Beer Cellar thread - real cellars, closet cellars, fridge cellars, freezer cellars, wine coolers

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evilc

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Always a good thread.

Me:

Bought a freezerless fridge, set it to 52F with this:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00368D6JA/?tag=talkbeer-20

fermentation-temperature-control.jpg


The probe is inside a bottle filled with water and 2oz Isopropyl Alcohol.

It's been working awesome.

6z3b.jpg
 
my house came with a perfect cellar of sorts. it has insulataed walls against the naturally chilled concrete walls. I can fit a good amount of beer in there, though I need to inventory what I have and free up some some space, I have approximately 20 cases in there right now.
 
my house came with a perfect cellar of sorts. it has insulataed walls against the naturally chilled concrete walls. I can fit a good amount of beer in there, though I need to inventory what I have and free up some some space, I have approximately 20 cases in there right now.

I would love a house like that. It's 105F here in the summer.
 
This was my old cellar -- great basement space in the northeast corner of the house, I insulated the whole thing and it stayed in the 55-60 range year-round:

cellar.jpg


Just moved to Denver for a year and have no space... so it's all boxed up in a wine storage facility for the moment. I miss the cellar I could just pop down to anytime.
 
This was my old cellar -- great basement space in the northeast corner of the house, I insulated the whole thing and it stayed in the 55-60 range year-round:

cellar.jpg


Just moved to Denver for a year and have no space... so it's all boxed up in a wine storage facility for the moment. I miss the cellar I could just pop down to anytime.

Love the legit stuff - wish I had that ability. Everything is fake in California =)
 
my house came with a perfect cellar of sorts. it has insulataed walls against the naturally chilled concrete walls. I can fit a good amount of beer in there, though I need to inventory what I have and free up some some space, I have approximately 20 cases in there right now.
I've got a similar situation. The basement is open to the air on both ends (security gates on both sides -- very San Francisco), and we have thick, chilly concrete walls. It's 55-60 year-round down there. It's fantastic.
 
I've got a similar situation. The basement is open to the air on both ends (security gates on both sides -- very San Francisco), and we have thick, chilly concrete walls. It's 55-60 year-round down there. It's fantastic.

That's awesome to hear -- I'm moving out to SF next June and hoping to find a decent spot to stash everything. Didn't realize the temp was that stable!
 
I'm in the basement/boxes camp. I've got a basement in an old house in mid-Michigan that stays a pretty steady 62 degrees year round. I've got most of the beers in 12/24 bottle case boxes, in a few different stacks and cubbies. Not necessarily optimal - I would rather have the boxes on shelves. There is a benefit in stacking though - it keeps you away from certain stuff that you have a hard time resisting (Expedition bottles, I'm looking at you).
 
I would love a house like that. It's 105F here in the summer.
it gets hot here, though mostly high 80s to 90s, but between the ac and the natural chill of the basement it works great. have a thermometer on the door just to have a little piece of mind.
 
I'm in the basement/boxes camp. I've got a basement in an old house in mid-Michigan that stays a pretty steady 62 degrees year round. I've got most of the beers in 12/24 bottle case boxes, in a few different stacks and cubbies. Not necessarily optimal - I would rather have the boxes on shelves. There is a benefit in stacking though - it keeps you away from certain stuff that you have a hard time resisting (Expedition bottles, I'm looking at you).
I put the beer I want to forget about furthest away, with more boxes on top and boxes on top of the ones in front of them.
 
I looked at those - the Eurocaves etc. People were asking 1k for ancient, questionable ones. Went with the 75$ controller and 200$ Craigslist fridge :/ The ***** works tho!

I've purchased two, scratch and dent, new Eurocave models (they were the exact same model from different guys, so they probably came from the same local distributor) from Craigslist between early 2012 and 2013. They kick complete ass. I converted one into mostly standing storage, the other is mostly vertical storage. They were ~$400 each. Best beer investment(s) I've made, ever.

I should also note that they look like gun cases (yes, people have asked), so that will be an advantage in 16yrs when my daughter starts dating.
 
I've purchased two, scratch and dent, new Eurocave models (they were the exact same model from different guys, so they probably came from the same local distributor) from Craigslist between early 2012 and 2013. They kick complete ass. I converted one into mostly standing storage, the other is mostly vertical storage. They were ~$400 each. Best beer investment(s) I've made, ever.

I should also note that they look like gun cases (yes, people have asked), so that will be an advantage in 16yrs when my daughter starts dating.

Noted AND put on my to-do list.

Edit: who am I kidding? I already have a gun safe and im building a ground cellar on my land into the mountain.
 
I've purchased two, scratch and dent, new Eurocave models (they were the exact same model from different guys, so they probably came from the same local distributor) from Craigslist between early 2012 and 2013. They kick complete ass. I converted one into mostly standing storage, the other is mostly vertical storage. They were ~$400 each. Best beer investment(s) I've made, ever.

I should also note that they look like gun cases (yes, people have asked), so that will be an advantage in 13yrs when my daughter starts dating.

ftfy
 
Exactly, basements in CA?!?! Hahahaha...
I think I've seen 2.
But we have crawlspaces, and they can be nearly as good!
iYzG9cj.jpg

It stays <70 even in the middle of summer. Not the best, but not bad. It's fuller now, I should get updated pictures. I have about 330 bottles total, and a buddy is storing his stuff in my place too. He has like 24 on my racks and another 340 or so in boxes.
 
I have a big chest freezer and a medium size Pepsi fridge holding all my bottle, sans a case of bruery beers. Both have a digital temp controller and have worked flawlessly the past 3 years.
It's not very pretty, but it lets my beer slowly degrade.
XELsI9h.png

mpfiZjm.png
 
A little outdated pic, but it's a temp controlled standing wine cellar. I took out the shelves that weren't needed and then cut pieces of plexiglass to fit perfectly on the shelves since they are slatted for laying down wine bottles. I drilled holes in the plexiglass to allow for proper airflow throughout.


951b0d88b8fe11e2984f22000a1fb895_7.jpg
 
I have a question for people, do you store your most impressive beers at the front of your shelves? I ask because it often seems somewhat likely from these pictures, but I store my rarer stuff farther back. Then again, I'm in earthquake country, so that weighs heavily on my mind...

I don't have a particular order on how I store things.
 
I have a question for people, do you store your most impressive beers at the front of your shelves? I ask because it often seems somewhat likely from these pictures, but I store my rarer stuff farther back. Then again, I'm in earthquake country, so that weighs heavily on my mind...
In the back! Gotta hide the whales!
 
I have a question for people, do you store your most impressive beers at the front of your shelves? I ask because it often seems somewhat likely from these pictures, but I store my rarer stuff farther back. Then again,I'm in earthquake country, so that weighs heavily on my mind...

i store mine in the most constant temp area, mostly behind less important **** or under a large pile to deter myself or visiting drunks from drinking them randomly or without reaaaalllly trying.
 
I have a question for people, do you store your most impressive beers at the front of your shelves? I ask because it often seems somewhat likely from these pictures, but I store my rarer stuff farther back. Then again, I'm in earthquake country, so that weighs heavily on my mind...

I store it where it is safest. On my shelves I put the rarest stuff on the bottom shelf or the back of upper shelves. Not terribly worried about earthquakes, but drunken hands and ******* cats can definitely knock bottles over.

For the most part my cellar isn't for display purposes. Half the bottles just sit around in unmarked boxes anyway, though I'd like to clean that up one of these days...
 
I have a question for people, do you store your most impressive beers at the front of your shelves? I ask because it often seems somewhat likely from these pictures, but I store my rarer stuff farther back. Then again, I'm in earthquake country, so that weighs heavily on my mind...

All my whales are out of sight in both pictures, in boxes or tucked in the back... I don't think there is massively impressive one in either.
 
i have that johnson controls on a freezer, works pretty well. mine is set to 58 degrees but has tons of condensation.

i had a Transtherm wine fridge that died on me but a true wine fridge is bomb.com as it nails humidity levels.

if you look at wine coolers, make sure it has a compressor as it will regulate the temp better
 
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