When we talk about bottle coolers, we are talking about the refrigerators located behind the bar area, at the front of shop area, or the ones used to store bottled soft drinks that you often find in coffee shops. These coolers tend to come in 3 varieties – wine bottle coolers, bar bottle coolers for storing and chilling beer, and soft drink bottle coolers.
Bar Coolers
Bar bottle coolers are generally the smallest among these types of refrigerators. Designed to keep beer stored at a temperature of around 4 – 12 degrees Celsius. The temperature control for these items is below the fridge on most models, so you can adjust the temperature depending on the weather conditions – colder during the summer, but you can ease off in the winter months. They normal size of a beer cooler is a one door version, which can store around 100 -150 bottles of beer inside. Larger 2 door and even 3 door versions exist, with the 3 door variants being able to store over 300 bottle inside.
Bottle coolers also commonly have locks fitted as standard, and these are useful for bar areas that may be closed off or left unattended when the bar is quiet, or in preventing cleaners and other staff from stealing any bottles( a bit harsh, but I have seen this happen time and time again in the bars I have worked in).
The other standard options for bar coolers are choosing between hinge doors and sliding doors, as well as the color of the cooler. Sliding doors are better for behind the bar areas that may not have a lot of space; hinged doors can be accessed a lot faster though in a busy bar. It is all a matter of weighing up the pros and cons with each version.
Wine Bottle Coolers
There are a wide range of coolers for wine bottles available as well, although these are most often found in large hotels and restaurants where they need a huge stockpile of chilled wine for tables or guests throughout the week. However, for bar use it is possible to get a 12 bottle wine cooler or an even smaller 6 bottle wine cooler (the latter is a lot more common for bars, since they tend not to serve a lot of wine. The large models are large upright refrigerators that have shelves that sit at a 45 degree angle so that the label shows through the front glass, making it easy to quickly select a wine bottle.
The more commonly seen wine cooler for bar use is a refrigerated cabinet that is attached to the wall, and it will typically hold 6 bottles of wine, but 4 of the bottles can be stored upside down and glasses can be poured via a dispenser fitted into each bottle. Much the same system as used for pouring shots, but it is kinda cool and compact. I wouldn’t mind having one on my wall at home actually 
Soft Drink Bottle Coolers and Bottled Water Coolers
Everyone knows these kinds of coolers – they are found at newsstands and small shops everywhere! Now, these are the largest types of coolers that you can get, and they can be quite deep depending on the manufacturer. There are many different types, with the best ones have a little bit of a slant on the shelves so that the drinks slide forward as another one is taken out. But if you go in this direction, remember that you will not be able to repurpose the cooler at a later date for another use such as storing sandwiches or other objects.
Leasing Bottle Coolers
As a business owner, you may consider leasing or even getting a free bottle cooler thrown in from a supplier. How do you do this, I hear you ask? Well say that you stock Coca cola, and buy a large amount of it in bulk. If you speak to your local rep you can sometimes persuade them to throw in a free branded Coca Cola cooler for your business. They will require that you don’t put rival products in the cooler of course. They get more free advertising, and you get to lease the cooler for free!
For beer and other products you can try to negotiate something similar with your supplier, but your business really needs to be selling a lot of a specific product before it could be considered worthwhile.
Whew! Well I hope this clears up any bottle cooler questions you may have had!
You may also enjoy:
- Plastic Shot Glasses for the Bar, Catering and Service Industries
- Considerations for a Bar Cooler | How to Select a Bar Cooler from the Various Types Available
- Getting a Small Drinks Cooler for the Bar Area | Have Drinks Within Easy Reach and In Open View
- Getting a Coca Cola Cooler for Your Shop | Lease Branded Coolers By Negotiating With Your Supplies for Free!
- Different Types of Ice Maker for the Catering Industry | Buying a Ice Maker for Bars and Restaurants