I also tried a segment of PVC pipe. This had a similar diameter to a can.

In the tub. I used oil as a mold release.

Once a layer of ice was established, I used a straw to get as much water as possible out of the center void.

When the ice was solid, I had room to add hot water, helping to melt out the PVC bit.

This didn't work any better than the cans. The PVC insulated the ice from the hot water, so it took a very long time before I was able to pry it out.

Next, I was ready to try beer bottles.

I knew the glass would not transfer heat as well as the aluminum had, but I had a plan. I carefully filled a bottle with gravel and froze that in a tub of ice.

Once the bottle was locked in the ice, I tried to dump out the gravel, but it turns out that it is a lot easier to get gravel into a beer bottle than it is to get gravel out of a beer bottle.

A few days later, I tried this tactic again, this time with sand. I filled the bottles with sand and positioned them into the tub half-full of water. After a freeze, the bottles were locked in place, so I dumped out the sand.. well, except for the sand from one bottle.

Apparently a small amount of water had been in one bottle, which had now frozen the sand into a immovable block. I replaced the sand with warm water and it worked!

The ice around the bottles melted immediately and I was able to gently twist out the bottles! Five of the bottles, that is. The sandy icicle was still locked into place.

Thirty minutes later, when I finally wrestled the last bottle out of the block, I saw the real problem. The Foster's beer bottle had a lip on the bottom! Dammit!

A day later, fresh beer bottles spilling out of my trash bag, I was ready to finally succeed, and by God, I did.

Here's how to make a Solid Ice Beer Tray:

Start with a large tub.

Fill six empty and lipless glass beer bottles with dry sand.

Fill the plastic tub with two inches of water and carefully place the sandy bottles into the water, preferably in a 3x2 six-pack arrangement.

Place the entire tub with bottles into the freezer.

You may have to eat the ice cream to make some room.