The 8 Best Beer Fridges, Reviewed

Best Beer Fridges of 2023 — Food and Wine / Brian Kopinski

For beer lovers, nothing beats a perfectly chilled brew. While a kegerator is ideal for tapping one or two kegs at a time, the best beer fridges offer much more versatility for collectors of different styles of beer. You could certainly store your favorite lagers, pilsners, and IPAs in your kitchen refrigerator, but if you want to keep a steady supply of beers on hand, having a beer fridge provides ample space for bottles and cans.

When buying a beer fridge, you’ll want to consider the unit’s size and capacity to ensure you have enough space. You’ll also want to think about whether this fridge will be standalone, installed under a countertop, or completely portable. If you have other special requirements, like locking safety doors for children, a digital or LED display, or adjustable temperature control, we included options with those handy features, too.

As part of our research for finding the best beer fridges, we referenced data from an editor survey of the best wine fridges to get insights on the most popular brands and what features are most important to owners of specialized fridges. If you’ve been wanting to add a beer fridge to your gaming room, grilling setup, or kitchen, read on for our favorite picks.

Our Top Picks

Best Overall:

Smith & Hanks Beverage Cooler at Amazon ($899)

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Best Splurge:

Wine Enthusiast Bar Cabinet with Integrated Beverage Cooler at Wine Enthusiast (See Price)

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Best Large:

NewAir Large Beverage Refrigerator Cooler at Amazon ($700)

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Best LED Lights:

Danby 117 Can Beverage Center at Amazon ($333)

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Best for Beer and Wine:

Titan Signature Beverage and Wine Cooler at Amazon ($1,657)

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Best Freestanding:

Whynter Freestanding Beverage Refrigerator at Amazon ($310)

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Best Value:

hOmeLabs Beverage Refrigerator and Cooler at Amazon ($300)

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Best Compact:

Antarctic Star Mini Fridge at Amazon ($180)

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Smith & Hanks BEV145SRE 178 Can Capacity Beverage Cooler

Amazon

View On Amazon $899 View On Wayfair $899 View On Home Depot $899

Pros

This fridge can be used as a standalone unit or as a built-in unit beneath kitchen counters.

Cons

While the shelves do pull out for easy access, shelf dividers are not included.

This beverage refrigerator by Smith & Hanks is our top overall pick thanks to its sleek design and versatile installation capabilities. You can use it as a freestanding fridge, but the front air vents also allow it to be used as a built-in unit. It has 5.12 cubic feet of space, which is enough to hold 178 standard cans of your favorite beers. This model’s temperature ranges from 36 to 68°F, giving you the ability to use it for wine and Champagne, too.

The wood-accented shelves are adjustable to accommodate tall or odd-shaped bottles and cans, and they pull out for easy access. However, the shelves do not include dividers, so you'll want to be careful when removing bottles and cans to prevent tipping. This high-end unit also includes an auto-defrost system to prevent drinks from freezing and a soft LED lighting to illuminate the interior.

Footprint: 5.12 cubic feet | Dimensions: 32.5 x 23.75 x 23 inches |Installation Type: Built-in or standalone

Wine Enthusiast

View On Wine Enthusiast

Pros

This stylish cabinet keeps your beverages cold and doubles as a home bar cabinet.

Cons

The large footprint can be limiting depending on available space.

With two integrated fridges, this stylish bar is the ultimate piece of furniture for entertaining. Built with a mix of reclaimed elm, iron, and glass, this bar cabinet features an upper section with an adjustable shelf and ambient lights — perfect for displaying beer glasses and showing off an assortment of your favorite bottles. There are also two drawers to tuck away napkins, coasters, and other drink accessories.

The bottom doors open to reveal two separate beverage coolers that can hold 20 bottles of wine plus an assortment of bottles and cans, so everyone can enjoy their drink of choice at the optimum temperature. The upper and lower sections both have separate locks so you can secure their contents. While this cabinet only comes in one style and color, it can fit into many design schemes. It’s quite an investment, but a functional piece that will make stylish entertaining a breeze.

Footprint: 28.3 cubic feet | Dimensions: 60 x 37 x 22 inches | Installation Type: Freestanding

NewAir Large Beverage Refrigerator Cooler with 224 Can Capacity

Amazon

View On Amazon $700 View On Wayfair $918

Pros

This unit holds up to 224 standard cans while having a comparatively small footprint.

Cons

While the shelves are adjustable, this fridge works best for storing cans versus bottles.

Avid beer drinkers who like to have a variety of microbrews and premium imports in addition to supermarket favorites will enjoy this spacious beer fridge. It has room for 224 standard cans of beer and features adjustable shelves to customize your configuration. The unit’s temperature goes from 37 to 65°F controlled by a touch digital display, and it also has an automatic defrost feature to prevent ice from forming. This cooler is outfitted with three black chrome shelves that can be adjusted or removed to make room for larger bottles.

This model features red, white, and blue LED lights so you can select a color to match your mood or opt to have it cycle through all three. Parents will appreciate the inclusion of a bottom lock to keep their adult beverages secured. Use this generously sized fridge as a freestanding unit or add it to your kitchen or sideboard as a built-in unit — either way, you’ll never run out of room for your favorite brews.

Footprint: 5.72 cubic feet | Dimensions: 25.5 x 23.5 x 34.25 inches | Installation Type: Built-in or freestanding

View On Amazon $333 View On Wayfair $332 View On Best Buy $311

Pros

This compact beer fridge fits 117 cans and has an illuminated interior with blue LED lighting.

Cons

You'll want to keep an eye on the temperature range, as its lowest temperature setting will be too cold for storing beer.

If you're looking for a beer fridge that will fit right in with your other high-tech kitchen appliances, we recommend this sleek Danby 117 Can Beverage Center. It's compact and easy to tuck into the corner of your living room or den yet roomy enough to store 117 standard-sized cans. A mechanical thermostat allows you to program and maintain a temperature between 35.6°F and 50°F. The best part about this beer fridge is its sharp design. It has a tempered glass door with stainless steel trim, a door lock, and an illuminated interior with blue LED lighting.

This beer fridge is bright and modern, designed to showcase its contents rather than hide them. If you're a serious collector of beer and want to display your cans, this is the model you want.

Footprint: 3.1 cubic feet | Dimensions: 17.5 x 19.68 x 33.18 inches | Installation Type: Freestanding

Titan Signature 24 in. French Door Beverage and Wine Cooler

Wayfair

View On Amazon $1,657 View On Wayfair $1,399 View On Home Depot $1,099

Pros

This model features dual zones and lots of storage space.

Cons

This fridge has a large footprint and requires plenty of space.

If your beverage needs include both wine and beer, this fridge was designed for you. Made of stainless steel, this sturdy fridge can function as a freestanding unit but can also be installed under the counter for seamless integration. Each side of this unit has independent temperature control ranging from 38 to 72°F, so you can adjust each section as needed. In the event you lose power, the Smart Memory feature will help the refrigerator return to temperature after a restart, ensuring there’s no big temperature fluctuation that could potentially damage your wine, beer, or nonalcoholic drinks.

The three adjustable wire shelves in the beverage zone can hold up to 64 standard cans of your favorite beer, while six stainless steel shelves in the wine zone can hold up to 20 bottles of wine. The tempered glass doors can be locked, and an alarm feature will let you know if a door has been inadvertently left ajar. While it is a pricey unit, it has all the bells and whistles you need to keep wine, beer, and other beverages protected and perfectly chilled.

Footprint: 10.9 cubic feet | Dimensions: 24 x 34 x 24 inches | Installation Type: Built-in or freestanding

Whynter 121-Can Freestanding Beverage Refrigerator

Amazon

View On Amazon $310 View On Wayfair $344 View On Walmart $310

Pros

With a fairly small footprint for its size, this fridge holds over 100 cans of beer and uses a cooling fan to control temperature.

Cons

The LED lighting isn’t bright enough to illuminate the inside of the cabinet all the way.

This freestanding fridge from Whynter offers plenty of storage space, fitting up to 121 standard-sized cans of beer or cider. It features a powerful compressor with a cooling fan that forces cold air to be evenly distributed around the interior, letting your beverages get cold faster than units without a fan. The touchscreen controls let you adjust the temperature, which ranges from 34 to 43°F. This refrigerator also has four sliding shelves and a bin to hold odd or oversized cans and bottles.

Keep an eye on your beer stash through the double-paned tempered glass door so you can monitor when you need a restock. And since this cooler comes equipped with a lock and key, you can keep its contents secure when you need to.

Footprint: 3.4 cubic feet | Dimensions: 33 x 19 x 18.25 inches | Installation Type: Freestanding

hOmeLabs Beverage Refrigerator and Cooler

Amazon

View On Amazon $300 View On Walmart $300 View On Homelabs.com

Pros

The auto-defrost function of this cooler ensures your drinks won’t freeze over.

Cons

This fridge doesn’t cool as evenly or as quickly as some higher-end models.

For the budget-conscious, this beverage refrigerator from hOmeLabs provides enough storage for 120 standard cans without breaking the bank. It features a digital display and touch temperature controls and also comes equipped with an auto defrost function, so it doesn’t get icy even when it's set to 34°F (the unit’s lowest setting). There are three adjustable and removable chrome shelves to accommodate both cans and bottles and even a bottle or two of wine.

This refrigerator is equipped with LED lighting and a memory setting that will restore the preset temperature if you lose electricity. It also comes preset with a left hinge setup for the glass door but can be reversed for a right hinge opening if necessary. This fridge delivers many of the same features as higher-end models at a great value, so if cost is a major factor in your selection, this is a solid pick.

Footprint: 3.2 cubic feet | Dimensions: 19 x 33 x 17 inches | Installation Type: Freestanding

Amazon

View On Amazon $180

Pros

This compact fridge holds up to 100 standard cans, and the black exterior is easy to keep clean.

Cons

This unit’s lowest temperature setting is 40 degrees, which may not be cold enough for some.

If you don’t have a ton of space, this beverage cooler by Antarctic is big enough to hold up to 100 cans and can be easily tucked into the corner of an office or garage. Its temperature ranges from 40° to 61°F, cold enough for beers and sparkling water, but can also be used for wine that needs to be held at cellar temperatures. It features three adjustable chrome shelves that are also removable when you need to make room for larger vessels. The double-paned tempered glass door lets you see into the fridge while also ensuring excellent insulation.

Footprint: 2.6 cubic feet | Dimensions: 17.5 x 19 x 25 inches | Installation Type: Freestanding

Our Favorite Beer Fridge

The Smith & Hanks Beverage Center gets our vote for the best beer fridge due to its sleek design and versatile installation capabilities. You can use it as a freestanding fridge, but the front air vents also allow it to be used as a built-in unit. It has 5.12 cubic feet of space, which is enough to hold up to 178 standard cans. This model’s temperature ranges from 36 to 68°F, giving you the ability to use it for wine and Champagne in addition to beer.

The Research

As part of our research to find the best beer fridges, we referenced data gathered from an editor survey about the wine fridges in their homes. From this data, we looked at the most popular brands, editors' favorite features, and other helpful insights. We based our best splurge pick on this data, as we found the Wine Enthusiast Monterey Bar Cabinet to have many of the same features editors loved about their wine fridges, plus extra space to store an assortment of bottles and cans.

Our other top picks meet our expectations for quality of construction, value, and performance from popular beer fridge brands like Antarctic Star, Danby, and Whynter.

Factors to Consider

Temperature Range

When buying a beer fridge, the most important factor to consider is the fridge's temperature range. To prevent flavor loss and make sure your beer tastes great, generally, you should keep the bottles at a steady 50 to 55°F, though some more specific styles require colder temperatures. You'll want to pay attention to your beer fridge's internal thermostat so you're storing your brews in an ideal temperature climate.

Size/Capacity

Another main factor to consider is space — internal capacity as well as its overall footprint. If you tend to go through a lot of beer at once, you’ll want a large-capacity fridge that can keep a generous amount of cans cold. If your cold beer needs aren’t too high, you can get away with smaller and more compact models. Since all of these fridges feature doors that open outwards, you’ll also want to be sure you have enough clearance for the doors and their hinges.

Cooling System

There are two types of cooling systems used for these types of refrigerators: compressors and thermo-electric systems. Compressors tend to be a bit louder, but also more powerful and effective in cooling and maintaining low temperatures. Thermo-electric coolers are usually pretty quiet, but they usually don’t get ice-cold. If you need your beer to be downright icy, opt for a compressor-type unit.

Special Features

Other options we find useful when purchasing a beer fridge are the auto-defrost feature, digital display, and LED lighting to help you see inside your beer fridge when it’s dark. If you want to keep the contents of your beverage cooler secure when you’re not around, look for a model that features a locking door.

Our Expertise

Bernadette Machard de Gramont is an LA-based freelance writer specializing in food, wine, and kitchen products. After a two-year stint at Williams Sonoma headquarters in San Francisco, she now researches and tests a variety of cookware, bakeware, and wine tools, and interviews field experts for their insight.
Danielle St. Pierre is a commerce editor for Food & Wine. To update this piece, she referenced editor survey data about specialized wine and beverage fridges. She also asked avid beer collectors for recommendations on what beer fridges they use in their homes.