Cold Storage Unit NYC?

How many bottles are we talkin? Would a temp controlled cold storage box/ wine cooler typed deal be too small?

 

I'm not in your area, but have you tried contacting wine storage companies? They should be climate controlled, allow small quantities, and maybe they would also store beer.

 

If you live in an apartment I suggest you cut back on trading until you can afford whichever option you have available to you that meets all the criteria of being near enough, cool enough, large enough and inexpensive enough for you to afford. I know that's not much help and is not what you are hoping to hear, but it is a thought I wish someone would have given me back in the day when I traded like crazy and put wayyyyy too many bottles into my cellar. Many declined in quality instead of improving despite my year around cool cellar. I only keep <200 bottles now and make sure to drink them on the regular

And as another thought it occurs to me I have a friend who was/is like you, he left behind about 800 bottles at his mom's house, got an apartment and moved some in to temp control, left the rest, now has a house but has gotten so many more bottles in the interim he can barely move them in and has left a lot in his mom's cellar. I cringe knowing the thousands of dollars of undrinkable once-greatness that is in his mom's house right now.

 

I guess also helpful to know what your apartment/house situation is - are you living solo in a 1500 sq ft three bedroom duplex in a large apt building with storage, or are you making a one bed on a 3rd floor walk up work, despite having two kids and a dog.

Sounds like you're in the city and your parents are out in NJ/LI/Westchester/etc?

And what sort of quantity are we talking? 50 bottles? 500?

 

For such a large cellar, it sounds like any type of storage is out of the question. Even a large temp controlled wine cellar doesn't hold that many bottles. Do you have any friends in the restaurant biz that would rent you some space in a walk-in? Maybe you've stumbled upon a new crazy start idea

 

There are plenty of wine storage units that fit that many or more, especially considering beer bottles are smaller than wine bottles. Main issue is probably that they are geared towards storing bottles sideways which isn't ideal. You would lose a lot of space storing upright. Also the OP has shot down a number of ideas as too expensive, but hasn't given a price range, which would help.

 

I have a full sized wine cooler, that's listed with a capacity of 153 bottles (laying down that is) and I had to retrofit it with some flat shelves to be able to stand bottles up. Even so, id say 350 bottles might be pushing it, as weight starts to become an issue. I was able to get the cooler off someone giving it away, so price wasn't an issue aside from running a wine cooler all year long. They sell for about $1,500 without even factoring electricity or where/ how you would even fit one in a New York City apartment.

 

http://www.vinotemp.com/View.aspx/2817/600E-Model-Economy-Wine-Cabinet-with-2-Doors

https://cnj.craigslist.org/fuo/6182662893.html

Probably outside the OP's price range, but used ones are out there all the time. Also didn't specify space, but these would hold 400+ beer bottles. The one door sized versions would hold 200+ beer bottles (with no shelves), and are regularly available used for $500ish. Maybe the Op could get a 200 and continue to keep some long term agers at his parents?

 

@JGam115

 

But u can afford a storage unit to cellar 250-350 bottles and then to trade/ship? I take it you are not a math teacher? This is one of the weirder threads out there. Maybe get your parents in on the shipping game and throw them a few beers for their troubles.

 

Convert a chest freezer with an extended collar ala keezer style and add shelves? I don't see how holding onto that many bottles does anyone any good, trading or drinking wise regardless.

 

I assume you don't want to move out to Queens or Brooklyn? Probably not worth it just for beer, but that extra space probably would allow you some additional storage options inside of your apartment.

 

Chest freezer and wine stat or johnson controls A421 will do the job for a few hundred bucks.

https://tempstatcontrols.com/product/wine-stat-ii-standard-model/