It's Where I Keep My Beer

It’s that time of year again, when kids all across America go back to school. This is often to the delight of their parents, if not that of the kids themselves. Some kids, however, will be going off to college, and leaving home for the first time. That being the case, they’ll need certain things in order to survive in their new and hostile environment.

One of these needs will be a dorm fridge. Hey, kids have to eat just like the rest of us, right? And I’m here to tell you that the GE GMR04AAM (also sold under model number WMR04BAPBB ) does the trick for providing lots of storage space to keep all of their goodies ice cold while they’re off studying their little behinds off.

Now, I have one of these refrigerators, too. Mine isn’t going to college, though. No, my GE Spacemaker refrigerator is destined for greater things. Specifically, it’s my DBR, or Dedicated Beer Refrigerator. It’s where I keep all of my precious supply of beer while I go out and buy more beer. Yes indeed, this little fridge holds beer, beer, and more beer. Isn’t it lucky?

The GE GMR04AAM packs a total of 4.6 cubic feet of storage space, enough to hold lots and lots of junk food or whatever you want to keep in it. For my purposes, it holds about two and a half cases of bottled beer of various brands, with room left over for your assorted 750ml and 22-ounce bottles. And that’s not even touching the freezer area.

That said, the GE GMR04AAM doesn’t take up a lot of space, so you can easily ensconce it into any corner or other area where there’s room. It’s also energy efficient; on average, this refrigerator will cost you only about $29 a year for electricity. Here are some of the things I like about this refrigerator:

Temperature Control
The temperature control knob is located conveniently on the front inside of the unit. You can adjust it to the degree you like. I keep my beer cold, but not too cold. This fridge will really chill if you want it to.

Interior Storage Space
This fridge is deep. Storing my beer bottles on their side, I can still fit a few more sideways on the shelves. Those shelves are adjustable, too, so that you can customize the refrigerator to your own particular needs. There are two wire rack shelves that pull out and can be moved higher and lower within.

The bottom drawer is also removable, but comes in handy for keeping meats (or beer) apart from the rest of your goodies. It’s about six inches deep and holds a good amount. I like to use it to store odd-shaped and half-liter bottles of brew. There’s a drip tray directly under the freezer compartment that is removable, which will give you even more space.

Freezer
The freezer is small indeed, only about three inches high. It does the trick, though, and is perfect for short-term storage of frozen dinners or ice. A tiny ice cube tray is included, but barely holds enough ice for one drink. Don’t keep your beer in here, though. It will freeze, and nobody likes a beersicle.

Door Storage
The door has molded compartments perfect for storing half gallons of milk, bottles of soda, or large bottles of beer or wine. There is also a convenient vertical rack that holds cans of beer or soda. You pull from the bottom and load from the top, and all is right with the world. There are also two horizontal door shelves for the storage of small condiments, butter, or more beer.

Aesthetics
Let’s be honest. This thing isn’t going to win any beauty contests. It’s basically a big black box. But it does look pretty good as refrigerators go, all shiny its metallic black splendor. It just begs you to come over, open its door, and pull a beer out of it. And that’s about all I can say about appearance.

Overall
The GE GMR04AAM does the trick. For me, it holds lots of beer. For your average college kid, it holds plenty of food. All for about $120 at Wally World. Not bad at all, it makes a nice little DBR, or whatever you personally want to call it.