Cellar Improvisation

How about a bottom cupboard in the kitchen?

I keep mine in one of my bedroom closets. It's against an outer wall so that helps, but even as my house fluctuates between 80 and 50 given the seasons, the closet stays pretty well around 60. I keep a cheap thermometer in there to keep track. I'd say get one and stash it in a few cupboards around the place and see if you can find a place that will hold.

Either that or get yourself a mini fridge and keep it around 55.

 

My wife and I have a small 2bd apt in Chicago, so extra cabinet and closet space is hard to come by. My "improv" method for the 25 - 30 bottles we're holding on to is under the bed in the guest room. No light comes in (the bed skirt goes all the way to the floor and the windows in the room are higher up the wall) and the floor is typically pretty cool so it keeps the bottles from getting too warm during the summer. Definitely looking forward to eventually getting a bigger place so I can do something a bit more legit, but this works for now...

 

Go on craigslist and buy an old fridge, wine cooler, mini fridge etc. Or buy a chest freezer and convert to a kegerator and have draft beer with spare room in the freezer for plenty of bottles.

 

From the "Dr."

“If you don’t have a beer refrigerator or a cellar, and your average indoor temperature is in the high 60s or 70s, you can insulate bottles with [Styrofoam] wine shipping crates,” Sysak says.

 

I would pick up a cheap wine cooler. You can usually find them on craigslist or at yard sales. I bought one from Home Depot on sale for $199. I didn't like spending that much money, but I figured that I have invested 10xs that on beer so I might as well protect that investment.