Looking for a small beer fridge

Discussion in 'Cellaring / Aging Beer' started by Ford, Sep 15, 2012.

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  1. Ford

    Ford Initiate (0) Sep 8, 2012 Texas

    I've tried searching here quite a bit and haven't found a great thread about it..(maybe I'm searching the wrong key words)

    looking for something maybe half the size of a regular fridge with no freezer... want my bottles, including the 22oz to be able to stand up...

    Should I just peruse Craigslist, or is there something out there new I should be looking at?

    I'm pretty new here (at least the forums..) so go easy on me if this has been beaten to death... I know not what I do... :grinning:
     
  2. skycracksopen

    skycracksopen Initiate (0) Jul 12, 2012 Colorado

    What a lot of people end up doing is just buying a normal upright freezer or fridge and an external temperature control. I bought a full size freezer on craigslist for only $75, plus $50 for the temp control. $125 for a 53° fridge that holds about 150 bottles is a pretty good deal, I think.
     
  3. willandperry

    willandperry Initiate (0) Sep 15, 2011 Colorado

    You got lucky cause I ended up spending $175 on an upright freezer plus the cost of a johnson controller for the temp control. Im sure if you stick it out, you can find it cheaper, especially if your have a bigger market than OKC on craigs list. Even with what I have spent, Its worth it.
     
  4. skycracksopen

    skycracksopen Initiate (0) Jul 12, 2012 Colorado

    Yeah, my freezer is old (1991), and that's probably why it was so cheap, but it still gets the job done.
     
  5. Ford

    Ford Initiate (0) Sep 8, 2012 Texas

    Ok, good stuff. I'm going to be on the lookout on Craigslist. Where's a good place to pick up an external controller? Thanks for the tips.
     
  6. hooliganlife

    hooliganlife Pooh-Bah (1,759) Apr 12, 2007 Missouri
    Pooh-Bah

    i bought a nice 40ish bottle holding mini wine fridge for $40. patience is virtue, there are some good deals up there. wine fridges are nice as they have the correct humidity levels.
     
  7. skycracksopen

    skycracksopen Initiate (0) Jul 12, 2012 Colorado

    Some people might not like that a wine fridge would hold their beer bottles sideways instead of upright. That was one of my main selling points for the normal upright freezer.
     
  8. hooliganlife

    hooliganlife Pooh-Bah (1,759) Apr 12, 2007 Missouri
    Pooh-Bah

    handyman work! i rigged both mine to also hold bottles vertical.
     
  9. Amerikon

    Amerikon Initiate (0) Apr 17, 2008 California

    I have one of these:
    http://www.edgestar.com/BWC120SS-Ed...default,pd.html?cgid=Appliances-Refrigerators
    (Same unit, lower price)
    http://www.amazon.com/EdgeStar-Bott...9?s=appliances&ie=UTF8&qid=1348096506&sr=1-19

    You can re-arrange the shelves to accommodate things that aren't Miller Lite. The way I have it set up, I can lay down 5 large bottles in the top rack, put 10-15 large bottles (22oz or 750mL) standing in the bottom and about 30 or so 12 oz bottles in the middle rack.

    The only complaint I have is that the compressor occasionally makes a high-pitched noise, it's not too bad, but it can be pretty annoying when it persists. The reviews on Amazon weren't to great, but it seemed like all the negative reviews were based on compressor failures and temperature issues which I haven't experienced. YMMV, I suppose.
     
  10. mgp2675

    mgp2675 Initiate (0) Oct 30, 2007 New Jersey

    I have a Kenmore fridge that I got years ago from K-Mart for probably around $50...it's really nice and works perfectly.
     
  11. Ford

    Ford Initiate (0) Sep 8, 2012 Texas

    Ok.. for those who put one in their garage... especially in hot weather areas.... do you see any significant rise in your electric bill? I live in Houston, so it would be working pretty hard in the summer.... if I go with something a bit bigger in the garage.
     
  12. lokieman

    lokieman Initiate (0) Jan 20, 2011 Oklahoma

    I use a kegerator that I retro-fitted a shelf to give me 2 levels. The temp control is perfect (52-55 degrees year round) and I would say I could probably fit 40-45 bombers at capacity. Plus if you upgrade to a full fridge no big deal...now you can drop keg in your kegerator.
     
  13. hooliganlife

    hooliganlife Pooh-Bah (1,759) Apr 12, 2007 Missouri
    Pooh-Bah

    remember your fridge will have to work significantly harder which could result in it dying quicker, also depending on if it has a true compressor. also, some wine fridges specifically say NOT to put them in a garage or very warm area.
     
  14. AnjouBijou

    AnjouBijou Initiate (162) Sep 7, 2011 Texas

    I've gone through two wine refrigerators in five years, both indoors; they just don't seem to last very long. I came to this thread looking for information about converting a regular refrigerator and was pleased at how easily I found the information.
     
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