Beer Forum

My neighbor recently gave me a near-new wine fridge that holds about 50 bottles horizontally. These are commonly found at Costco, etc. for about $300.

The wine racks are removable, but I was thinking of using to hold 750ml corked Belgium style beers.

Any thoughts on whether storing corked 750 bottles is a bad idea? I was thinking that bottom sedement might then move to the side of the bottle, but nearly all the bottles I have are rather clear. My homebrew 20 oz wouldn't work, but just curious.

Also, I have not yet sized the interior, but I think it will hold at least one of my 5 gal kegs. Has anyone converted one of these fridges to a keg fridge?

If you do store them on their sides the sediment will stick to one side of the bottle and you'll have to open the bottle with it tilted to that same side or stand the bottle upright a few days before you know you are going to drink it. I wonder if the fridge can get cold enough for a 5 gallon keg.

Ziggy - that is a really good point that I didn't think of - the fridge is probably calibrated for cool wine temps, not cold beer. I haven't pressed it into use, but plan to this weekend. I'll post back what I find, including keg sizing.