I have been interested in owning a beer fridge for quite some time now. I did not want one that launched beers robotically, I wanted one that would store my beer at its proper temperature (strong beer: 55-60F, ales: 50-55F, lighter beers: 45-50F). Unfortunately most fridges designed for storing beer either hold a fair bit of bottles but are out of my price range or do not store many bottles and are still pretty expensive. Also, most “beer fridges” are wine fridges with beer tacked on as a bullet point in the spec sheet, which probably does not make them ideal for storing 12 ounce bottles. I had almost given up hope on possessing a beer fridge, until I came across my old college dorm room fridge in my parent’s basement.

The problem with a fridge for storing beer is the fact a fridge is too cold. A fridge is used to slow the growth of bacteria on food, but to do that it needs to be between 35 and 38 degrees, which is colder then even lighter beers (lagers, pilsners, wheat, etc) like to be stored at. The challenge was how to raise the temperature of the dorm fridge.

At first I thought I would need to take out and/or modify the thermostat in the fridge. Before taking the fridge apart and whipping out the soldering iron, I decided to search around the internet for more ideas. Quite quickly I found “another idea”. The idea involved the use of an external “Temperature Controller”.

The use of an external temperature controller could not be any easier: crank the fridge to max, plug the fridge into the controller, plug the controller into the wall, place the controller’s sensor in the fridge, set temperature, via mechanical or digital controls, on the controller, and viola a beer fridge is born! By cranking the fridge to the max, the fridge is “on” at all times, but the external temperature controller regulates, via the dialed in temperature, whether the fridge’s motor receives electricity. A simple and elegant solution, the way I like them.

After the rearranging of some shelves (removable shelving and containers is key), my fridge is set to store fifteen twenty-two ounce and twenty-five twelve ounce bottles (I could store more of either if I stored less of the other). I set the temperature controller for roughly 52 degrees, since I tend to drink ales, but I may raise that slightly with the coming of winter and stronger beer. Aesthetically, with no glass door and the temperature controller hanging off the side by plastic hook, it may not be as pleasing as a more expensive professional beer fridge, but the lack of a glass door provides ample space for the placing of brewery stickers/magnets, and the reasonable price means more beer for the fridge. My fridge also happens to be in the basement so aesthetics are not a high priority.

You should be able to pick up an external temperature controller at your local home brew store or an online reseller. The going rate seemed to be in the mid to high fifty dollar range (without shipping or tax) for the mechanical ones (the version I went with). For the more technically inclined, I found plans for this DIY temperature controller, or for those who want to fiddle with a timer to control the regulation of electricity to the fridge motor, there are these directions. If you don’t have a dorm fridge laying around, Craigslist might have a few listings, and occasionally they go on sale at stores.

For a beer lover, this is definitely a “project” to try out.