Chicago and Milwaukee BA's--Suggestion on Cellaring Options

Over the last couple of weeks I've been exploring cellaring options in the city of Chicago. I currently have two converted wine coolers at home, however my beer collection has been expanding beyond their capacity not to mention I had a growing number bottles that were planned for extended aging. I looked into a couple of places that provided temperature and humidity controlled cellars that were advertised as wine storage. I was really surprised at how reasonable the fees were at the place I settled on. The cellars are very nice and clean and are kept at the perfect conditions: 50-55 degrees F and 60-70% humidity. For my unit that I've had since July 1 the cost is $11.50 per month and it holds 12 California cases--12 cases of 12 wine bottles. It is a year lease, however, and needs to be paid up front.

Another drawback is that I don't have 24 hour access, however that is an option if you rent a bigger unit, and I find the normal hours to be adequate for my purposes. With a little advance planning I can get a bottle from the cellar and hold it in one of my coolers at home until I crack it. If you want any further details, feel free to contact me. If you're interested you can use me as a reference, and we both end up getting a discount for the referral. It's a fairly affordable option and much better than using a closet.

The place that I rent from has cellar locations in both Chicago and Milwaukee.

 

The place I rent from is called East Bank Storage. Their site comes up in a Google search. Check them out and if you decide to go with them BM me. As I mentioned they have a referral program. I believe you get a few months free, and I get some type of smaller discount. Another guy I ran into during Chicago Craft Beer Week alerted me to the existence of these places. I did the research on my own. (By posting this in the forums I hope I'm not violatiing any rules. I would think not since satisfied BA's routinely promote beers and breweries they enjoy.)

 

Cool. They have a page on their site that is solely dedicated to wine storage information.

 

Yeah, it's really nice and a lot less expensive than I was anticipating. Considering how much money that I invest in quality bottles, around $11 a month for optimum cellaring condiitons is more than reasonable and a wise investment. My place is just around the corner from the Lake St. location so it can't be beat.

 

M-F: 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Sat: 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Sun: 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.