I decided I was going to dump what was left of the stout (after I had a couple glasses). I tried pouring a glass and it was just barely coming out so I took it out of the fridge, bled the pressure and opened it up, found a nearly solid block of ice (a little more slushy, not like a brick of ice).

I was able to melt it down with hot water but was shocked that it did this. My mini-fridge has two kegs and the other ones that had the IPA's, (albeit between 7% - 9% ABV) had never froze like this.

Is this a common occurrence? Is their something about the Stout that makes it freeze easier? Do I need to keep the fridge at a higher temperature? My thermometer had been reading between 34-36F every time I've checked it so didn't expect the beer to freeze like this.

Either way I now have my Centennial IPA in that keg and Pliny in the other so looking forward to drinking some good beer.

Thanks for your thoughts on this.

RP

 

[MrHopScotch]

The temperature can be hugely different at the top and bottom of the fridge, make sure you take that into account. It also doesn't seem crazy to me that the stout could freeze at a higher temperature than the others because the increased alcohol depresses the freezing point.

(This is why you can keep vodka in the freezer at 40% abv and it won't freeze at all)

As far as the temperature of your beer, try taping an insulated thermometer to the bottom of your kegs to check the temp in the coldest part of the fridge or pour a couple beers and check your beer's temperature once the lines and faucet have all gotten cold and frosty.