Beer rack?

[GregKelley]

I bottle my beer. Can't see going to kegs because of how I do things now. Have no problem bottling and can get it done rather quick.

That being said, anyone have (or heard) of a beer storage rack? I recently built a 96 bottle wine rack for my wife and now need something nice to store the beer. Obviously it can't be the same type of rack as storing the beer on their sides causes the yeast to settle there which means it gets stirred up when you pour it.

A cube system may be the only way to go, but I'm open for suggestions.

 

[bradsul]

Personally I just stack my cases, seems like the easiest way. Otherwise I'd say some simple shelves that are set to a custom height just for beer bottles would be about as elaborate as you need to get. Maybe with solid doors of some kind to keep all light off the beer.

 

[abracadabra]

If you built a wine rack out of wood then you have some woodworking skills. Consider making you own custom wooden cases. Kind of like the old wooden Coca Cola crates. Then you can just stack em.

 

[TexLaw]

You want to keep those beers out of the light, also. I know it ain't pretty, but I used to put my beer in closed, cardboard boxes, and stack them that way. They also got into the fridge as quickly as possible.


TL

 

[Lil' Sparky]

Here's my suggestion.

Get a fridge, some corny's, a CO2 tank, and some beer faucets. That'll eliminate all of your problems trying to figure out what to do with all your bottles.

If not, I like abracadabra's idea.

 

[Soulive]

Here's my suggestion.

Get a fridge, some corny's, a CO2 tank, and some beer faucets. That'll eliminate all of your problems trying to figure out what to do with all your bottles.

If not, I like abracadabra's idea.

Agreed. I keg my beer in 15 minutes. No one can bottle that quickly...

 

[ohiobrewtus]

Agreed. I keg my beer in 15 minutes. No one can bottle that quickly...

I'm kegging for the first time here in a couple of days. I'm going to drink many beers to celebrate the fact that I no longer have to bottle. :rockin:

 

[Evan!]

I was in the same quandary. At any given time I have between 15 and 25 cases of beer in my basement, stored in cardboard beer cases, and the wife kinda gets fed up with all the space it takes up. So we planned out a sweet system of boxes that would slide in and out of a big shelf system. Went to lowes, and bought all the wood we needed. Turned out to be over $300 just for the lumber. We promptly put it all back and decided it wasn't worth it. I still keep it in cardboard cases, but I found that they fit under the counter in my brewery perfectly.

 

[Soulive]

I'm kegging for the first time here in a couple of days. I'm going to drink many beers to celebrate the fact that I no longer have to bottle. :rockin:

As you should

Seriously though, I used to bottle by myself in about 2 hours. Kegging is waaay better...

 

[GregKelley]

Agreed. I keg my beer in 15 minutes. No one can bottle that quickly...

Did you factor in cleaning your lines, cleaning your keg, farting around with CO2 and clogged or frozen lines, etc? There is good and bad with everything.

I can leave my house in 30 seconds with a 6 or 12 pack for a party, no one can do that with a keg.

Obviously you missed my comment about not wanting to keg because it doesn't fit my current process and needs. Not that kegging is bad, I just made that comment up front to avoid a ton of "just keg" comments.

 

[Evan!]

"beer rack" = tits so big you can set your beer on them.

 

[GregKelley]

"beer rack" = tits so big you can set your beer on them.

That's the best idea yet!!

Seriously, I like all of the ideas. Keep 'em coming!

 

[Evan!]

Hunt down those plastic European beer crates. They're difficult to find....I have 6 of them but can't find any more...but they are out there.

 

[GregKelley]

Hunt down those plastic European beer crates. They're difficult to find....I have 6 of them but can't find any more...but they are out there.

What do they look like? Any ideas on where to start looking? Never heard of these things

 

[Evan!]

What do they look like? Any ideas on where to start looking? Never heard of these things

Like that. Check your local beer/wine shop and see if they have any laying around.

 

[Bobby_M]

I can leave the house with up to 5 gallons of beer in a neat container with handles. The little CO2 charger is just as compact. You'll argue that the cartridges are a little pricey and then I'd argue back that if you add up all the extra time you save on packaging makes up for it. There.. we just had the debate in a single post. ;-)

I really hate dealing with all the empties after a small get-together. I was always the schmuck who had to excuse myself every 10 minutes to go make sure the bottles were rinsed out.

 

[Evan!]

I can leave the house with up to 5 gallons of beer in a neat container with handles. The little CO2 charger is just as compact. You'll argue that the cartridges are a little pricey and then I'd argue back that if you add up all the extra time you save on packaging makes up for it. There.. we just had the debate in a single post. ;-)

I really hate dealing with all the empties after a small get-together. I was always the schmuck who had to excuse myself every 10 minutes to go make sure the bottles were rinsed out.

honestly, I think a good balance can be struck between bottling and kegging. That's what I'm-a do when I get my kegging setup next year. Keep a few favorites on tap, but still bottle. When I'm going places, like to a dinner at a friend's house, it's obviously not realistic or tactful to show up with a bigassed corny and say, "uh, hey, dude, you got room in your fridge for this honker?" I'd much rather show up with a sixer or a few growlers. Plus, I love to give beer away. I do it all the time. To friends, coworkers, family, etc....everyone loves the beer gifts that I give. So while my plan is to put together a kegerator next year, I will never abandon bottling.

 

[Brewing Clamper]

Dammit! I was expecting the picture of the blonde with the, um... nice taps.

 

[Lil' Sparky]

Greg, I know you were trying to avoid the "just keg" comments. That's why I threw it out there - just to jack with you.

Honestly, it's hard for me to answer this question without thinking about kegging. I just don't have to deal with all the bottles anymore. I still bottle a batch now and then or a few from a batch, but I don't have space to store that much beer in bottles even if I wanted to.

Those european containers, or building something similar, seem like a nice solution for you, though. Maybe even milk crates would work.

 

[Bobby_M]

The truth is, kegging never excludes the possibility of bottling. Yes, if you want long term storage, you'll have to go a little out of your way to sanitize your fill lines and the bottles. Not that big of a deal. If you're going to a friend's house and want to bring some brew, you just fill a growler off the faucet. I think a fair share of people just getting into kegging THINK they're going to strike a balance and continue to bottle but you just get way too spoiled on how easy it is to JUST keg.

 

[Seabee John]

I can leave my house in 30 seconds with a 6 or 12 pack for a party, no one can do that with a keg.

Don't jump to too many conclusions... My brother in law and I have a Blichmann beer gun dialed in and cold bottles at the ready in the freezer. I can literally be out the door with a sixer in under 5 minutes. Oh, and did I mention no yeasties in the bottom of the bottle???

 

[Bulls Beers]

I bought a cabinet from a dept store. It looks nice and holds about 3 batches of my beer. It keeps the beers in the dark too. I love it, and it doesnt take up that much space. I might buy another one.

 

[BlindLemonLars]

When I want to bring some beer someplace, I fill a 2 liter soda bottle from the tap, squeeze slightly to remove air and slap a carbonation cap on it. Then I give it a good shot of Co2 from my regulator, and my pre-chilled beer is ready to travel. I do this every few weeks for the guys at work.

Just make sure nobody throws the cap away!

 

[Jesse17]

First point: I am sure Greg has already seen all of the keg vs. bottle threads on this site. He has made his choice, and I respect that choice. So why don't we all try to help him with HIS question.

My plan (being a woodworker) is to make my own 6 & 24 pack cases out of wood. Then either storing them in a cabinet with shelves the optimum hight for beer, with doors to keep out the light; or making the cases stackable (in a manner that would keep out the light).

Second point: Since we've already turned this in to a keg vs. bottle debate.

1) Is there a difference between keg vs. bottle in taste?

2) How much do corny kegs hold?

 

[Bobby_M]

1. Some claim yes, some claim no. In my experience, force carbed kegs taste cleaner and less "yeasty".

2. 5 gallons usually, with 3, 2.5 and 1gallon kegs much more rare and expensive.

 

[BeerCanuck]

Before I got into kegging I used 2L bottles and the corresponding holders;

The holder can hold 8 bottles upright and in place when filling and storing.
The holder is made of strong plastic so transporting or spills are not a problem.

Cheers
BeerCanuck

 

[Seabee John]

First point: I am sure Greg has already seen all of the keg vs. bottle threads on this site. He has made his choice, and I respect that choice. So why don't we all try to help him with HIS question.

Good point.. I found the easiest way for me to store my bottles before I got into kegging, was to line them up on an old book case with adjustable shelves. NOTE the term "old" It was made of solid maple and could handle two cases per shelf. Then I just draped a towel over the front to close off from the light. The problem I had with this was a term I call "beer anxiety" I was constantly counting the number of bottles and pacing my consumption - I was worried my beer wouldn't last. Now I keg, drink, and plan my next brew.

 

[McKBrew]

Although it's kind of unconventional, the wine rack idea might be a consideration for your brews. One of the other members of this forum uses a wine refrigerator to store bottled beer, and just puts the bottle upright a day or so before consuption. Maybe you could work out a rack where bottles are stored in a combination of upright and on the side.

 

[dibby33]

I too have given this some thought. Shelves are the easiest option.
...or plastic piping - just load up the pipes with bottles, cap the ends and you have a tube ready to go - couple of straps and whack it on your back.

 

[the_bird]

Although it's kind of unconventional, the wine rack idea might be a consideration for your brews. One of the other members of this forum uses a wine refrigerator to store bottled beer, and just puts the bottle upright a day or so before consuption. Maybe you could work out a rack where bottles are stored in a combination of upright and on the side.

Personally, I think it would be a lot of time and effort that wasn't really necessary. You need to keep wine in a rack, on its side, because of the cork; beer stores just as well upright.

I would love to see picks of the wine rack the OP made; we've got wine all over the place, I want to build a little space for it in the basement.