Do I need a fridge or freezer to keep beer...?

If your beers in the fridge have a frost on them I'm pretty sure they'll end up frozen. Probably not what you want even if you're drinking AAL's.

 

I would imagine that you could just get a thermometer of any sort and fiddle with the settings on your fridge / freezer for a few days to get it where you want. Unfortunately, frost should only appear below freezing, which as @Lucular suggests, isn't great for drinking beer unless you are shooting for slushies. If you are looking to cool a macro, than just work the temp down to about 34 according to most any store bought thermometer. Even if it isn't' super calibrated, it will keep you out of frozen trouble.

The only other suggestion I'd have is far more elaborate and probably of little use, which is to buy one of those Bud / Bud Light aluminum can coolers that keeps beer at like 25 degrees and only keep Bud or Bud Light aluminum cans around....

If you are talking about craft beer, you never want frost on them or any temp even approaching frost unless you are trying to make eisbock versions of your favorite beers.

 

Put your glasses in the freezer and your beers in the fridge!

 

Then it really doesn't matter what the you do, there is no chance of making the Heineken any less skunky or having the non existent flavor fall off in the Coors Light.

Seriously, getting the bottle frosty isn't really a practical solution for anything.

 

Your preference just isn't practical, like you've been told. To get frost you are below freezing, which starts to freeze the water component of the beer. You might wonder why you can't go to a bar and buy a frosty bottle of beer? The best solution for you is to freeze your glasses.

 

The other thing to adjust in your thinking is the notion that a digital display is going to give you extremely accurate and consistent temps. It is not. It is no different than the old school dials you turn, all it is doing is reading out a value. That value is a set point, the temperature will fluctuate above and below that based on the factory settings for cut in and cut out of the compressor. If you were to put a thermometer in various places all over the box you will see a very wide fluctuation.

 

The freezing point of beer is slightly below the freezing point of water. You should be able to safely (i.e. without creating beer slushies) keep your beer fridge at 31-32 degF. Just about any self-respecting refrigerator can get that cold (eventually) when set to minimum temp. If you want to avoid defrosting the fridge, you'll have to have a bit more expensive model than your typical "dorm room" fridge, like you linked to, but you won't need a commercial unit.

(But, asking this board the best way to keep beer that cold is a bit like asking a native Hawaiian for recommendations on buying a parka to wear to the beach... )

 

I would suggest you get a separate thermometer rather than relying on the refrigerator's display. Even better would be a couple of separate thermometers so you can monitor top v bottom (for example). Or, bump the temp up to 33 degF to give you a bit of margin.

I use a separate thermometer in my "dorm room" type beer fridge and I keep it around 41 - 43 degF. (And, even that is a bit too cold for some of the members here.)

 

IDK about your fridge specifically, buy my little dorm fridge is fully capable of freezing its contents if you max the cooling setting and don't open it very often. If yours is not it could be a number of things, including the compressor is low in refrigerant, the seals on the door are leaking, you open it a lot and/or stand there with the door open while you ponder your options, you keep your fridge in a hot area in the summer (e.g. the garage), etc., or combinations of those. (Several of these could also be the culprit - or a major contributor - in the defrosting issue. If you let a lot of outside are into the fridge (or it gets in past leaking door seals), the condensation will cause frost to build up.)

The style of the control has nothing to do with how cold the fridge is capable of getting.

 

Get an upright freezer and an external temp controller.

This one is plug and play. http://www.amazon.com/Johnson-Contr...8&qid=1446844258&sr=8-1&keywords=johnson+a419

The freezer is capable of producing the temperature you're after and the controller allows you to fine tune the temp without freezing your beer.

 

get a ranco or johnson controller. digital or good old dial, either one. the dial is idiot proof.

http://www.foxxequipment.com/PicturesCategory/19W09100.jpg
squirt the bottles with a mist of water.

set to less than 32 but more than 28. wait for frost.

enjoy crappy frosted beer in a bottle.

end.

oh yeah. you can also take a few bottles out of the fridge, spray them with mist and pop them in the freezer.