Recommendations for a Beer Fridge?

What happens when using an external controller with a fridge/freezer combo? Like, when I put the thermometer in the fridge and set the controller for 55, will the freezer run ~15 degrees warmer than where it's set (since that's approximately what the fridge would be doing)? I'd like to use the freezer portion to store frozen food while storing my beer in the fridge at 55.

 

It will be difficult (impossible?) to use your freezer section the way you describe.

The freezer temp will be dependent on how you set your dampers (and a few other variables). Somewhere you have controls for freezer & fridge settings, usually something like 1 - 10 or A - F (warmer to colder). This actually measures how much cold air is released into the cold food compartment (series of dampers). Typically you'll set your freezer to warmest setting and fridge to coldest . . . but there's a little fine tuning involved. You want to dial in the fridge section (best temp for beer) and the freezer temp ends up being largely uncontrolled.

Remember, all the cold air from evaporator coil is produced in the freezer section*. A healthy unit will spit out something like -20°, some of this cold air is diverted to the fridge section. If you put buckets of water in your freezer it will be more efficient (less air to leak out, better cold retention). A lot of this depends on how good your seals are. I find in very hot weather the water freezes in my freezer (unit runs more often). Once the outside air temp drops there's little to no ice in freezer. This is while keeping the fridge section in the mid-60s.

*Some new-fangled refrigerators have a more complex series of controls/air distribution . . . unlikely to see this in run-of-the-mill fridges.