Mold in my beer fridge...

Discussion in 'Cellaring / Aging Beer' started by AdamP, Dec 22, 2013.

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  1. AdamP

    AdamP Initiate (0) Mar 26, 2012 Pennsylvania

    I have a commercial beer fridge (complete with Bud Light advertisement on the outside) that I use to keep my beers at ~53 degrees.

    I used it for about three months over the summer with no issue and then in late October noticed a nasty smell and white mold growing on some of the bottles. I took them out and wiped them down with antibacterial wipes, sprayed the inside of the fridge with cleaner w/bleach, and figured that would alleviate the problem. Seemed to work, until I open it today and find the same thing (smell and spores).

    I'm planning on doing the same cleaning routine as last time, but was hoping someone else who has run into this problem may have advice for avoiding this again in the future. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

    FYI, I open the fridge every 1-2 days to grab beers for drinking that night.

    Thanks and cheers!
     
    #1 AdamP, Dec 22, 2013
  2. Phillyz

    Phillyz Initiate (0) May 20, 2010 Pennsylvania

    Bleach your fridge Adam! It's not coming from the bottles, it's probably coming from the fan. Or spray it down in alcohol. It's Tom btw.
     
    #2 Phillyz, Dec 22, 2013
    JrGtr likes this.
  3. atpca

    atpca Pooh-Bah (1,652) Jun 10, 2013 California
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Go to amazon, buy 1 or more:
    Eva-dry Renewable EDV-300/E-333 Wireless Mini Dehumidifer
     
    #3 atpca, Dec 22, 2013
  4. Davl22

    Davl22 Maven (1,341) Sep 27, 2011 New Hampshire
    Trader

    Or spend a couple bucks on Damp-Rid containers, also works wonders for excess humidity and mold.
     
    #4 Davl22, Dec 23, 2013
  5. AdamP

    AdamP Initiate (0) Mar 26, 2012 Pennsylvania

    Have you used these personally? Seems like that it would be easier than the Damp-Rid containers.

    My only concern would be if using something like this will lead to corks drying out quickly. I'm not looking to age anything for decades, but there are definitely some C&C bottles of gueuze I'm planning on laying down for 5+ years.
     
    #5 AdamP, Dec 23, 2013
  6. atpca

    atpca Pooh-Bah (1,652) Jun 10, 2013 California
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I use one in my chest freezer, which is mostly "staging to drink" not long term. I like that I can just plug it in to "re-charge" rather than replace it. Haven't stored anything > 9mo with one.
     
    #6 atpca, Dec 23, 2013
  7. AdamP

    AdamP Initiate (0) Mar 26, 2012 Pennsylvania

    Just bought one on Amazon, hopefully this does the fix after I wipe the sucker down. Thanks for the tip!
     
    #7 AdamP, Dec 23, 2013
  8. UHCougar12

    UHCougar12 Initiate (0) Feb 21, 2011 Texas

    It sounds like I have the same style fridge but red bull advertisements. I've used it for four years in my garage, and never had an issue until last month I had the white mold problem. I thought about it and the only thing Ive done differently is rearrange the beers a few months ago. I found one of them was too close to the door and it wasn't sealing completely allowing warmer air and dust in.

    Also, Make sure the drink trays are pushed completely to the back so when the door shuts it doesn't hit them. I had that problem when I first got it.
     
    #8 UHCougar12, Dec 31, 2013
    AdamP likes this.
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