At a Glance
The Yale Beverage center has some good features, including a 5-year warranty at a reasonable price of $1799-1899. But should you buy it?
In this article, you’ll learn all the key features of the Yale beverage center as well as how it compares it to other manufacturers like True, Sub-Zero, Marvel, and U-Line.
We will also look a the differences in all undercounter types of refrigeration, including wine units, refrigerators, and drawers.
Why You Should Consider a Beverage Center
Undercounter Refrigeration at Yale Appliance in Hanover
Beverage centers can hold every type of beverage, including wine.
That is the main difference between a simple under-counter refrigerator and a beverage center.
Refrigerators are not designed to handle wine.
Beverage Center or Wine Cooler?
This depends on how much wine you drink and how often.
Wine coolers do a better job maintaining the wine with two distinct temperature zones, specially designed glide-out racks, and other measures to reduce wine tannin killing vibration.
Wine Center Glide-Out Racks
Beverage centers can hold any type of beverage and technically platters of food but are not designed to store wine long term.
Beverage Center Vs. Beverage Drawers
I have a set of drawers and love them for my daughter’s snacks. It also does a nice job of storing fruit and veggies.
Drawers aren’t as good at storing cans and cant store bottles of wine.
Freestanding Vs. Built-In Beverage Centers
You can buy a small freestanding beverage center for $500-600, whereas a built-in will cost $1,799-2999.
True Undercounter Built-In Beverage Center
Freestanding, as you would expect, have cheaper components and aren’t as accurate for temperature.
They aren't available panel-ready either.
You cannot build in a freestanding unit because the compressor is on the back. Eventually, the compressor will seize due to lack of airflow.
Still, if you are looking to store some cans of soda and leave it freestanding, this type of refrigerator is not a bad option.
Quick note: There is no service behind a freestanding refrigerator. Then again, service can be tough on any undercounter unit.
Now let’s look at the Yale beverage center models and their best features.
Yale Beverage Center Review
UBV24C01BG - $1,799
Features:
- 24 Inches
- Capacity: 7 bottles (750ml), 84 12oz cans
- Temperature Range: 34°- 50°F
- Sound Level: 39 dBA
- Shelving: 2 Adjustable Shelves
- 5-Year Warranty
- Weight: 114 lbs.
- Installation Type: Compact / Built-In / Freestanding
- Door Finish: Stainless Steel and Glass
- Field Reversible Door: Yes
- Controls: Electronic Capacitive Touch
- Sabbath Mode: Yes
- Air Filtration: Yes / Carbon Filter
UBV24C01BPG - $1,799
Features:
- 24 Inches
- Capacity: 7 (750 ml) bottle
- s, 112 12 oz cans
- Temperature: 34°-50°F
- Sound Level: 39 dBA
- Shelving: 2 Adjustable Transparent-Gray Glass Shelves
- 5-Year Warranty
- Weight: 110 lbs.
- Installation Type: Compact / Built-In / Freestanding
- Door Finish: Pane
l Ready and Glass - Field Reversible Door: Yes
- Controls: Electronic Capacitive Touch
- Sabbath Mode: Yes
- Air Filtration: Yes / Carbon Filter
UWB24C32BG - $1,899
Features:
- 24 Inches
- Capacity: 21 bottles (750ml) & 64 12oz cans
- Temperature Range: 34°-65°F
- Sound Level: 38 dBA
- Wine Shelving: 6 Full-Extension, Black Wood Racks with Stainless Steel Trim
- Beverage Shelving: 3 Adjustable Transparent-Gray Glass Shelves with airflow openings
- 5-Year Warranty
- Weight: 130 lbs.
- Installation Type: Compact / Built-In / Freestanding
- Door Finish: Stainless Steel and Glass
- Controls: Electronic Capacitive Touch
- Sabbath Mode: Yes
- Air Filtration: Yes / Carbon Filter
First, it can be built in between the cabinets because the compressor is mounted below like the others on the list.
You have good capacity in these units. It can hold 110 cans and up to 8 bottles of wine with better temperature control of 34-50 degrees.
You can panel this unit as well.
Yale is offered in 3 styles: stainless, panel-ready, or French-door with half refrigerator.
The warranty is an industry best at five years.
Best Beverage Center Options
We should talk about what the Yale Beverage Center doesn’t have. As much as it pains me to say, it's is not the best beverage center available.
True TBC24RSGB
True has a stainless interior to keep beverages colder. Its solid construction allows it to be placed outside. It even has nine different LED colors inside to show off your beverages.
However, the price is $2,999 or $1,200 more than the Yale with less of a warranty.
JennAir JUBFL242HX
JennAir has two zones with one dedicated just for wine at $2499. It’s a smart unit because it can store wine at a better temperature than any other with the second zone.
It doesn’t have some of the other safeguards as the other wine units, but this is an improvement over all other others, including ours.
However, you cannot store as many cans in this unit as the others.
Sub-Zero UC24BGORH
SubZero has a separate drawer in their beverage center for $2499 for your limes and other cocktail fruit. The wine rack is on the top.
Marvel and U-Line
Middleby owns both companies. They are cheaper than the Yale by 100-200. However, their temperature range is limited from 34-45 degrees on the ULine and 34-45 on the Marvel.
Read More: Best Undercounter Beverage Centers
Should You Buy the Yale Beverage Center?
If you’re placing the unit outside or want stainless construction and fancy colors, then no, True is a better unit.
If you want to hold wine for a prolonged period, JennAir has better temperature controls. Both will be $700-1000 more.
However, with good capacity and temperature range, the Yale lines up favorably against less comparably equipped Marvel and U-Line models. Yale has a much better 5-year warranty with better temperature control.
If you’re looking for an affordable beverage center with good storage, temperature control, and the industry’s best warranty, then you should consider a Yale beverage center.
Additional Resources
Get the Yale Undercounter Refrigerator Buying Guide with features, specs and inside tips to all the brands like Sub-Zero, U-Line, Marvel, True and JennAir. Icemakers and other refrigerators are also included. Well over 800,000 people have read a Yale Guide.
Why Should You Trust Us?
It seems that every appliance review has nothing but glowing comments about almost every product, yet you read customer reviews and they are almost universally bad.
We are here to fill in the disconnect. We'll give you the best features, and the drawbacks as well, including reliability based on over 37,000 calls performed by our service team just last year. Our goal is to give you ALL the information so you know what's right for you.
Please consider subscribing or adding to the conversation in the comments below. We appreciate you stopping by.
A Note About Pricing
Pricing on this blog is for reference only and may include time sensitive rebates. We make every attempt to provide accurate pricing at time of publishing. Please call the stores for most accurate price.
