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Condensation On Your Beer != Good

Posted by timothy on from the except-in-england dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Turns out that condensation on your favorite chilled beverage is a bad thing for keeping it cold. Two researchers conducted an experiment in their bathroom proving that condensation can raise the temperature of your beer by nine degrees!"

4 of 275 comments (clear)

  1. wait, will wiping off help? by therealkevinkretz · · Score: 5, Interesting

    By the time there's any condensate to wipe off the glass, hasn't the damage (i.e. heat from condensation) already been done? That's what warms the glass and its contents, not the water remaining on the side. So wiping it off won't prevent the warming.

    1. Re:wait, will wiping off help? by CanadianRealist · · Score: 4, Interesting

      You're right. Water has a high heat of vaporization. The amount of energy required to vaporize a given amount of water is close to 5 times the amount of energy that would be required to heat that same amount of water from 0 C to 100 C.

      So think of it as being a bit like taking the amount of water in the condensate, heating that to 500 C* and adding it to your beer. (* heating to that temperature without vaporizing)

    2. Re:wait, will wiping off help? by Quirkz · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Your reflexive disdain is outdated. Lots of craft brewers are going to cans, at least here in Colorado. Much easier to take camping, lighter, probably cheaper and just as easy to recycle. Also, unlike even brown glass, and much better than pale glass, a can won't let *any* light through, so the beer is less likely to skunk.

      --
      The Quirkz Handbook of Self-Improvement for People Who Are Already Pretty Okay
  2. Just in time for cinco de mayo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Now how about an experiment about the optimal water quantity for a wet t-shirt contest? Something about capillary action certainly has to be discovered...