How to Buy a Beer Fridge

A beer fridge is a convenient way to store extra beer without crowding your regular refrigerator. Also, some kinds of beer taste better if served cold, but not ice cold. If you have a refrigerator used exclusively for beer, you can adjust the temperature controls to the exact temperature you prefer your kind of beer to be.There are many styles of mini refrigerators that are suitable for beer. Some beer fridges have a glass from allowing a full view of the kinds of beer inside. This kind of refrigerator is typically more popular at bars and restaurants than at the average home, even though the glass front fridges are attractive (and small glass front refrigerators are comparable in price to the average miniature refrigerators). More popular in most households is the simple mini fridge. The advantage to the mini fridge is that no one can see what your fridge contains. The disadvantage is you won't be able to see either without opening the door. This means you might not notice you are running dangerously low on beer--a very bad situation.When deciding what kind of beer fridge to buy, appearance (glass door or no glass door?), cost, size and efficiency are four top things to consider carefully. After all, a good beer fridge is an important investment for beer lovers.

Instructions

1. Decide the size of beer fridge you need. To do this, determine about how many cans or bottles you would like to be able to keep in the beer fridge. Most beer fridges are at least 2 cubic feet or larger. A 2 to 3 cubic foot fridge can hold a lot of beer, depending on the style.

2. Determine approximately how much you are willing to spend for a beer fridge. For average, small, dorm-sized refrigerators, there isn't a large variation in price from brand to brand, but it never hurts to shop around a bit.

3. Check out the shelves to see if they are removable for easy cleaning. Removable shelves are also a good feature to look for in case you ever want to chill something larger than the average bottle of beer (an extra large bottle of imported beer, for instance).

4. Find out just how cold the fridge can go. How cold you want it depends on your beer preference. Some kinds of beer taste best when they are served as cold as possible. Other beers are better just chilled. If you like your beer really cold, make sure your new fridge is up to the task.

5. Ask to listen to the fridge plugged in. Some run much more quietly than others. If background noise bothers you, keep this in mind.

6. Ask about any warranties. You don't want to bring the beer fridge home and have it stop working within a week with no recourse. New refrigerators almost always have some kind of warranty. Read the fine print, though, before purchasing the fridge.

Tips & Warnings

• Many small refrigerators come in white, which shows dirt very easily. When possible, opt for a different color.