10 Best Beverage Coolers for Hot Summers in 2020

The summer heat is definitely knocking on our doors but it looks like we’re the ones who are receiving the warm welcome. Asides from the usual ways to cool down like taking a shower or turning up the AC, you can also beat the heat by getting a glass of your favorite beverage cold and fresh from the fridge.

However, if you stash your drinks with the rest of the groceries in one massive fridge, you may not have convenient access to it. If you’re a student or you live alone, you may also find it annoying having to go back and forth the convenience stores to buy yourself some cool drinks. Well, thanks to the invention of mini beverage refrigerators, you won’t have to endure all that anymore.

Whether you’re a student, a family guy or just solo-living in your own crib, there’s definitely a mini beverage cooler for you. These convenient appliances are almost half the size of a regular fridge but can do so much when it comes to cooling your drinks.

It also cuts the costs when it comes to electricity consumption since you won’t need to use the regular fridge when you only need to chill a couple of beers and soda. If you don’t have one yet, take a look at my most suggested types of beverage coolers. They’re tried and tested by yours truly so you won’t have to make guesses as to which one would be best for you.

#1 hOmeLabs Beverage Refrigerator and Cooler

This beverage refrigerator is probably one of the best sellers in the beverage fridge category. The unit measures 18.87” W x 33.25” H x 17.30” D externally, though space inside is at 16” W x 29” H x 12” D. It weighs 67lbs and comes in 2 colors. One is stainless steel while the other is black. They both look classy and sophisticated but it’s best to match the color depending on the theme of the room where you want to put it in.

This is a free-standing beer cooler that’s accessible via the left-hinged door. The classic, see-through glass provides a clear view so you can check if you still have some of your favorite beverages left without opening the unit. You also don’t have to worry about getting the wrong drink or dropping a wine bottle when you get a drink at night because it has LED interior lights in stylish blue.

When it comes to interior details, there are 3 adjustable shelves that can easily slide out the cooler for easy cleaning and customization. The shelves are standard so you can basically put almost any beverage in it – beer cans, bottled water, wine bottles and so on. It can store up to 120 cans of soda or up to 60 bottles or regular-sized wine bottles.

One thing that makes this best beverage cooler different from most under-counter beverage coolers in the market is that it has a noiseless fan. You will really appreciate this feature if you plan to keep this cooler in your bedroom.

Unlike other beverage coolers, this beverage cooler from hOmeLabs also has an auto-defrost function. This means less work when it’s time to clean it. If you live in an area where power outage is prone, then you’ll also like the way this unit automatically restores its own temperature preset.

Let’s talk about the cooling ability. This cooler has a user-friendly temperature control assembly that lets you drag the temperature all the way to 34 degrees Fahrenheit. The current temperature is also shown in an illuminated, easy-to-read display at the top of the stainless-trimmed door.

#2 EdgeStar BWC120SSLT Beverage Cooler

This beverage cooler from EdgeStar bears a convenient height of 33” and a width of 19”. It can hold approximately 103 pieces of 12 oz. soda cans including 5 750mL beverage bottles. With that capacity, it’s only reasonable that the unit weighs 64 lbs.

This particular beverage cooler is the largest among the EdgeStar small beverage fridge line-up and also has the most capacity. The unit is available in one color only – a plain, but dashing stainless steel.

Overall, it has a nifty appearance that makes it easy for the user to put it in almost any room in the house without making a total eyesore of the space. The simple, rectangular shape of this beverage cooler also makes it easy to clean, especially if you’re in a hurry. It is a freestanding unit so there’s no need to put it against beams or have it rest against a support of any kind.

Another thing you’re going to love about this mini beer refrigerator is that it has six fully removable, chrome shelves. This feature makes cleaning the inside of the unit easier and without too much hassle.

The door is stainless steel-trimmed with polished glass which adds an extra touch of posh and sleek to the unit.

It also has a high-power compressor that will keep your drinks as cool can be without freezing them. You don’t even have to worry if you’re not the beer and soda type of person. This beverage cooler can snuggly keep your wine bottles and other tall drinks and keep them at the optimal cooling temperature. This EdgeStar model can drop the internal temperature up to 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

You also won’t have to worry about grabbing the wrong drink by accident. This unit has a built-in LED light to help you see the inside of the cooler and turn it off again when you wish. This is one of the best beer cooler!

#3 EdgeStar TWR215ESS Stainless Steel Wine Cooler

This TWR215ESS from EdgeStar has the following dimensions 32.5” H x 13.4” W x 20.25” D. The model weighs 46 pounds and can store up to 21 bottles of wine, but you can also store beer cans into this stand-alone cooler. It has blue-interior lighting just like the other EdgeStar mini beverage fridge in this list. It helps you find your desired bottle of beverage and helps you see the contents of your unit even if its pitch dark in the room.

The unit is made up of two zones – it has two trays at the top and five trays on the bottom. The upper zone can store drinks with a chilling Mid 40 – mid 60 degrees Fahrenheit cooling capacity, while the lower zone has a Mid 50 – mid 60 degrees Fahrenheit chilling capacity. This makes it easy for you to group your beverages according to the preferred temperature.

The trays are also scalloped so they don’t only look good, but they hold the beverage bottles in place as well. Each shelf can store up to three bottles of your favorite wine or bottled drink.

Also Read: Top Wine Coolers for Perfect Wine Cooling

The internal fan feature also does a great job of circulating air and temperature inside the beer cooler. This keeps the temperature stable so your drinks are evenly chilled.

If ever need to clean it, you can simply select the defrost option, no need to turn it off and leave it open for hours. The stainless steel body of this mini beverage fridge is also minimalist so it particularly blends in well with the rest of your room décor.

It also keeps the contents visible with the glass door so you can instantly see if you need to buy more wine. Its tinted glass door also functions to protect your delicate wine collection from harmful light elements. The well-shaped stainless steel handle also makes opening and closing the beverage cooler easy.

#4 Knox Electric Cooler for Portable Car Travel

This portable electric cooler measures 22″ L x 15″ W x 15″ D on the outside but allows 17″ L x 12″ W x 11″ D space inside. With those measurements, you can easily store a 2-liter tall soda in this Knox Electric Cooler and Warmer. It’s definitely roomy inside with its 48-quart capacity that can store up to 60 cans of beer or equivalent to 6 2-liter soda bottles along with 15 more cans of beer. There is also a removable divider inside the cooler so you can group your snacks on one side and the beverages on the other.

The item is also quite manageable to bring whenever you have trips because it’s only 16.65 pounds. Once you fill it with everything you need, you can also have two people carry the cooler conveniently. It has two handles on both sides instead of one long handle so it’s easier to carry. If you’re obliged to carry it on your own, you can put it on the ground and just pull it so the wheels do the work for you.

Also Read: Best 12V Refrigerators for Travelers

Another great thing about this cooler is that it’s insulated. So this means that you can also store hot food items and beverages and keep them warm as long as they’re inside the unit.

One feature that sets this apart from most of the other coolers in the market is that this Knox Electric cooler is versatile enough that you can use it for both outdoor trips or just for home use. You also don’t have to worry about putting in ice packs to keep the beverages cold.

This Knox Electric Cooler and Warmer come with 2 built-in cords that you can use to plug the electric beverage storage into an outlet. One is for the standard outlet that you can use almost everywhere, while the other cord is for car power adapters. If you’re not using them, you can safely store them in their respective compartments for later use.

#5 Whynter BR128WS Stainless Steel Beverage Refrigerator

Whynter manufactures some of the most appreciated products in terms of refrigerators and cooling appliances. What we have here is the Whynter BR-128WS Beverage Cooler which measures 18.5” in length, 17” in width and is 33” tall. Its rectangular body is white and the glass door is trimmed with stainless steel. It also has a recessed handle on the door which makes the unit look best in modern-themed rooms.

Your drinks are protected with a cylindrical lock accessible by a key and a spare. It’s a great choice if you want to separate the adult drinks from the kid’s beverages from the regular-sized fridge in your home. You can store your beer, energy drinks and sodas in this small beverage fridge that you can place practically anywhere.

This Whynter best-seller has a capacity of 120 pieces of 12 ounce beverage cans. So you can stack up on drinks and keep them cool in the 3.1 cubic feet space. This is also a great choice for small business owners that want to incorporate cold beverage into their available products.

It has 5 shelves that slide out for easy cleaning and customization. The top shelf can hold 15 pieces of 12-ounce cans, while the second and third layers can hold the same amount. The fourth and fifth shelves, on the other hand, each have a 25 can capacity.

The assembly of this unit uses a powerful compressor so it’s air-cooled and retains consistent temperatures. When it comes to the Whynter BR-128WS cooling capability, you can expect the temperature to range from high 30 degrees Fahrenheit to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. You also don’t have to worry about the interior light consuming additional electricity because you can turn it on or off anytime you want.

If you have limited space in your home, you’ll also appreciate its reversible door feature. This lets you customize the direction in which the door opens so you can put the unit anywhere you see fit.

#6 COSTWAY Mini Beverage Refrigerator

This mini beverage fridge from COSTWAY has got to be one of the smallest in this list. It has the following dimensions 17.5” L x 18” D x 19.5” Hand weighs 35.6 lbs. The interior has a capacity of 1.6 cubic feet and can fit a reasonable amount of drinks. A bigger version of this model is available as well.

The small dimensions of this unit make it a portable beverage cooler. Another great thing about this cooler is that its size also makes it perfect for both standings on the floor or placed on a countertop. So whether you’re buying one for a dorm or for the home, you’re bound to find a good spot for it.

At first, you’ll see the typical mini fridge features – clear, double paned glass with a recessed handle. Then, there’s the reversible door that lets you adjust in which direction the door should open. This will really come in handy if you have limited space in your home or office. There is a manual 3-grade temperature control dial at the back of the unit so you wouldn’t want to put this too close to the wall.

Looking inside the unit, there are 3 tiers of beverage shelves with varying shelf heights. It also has easy-to-remove slide-out chrome shelves just in case you need more space to store bigger bottles like tall water bottles and standard wine bottles. You can also find a blue-colored LED light inside that focuses on the contents of the fridge, to help you get your drinks in the dark. This can easily be turned on and off manually.  The way I see it, you can easily cool 60 12-ounce soda or beer cans inside.

When it comes to cooling, the temperature inside the unit can drop to 39 degrees Fahrenheit to 61 degrees Fahrenheit. There is also a powerful compressor system that ensures the drinks are in the best cooling temperature. It refrigerates beverages fast and unlike most beverage coolers, this model can actually store food and snacks.

#7 Kalamera Beverage Cooler with Blue Interior Lights

This freestanding beverage cooler from Kalamera measures 22.4 x 14.9 x 33.9 inches and is only available in one color – stainless steel. It weighs 72.8 lbs. It looks so cool and classy even at first glance with that blue LED light in it.

The size makes it suitable for any room and even as an under-counter beverage fridge. It also has a transparent glass that lets you see inside the cooler. The protruding handle gives you a good, firm hold whenever you want to open the unit.

The overall look of the unit is sleek and will definitely look great at parties where you want to have cool drinks. On the outside, just below the glass door is a lock for the cooler. If you take a closer look, you’ll notice that it’s a hexagon bolt lock that requires a unique key. You’ll really appreciate this feature if you often have problems with other people taking your drinks. This is also great if you have kids at home that often play with everything they see.

Upon checking the interior of the cooler, there are six wire racks. You can actually take these out with ease and customize how they are layered. So if you have a taller drink or wine bottles, you can remove a rack so the bottles can fit. This also makes it easier to clean the unit.

You can just remove the racks and clean them separately, then clean the interior. With all the racks in place, you can snuggly fit 96 pieces of regular-sized soda cans in this mini beverage fridge. There is also an assistive LED light in blue installed inside the unit in case you crave for some cool drinks in the middle of the night.

In terms of cooling power, the Kalamera Beverage Cooler has a whisper-quiet compressor. This is great for bedrooms and theater rooms where you’ll want your beer refrigerator to be as quiet as possible. The temperature can range from 38 degrees Fahrenheit to 50 degrees Fahrenheit so it can keep your drinks really cool without actually freezing them.

One additional feature that I like about this is its temperature memory function. This lets the cooler restore the original temperature preset it had before the power was lost. You’ll like this feature a lot if you have expensive wines that can go bad in fluctuating temperature conditions.

#8 Aobosi Dual Zone Steel Wine and Beverage Cooler

This mini beverage fridge from Aobosi measures 34.2 x 26.4 x 25.6 inches. It’s only available in one color – stainless steel, but the overall appearance is elegant nonetheless. It’s a freestanding refrigerator that’s ideal for both business and home use.

The exterior has a seamless frame and looks sophisticated. It also has a stainless steel door and a transparent glass. It has a stylish blue interior light to help you recognize your beverages even when the room is dark. It also has a unique design so the unit vents air at the front. This feature makes it ideal as an under-counter beverage fridge. You can also let it stand right against the wall since it won’t need rear clearance. It even has a long, protruding handle that adds to the sophisticated style of the exterior.

When opened, you’ll see that there is ample space inside and that the interior is actually divided into two zones – top and bottom. The upper zone has two shelves while the lower zone has four shelves. Another thing that makes this class is that the shelves are made of beech wood. The wooden shelves are smooth and refined so you won’t have to worry about scratching your precious wine bottles. The interior set-up can accommodate up to 46 standard-sized wine bottles. If necessary, you can remove a shelf layer if you need to store larger bottles.

Also Read: EvaChill’s Guide to Buying a Wine Cooler

The two zones have a different chilling capacity so you can store your wine according to the temperature in which they can be best preserved. The upper zone can reach 41 degrees Fahrenheit to 54 degrees Fahrenheit. The bottom zone, on the other hand, can range from 54 degrees Fahrenheit to 68 degrees Fahrenheit. This helps if you like to keep a variety of wines but don’t have the money to buy separate coolers for the whites, reds, and champagnes. It also has Temperature Memory Function for optimized preservation of your wines.

If you want a dedicated Wine Cooler and not just any Beverage Cooler, check out our Wine Cooler buying guide along with the top 10 most popular Wine Coolers.

#9 EdgeStar CBR1501SLD Modular Beverage Cooler Under-Counter

Another entry from EdgeStar makes to our list. This time it’s their EdgeStar CBR1501SLD Beverage Fridge that has the following measurements 22.9 x 23.4 x 33.8 inches. It’s available in stainless steel and weighs 97 lbs.

Unlike the two other EdgeStar mini beverage coolers in this list, this model has a full stainless steel body. It does not have a stainless-steel trimmed glass door so you can’t really see the contents unless you open it. It’s freestanding so it’s great for home, office and business use. It looks sleek and polished and there’s even a factory lock located at the bottom. You’ll also find it convenient that the door is reversible so you can place the unit almost anywhere. The vents are also at the front so clearance at the back is not necessary. Its size is also perfect for most under-counter spaces so you might want to consider this as your under-counter beverage fridge.

The inside of the unit includes a total of 3 glass shelves – creating 4 layers of space where you can store your drinks. You can also see that there’s a digital temperature control at the top of the unit once you open the door. The buttons are convenient and easy to push. There is also a comprehensible and illuminated display of the current temperature and you can set the cooler to your desired temperature without too much hassle. The interior space of this EdgeStar mini beverage fridge is at 142 standard-sized soda and beer cans. The interior light also works like a regular fridge that turns on when you open the door.

When it comes to cooling, the EdgeStar CBR1501SLD has a temperature range of 38 degrees Fahrenheit to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. It includes a powerful compressor-based cooling action with built-in carbon fiber to make sure that the cooled air stays inside. An additional feature of this model is the auto-defrost capability so cleaning it will be a breeze.

#10 Kalamera Beverage Fridge for Beer Soda and Wine

This mini beverage fridge from Kalamera measures W23.4” x H33” x D24.2” with the handle included. It weighs 104.5 pounds and can accommodate all sorts of beverages – wine, beer, soda and so on.

At first look, you’ll immediately notice that the unit is made from stainless steel. It displays its contents by the stainless steel-trimmed glass door. It also looks durable and high-class because of the exterior design. There is also a hexagonal lock at the bottom part of the unit so you can keep your drinks secure if you’re not at home.

Inside this mini cooler, you’ll immediately spot the LCD temperature display at the top. There are five wire racks that you can slide out whenever you need to. You can take out the wire racks before cleaning or when you want to put in some tall wine bottles. There’s also a blue light that illuminates your drinks for easy picking. In terms of capacity, you can store about 154 pieces of 12-ounce cans, but capability can vary depending on the size of the drinks you put inside.

It also has an embedded carbon filter that purifies the air inside the mini fridge whenever you open it. This helps to keep the air inside the unit free from elements that can cause odor. This model is also equipped with a quality compressor unit that cools the interior evenly. There is also reduced noised and vibration due to the outstanding compressor and vibration-reduction gear. It’s so quiet that you can actually have this in your bedroom without waking you up in the middle of the night. Other features include temperature memory function so your unit can apply the same temperature preset it had before the power was cut.

Verdict

So if you want a personal beverage refrigerator solely for yourself, you can pretty much work with any of these mini fridges. The only problem would be space. If you’re in a dorm, I suggest the Kalamera 15″ Beverage Cooler because the size is reasonable for the capacity. It also has a lock feature if you’re worried about the security of your drinks.

If you don’t have any problems that include your dorm mates taking your drinks, I suggest the COSTWAY Beverage Refrigerator and Cooler. It can chill both beverages and food items. This is also perfect if you live alone and only store a few drinks.

You can also consider the Knox Electric Cooler and Warmer. It doesn’t have a lock but you can take it almost anywhere and it also lets you heat or chill food and drinks. If you require a bigger beverage refrigerator like for an office or a business, the Kalamera Beverage Cooler and Fridge may just be the unit that satisfies your needs. For your home and family, you can get the Whynter BR-128WS. It has a large capacity as well as a lock so you can keep your drinks secured when you wish.