Who doesn't love coming home after a hard day of work and cracking open an ice-cold beer in the comfort of their own home?
For many Americans (in fact, for people all over the world), this is the perfect way to end the day. However, it's something that's made ten times better when you've got your own dedicated beer fridge to store all of your beverages and keep them at the optimum temperature.
No man cave or workshop is truly complete without one of these special fridges, so they've become very popular in recent decades. What that also means is that there are now hundreds of options to choose from online.
Thankfully, we're here to help narrow down your selection with this guide to the best beer fridges on the market!
OUR TOP PICK
We're kicking things off with one of the highest-rated mini-fridges on the whole internet!
This option is perfect for people who love to create an aesthetic arrangement with the beers and other drinks in their fridge.
The single glass door boldly shows off the variety of beverages you might have on offer at any one time.
In fact, the door on this fridge is even reversible, so you don't have to worry about other furniture getting in the way of you operating it.
The fridge also uses high-tech features to create an evenly cooled environment, meaning every can and bottle will stay at the same temperature, with none getting heated up by a fan.
The digital thermostat also allows you to keep close control over just how cool you want your drinks. After all, a beer that's too cold can be a little too much to stomach on a cold day!
You might think that because this fridge has the capacity for 120 cans, it won't have enough space for larger bottles, but you'd be wrong!
All the shelves inside are removable and adjustable, meaning you can have it set up in any way you need.
As well as all the fantastic drinks cooling features, this fridge also does a great job of maximizing space efficiency.
This is because the fridge itself doesn't take up too much space in the room but has the largest possible capacity, meaning you get the most storage space for the space it takes up in your room.
In general, this is one of the best all-round beer fridges on the market, at a very reasonable price. Of course, because it's so much cheaper than some other options we'll look at, some components might feel a little flimsy or weak, but this is a small price to pay for the great value of this fridge.
Pros
- Reversible door - You can set the door up to open in either direction, giving it great versatility
- Great space efficiency - Doesn't take up too much room in your home but has plenty of capacity for drinks
- Even cooling - Creates an environment where all of your drinks will stay at a consistent temperature
- Digital thermostat - Allows you to keep close control over the temperature of your drinks
- Value for money - This is one of the least expensive fridges on our list, but it's definitely not the worst
Cons
- Flimsy parts - Some customers have highlighted how the shelves in this fridge are a little misshapen and flimsy
EDITORS CHOICE
The next option we're looking at is one from a very reliable homeware brand: Whynter. As a result, there are plenty of options on Amazon to purchase this fridge with a coffee maker, ice maker, microwave, or all kinds of other appliances.
When it comes to the fridge itself, this one has the capacity to hold up to 120 standard 12oz cans, meaning it has great space efficiency.
Just like the previous fridge, this one has a reversible door which avoids all the issues of setting it up near other furniture in your home.
The glass door is also great for displaying your array of cans and bottles, allowing you to create a visual masterpiece in your fridge.
Another cool feature of this fridge is the soft LED light which illuminated the cans and bottles inside, making them look even brighter and more enticing.
Whilst this is one of the cheapest options on our list, plenty of customers have found this to be a bad thing. A few have complained of components falling apart and coming loose, leaving the fridge unusable after only a few months.
However, this may only prove to be an issue if you keep the fridge at full capacity most of the time.
Alternatively, if you're only after something that will hold a few drinks at a time for you, and you don't want to spend a fortune, this might be the one for you.
Pros
- 120-can capacity - Plenty of room for all the drinks you'll need
- Reversible glass door - Allows you to create a beautiful aesthetic through the glass, with no practical issues
- Soft LED light - Adds to the brilliant display of your drinks through the glass door
Cons
- Durability - You may find parts of this fridge coming apart if you keep it full a lot of the time
BEST VALUE
This fridge is another example of an affordable option that offers good value for money. It's designed to fit into smaller spaces, but still has a capacity of 126 cans.
There are a series of adjustable shelves that allow you to adjust the height of each shelf according to what you need.
One of the best things about this fridge is its compact size, making it easy to move around your kitchen.
There are also 7 custom temperature settings that allow you 'set and forget'. This makes it super easy to keep your drinks just the way you want them, without having to play around with a bunch of settings all the time.
These settings range from 37 degrees to 64, giving you plenty of room to maneuver.
However, probably the best feature of this particular beer fridge is the exterior design. Instead of just having a plain, monotone color on the outside, this fridge features some aesthetically pleasing text on the sides to create more of a visual impression.
This makes it much better suited for the eccentric man cave with a whole bunch of crazy decorations around it!
It's another of the cheaper options on our list, so it likely won't be the most durable fridge in the world, but it does have all the features you'd need to keep your drinks cool!
Pros
- Exterior design - The cool design on the outside creates a nice aesthetic
- 126-can capacity - Plenty of room for a variety of different drinks
- Adjustable shelves - Gives you plenty of space to store different sizes of cans and bottles
- Compact size - Allows you to fit the fridge in just about any room or arrangement.
Cons
- Noise - This fridge is known to be a little noisier than most while it's running
- Uneven cooling - Some customers have noted that the fridge doesn't cool their drinks completely evenly throughout the interior
RUNNER UP
As we move onto this beer fridge from Antarctic Star, we move into the higher price bracket for mini-fridges in general.
For this higher price tag, you'll find a bunch of great features that really set this fridge apart from the competition. Let's start by looking at the basic features:
The fridge has removable and adjustable wire racks which help you out a lot if you're storing bottles and cans of different sizes.
Similarly, the overall capacity of this fridge is a fantastic 175 cans, despite it not being that much bigger than any of the other fridges we've looked at!
The shelves inside it are also frost-resistant and a lot stronger than some of the others we've seen already, avoiding the common issue of a lack of durability.
The glass door on this fridge is also double-layered and made with tempered glass, making it stronger than most and better at keeping the cold air inside.
However, probably the best thing about this fridge, and the reason you have to pay more for it is the advanced cooling technology.
It has been fantastically designed with a fan circulation system and low vibration compressor to keep everything inside the fridge evenly cooled while creating no noise or vibration that might annoy you after a while.
You can even keep a very close eye on just how cold your fridge is, thanks to the smart digital control panel with adjustable thermostat settings and an on/off button for the interior LED light (which is also great for the visual display).
Overall, this is easily one of the most advanced beer fridges on our list, but it is also one of the most expensive. You'll have to think carefully about your own budget when making a decision on this one.
Pros
- Safety features - The fridge uses a child lock and sets off an alarm if the door is not closed properly
- LED light - Creates a cool blue aesthetic in the interior of the fridge.
- 175-can capacity - Plenty of room for all your drinks
- Advanced cooling technology - This fridge is one of the best on the market for regulating an even temperature throughout the interior
Cons
- Price - The only real downside to this beer fridge is how expensive it is
RUNNER UP
You'll likely notice a lot of similarities between this beer fridge and the previous one we looked at.
These similarities include a 175-can capacity, glass door, adjustable thermostat, and a premium price tag.
Indeed, this is a similarly sophisticated beer fridge with some great features that set it apart from the competition.
Again, the wire racks are much more durable and frost-resistant than some of the others we've looked at already.
The glass door is reversible, meaning you can have it set up to whichever configuration you prefer.
Also, the advanced cooling system creates an evenly cooled environment inside the fridge, with adjustable temperature settings, great energy efficiency, and hardly any noise pollution.
In general, this fridge and the previous one are very similar options that can't really be separated by quality. The choice between these two will largely come down to your own personal preferences over design and size.
Pros
- 175-can capacity - More than enough space for your drinks
- Reversible door - Helps to avoid issues with opening the door into other pieces of furniture
- Advanced cooling system - Creates an evenly cooled interior with great energy efficiency
- Limited noise pollution - This fridge is designed to create hardly any unwanted vibrations and noises.
Cons
- Price - Again, this is one of the most expensive fridges on our list
RUNNER UP
The final beer fridge we're looking at for this list is probably the most sophisticated, but certainly the most costly.
The first thing you'll notice is that this fridge uses two glass doors to create two separate environments to store your drinks in. This is great for anyone who likes to keep their alcoholic and soft drinks separate.
In fact, each half of the fridge even uses its own temperature control system, meaning you can have two completely different cooling environments set up at once.
There is a great variety of size options available for this product, ranging in capacity from 57 cans and 18 bottles to 190 cans, which is the largest capacity we've seen so far!
The fridge is designed to fit neatly under a standard kitchen counter and can easily slot in next to your dishwasher or cupboards.
The child lock means you can stop any naughty children from sneakily grabbing themselves a beer.
Of course, for a fridge this expensive, you'd expect it to be great for energy and noise efficiency, and it is!
You won't have an extortionate energy bill because of this fridge, and it can be controlled to stay under 38 decibels, so you'll hardly notice it's there.
This fridge uses so many advanced features that it feels wrong to label it as a mini-fridge. This is definitely one of the most effective and overall best options on our list, and we'd recommend trying it out if it fits your budget.
Pros
- Separate halves - You can create two different cooling environments for different drinks
- Child lock - Stops children from getting into your drink stash
- Energy and noise efficiency - Won't use up too much power or make a lot of noise
- Compact size - Despite all the advanced features, this fridge will fit comfortably under your kitchen counter!
Cons
- Price - Again, the only real issue here is that this fridge is the most expensive on our list
Best Beer Fridge Buying Guide
To help you decide what type of fridge you need, we've put together some quick guides below.
If you want to learn more about the types of fridges available, check out our guide to choosing the right fridge.
What Size Do I Need?
You might think that the number of drinks you plan on keeping in your new fridge dictates how big it needs to be. However, this isn't necessarily true.
It depends largely on what kind of drinks you want to keep in your fridge. For example, if you only drink standard-sized cans of soft drinks, a smaller capacity will be fine for you.
However, if you want to store larger bottles of beer, a larger capacity will be needed to store more individual drinks.
You should also think about how much space the fridge will take up in your room, and you should measure the space you have available before committing to purchasing any fridge.
Thermostat Controls
Most fridges come with thermostats built-in, but these are typically just used to regulate the temperature inside the fridge. If you're looking for a fridge with a built-in freezer compartment, you'll need to look elsewhere.
In general, though, beer fridges with digital or any kind of manual thermostat controls are the best way to go.
These allow you to control and regulate the temperatures inside your fridge very closely and ensure your drinks are always perfectly cool for you.
Efficiency
When it comes to efficiency with beer fridges, we're mainly talking about space, energy, and noise. We've already looked at what size of fridge is best so let's think about the other two factors.
Energy efficiency is often something that will be rated on the packaging of a fridge, so you can easily see how well it will perform.
Noise pollution is also something you should worry about and any fridge that boasts about how quiet it is usually a good one to go for.
Best Beer Fridge - FAQ's
What Size Do I Need?
It really depends on what kind of drinks and snacks you plan on storing in your fridge. If you only plan on having a few small drinks like cans of coke and beers, then a smaller fridge will be fine.
However, if you plan on stocking your fridge with large bottles of wine, spirits, and lager, then you'll probably want a bigger fridge.
Can I Get A Child Lock For My Beer Fridge?
Yes, many models of beer fridges include a child lock feature. This allows you to set a time limit after which the door automatically locks itself.
This means no little hands can open the door and cause mischief.
How Long Does It Last?
Most fridges should last around 5 years. The average lifespan of a fridge is 3 years, so you can expect yours to last longer than that.
However, there are things you can do to extend the life of your fridge. For example:
- Keep it clean - Cleaning the insides of your fridge regularly will help prevent mold from growing and could even prolong the life of your fridge by a year or two.
- Use a dehumidifier - Humidity causes condensation to build up on the walls of your fridge, leading to mold growth. A dehumidifier will remove this moisture and stop mold from forming.
- Use an air filter - Filters can be purchased cheaply online and they'll help reduce dust buildup in your fridge.
Do Beer Fridges Work Better Than Normal Fridges?
No, they don't. They're basically just refrigerators with extra features.
They're great for keeping your drinks cold because they keep them colder than regular fridges. However, they won't make your food taste any different.
If you're planning on buying a new fridge, then you might as well buy a standard model first and add some nice extras later.
If you're thinking about getting a beer fridge for yourself, then take into account all the points above when choosing a model.
Conclusion
There's nothing wrong with owning a beer fridge. In fact, it's a pretty handy piece of kit to have around.
Most people who own beer fridges use them for storing beer and soft drinks but if you're someone who likes to drink wine and spirits too, then you'll probably find that a larger fridge is more suitable for your needs.
However, if a smaller beer fridge is all you're looking for, you definitely can't go wrong with any of the options we've listed here!
Thus, Still Cooker was born. When I first decided that I wanted to study myself up on the consumption business, I found it so difficult to source reliable information. I had to spend all day searching for one topic on how beer was made.
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