Australia’s best beer fridges

May 20th, 2014

Appliance Talk Fridges & Freezers

Looking for a new beer fridge?  You’re not the only one.

Here are a few of the best types of beer fridge available from Appliances Online to keep your cold ones cold:

Bar fridges

The first thing most of us think of when we hear the words “beer fridge” is a compact bar fridge, handy for giving your special drinks their own special home.

While most homes should do just fine with a fairly standard bar fridge for casual enjoyment of drinks, you do have the option of taking things a step or two further, if you’re eager.

To give your home’s bar area (whether that’s a rumpus room, the garage, or the back porch) a touch of extra personality, think about a colourful bar fridge.  Won’t that collection of hilarious fridge magnets look even better when affixed to a bright red bar fridge?  Or a cool black design, like the Smeg bar fridge seen above?

If your beer deserves to not only be enjoyed, but proudly presented to your guests, you can opt for one of the specialised beverage storage cabinets with glass doors from brands such as Grand Cru, DeLonghi, Vintec, Husky and Liebherr.

Not only does this let you show off your beer collection like you would a set of fine wines, but these high-quality coolers also often include special temperature and humidity control settings for creating ideal drink storage conditions, and many also come with locks to keep curious hands off your bottles and/or cans.

Fun Beer Fact – Unlike wine, most beers do not improve with age, and in fact have a limited shelf life (approximately 9 months).  The exceptions are ales that contain live yeast, which age more slowly, and selected European beers with a high alcohol content, which mature with cellaring into thicker, headier brews.  Don’t believe me? There’s a bloke out there with a great deal of self control who plans to store some bottles of his beer collection for 20 years before tasting them!

Full size fridges

There are many iconic elements of The Australian Dream.  One popular part of this dream involves owning a house in the suburbs with a backyard, complete with a rickety old spare fridge out the back.

Source: abc.net.au

But before you grab the first secondhand fridge you come across, think about this – why not buy new?

Yes, it will likely cost a touch more upfront, but in the long run you’ll be saving yourself money.  Here’s why:

Always look for the energy star rating!

Many secondhand fridges that get passed around are old energy-guzzlers that’ll make your electric bills skyrocket.  Plus, they’re often quite noisy as well, which can spoil the serenity when you just want to relax with a drink.

Want an idea of how much power an old fridge uses?  Punch its details into Ausgrid’s energy calculator – you may be surprised by the results!

420L Electrolux Fridge ETM4200SDRH

So why not go for a new energy-efficient fridge such as the 4-star Electrolux pictured above (left-opening model also available) instead?

If you want to use even less energy and save even more money, try only running the fridge when you’ve filled it, and then, only when you’re actively chilling your drinks.  Fridges are designed with good insulation in mind, so once your fridge’s interior has cooled down, keeping it closed and out of the sun should allow it to maintain a cool temperature for a long time (that said, don’t risk it when you’re storing perishables).

If you don’t need a freezer, you can opt for a dedicated upright fridge, but if you’d like to be able to chill drinks quickly and also make ice, choose an energy-efficient fridge in a top freezer or bottom freezer design.

Kegs in the home

If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to add a beer tap to your home’s bar just like the ones down at your local pub, wonder no more – it IS possible!

The Keg Fridge from Grand Cru is a keg and bar tap apparatus just like the ones at your local, but made for use in the home.  Sized to accommodate either a single 50L CUB keg or three 20L post mix kegs, and requiring just a CO2 canister and a bit of work to install (remember – if in any doubt, call a professional), the Keg Fridge turns any home into a bar.

Source: Carole’s Thoughtful Spot

Alternatively, several commercial mini-kegs have entered the market in recent years, such as the popular Heineken kegs and the refillable Tap King from Lion breweries.  To keep these nicely chilled, you’ll want to make sure that your beer fridge has sturdy tempered glass shelving that can be adjusted and re-arranged to accomodate these bulky items.  And just in case of surprise disasters, you might want a fridge with spillproof shelving that holds loose liquid in place…

Need more help?

If you’ve got an ambitious plan for keeping your beer cold but need a bit of advice on the best way to make it happen, contact the appliance experts at Appliances Online.  Our team is available 24/7 via live chat, email and telephone – call 1300 000 500.

Remember – always drink responsibly.