Refrigerated Storage San Antonio TX: Custom Solutions for Breweries

Brewers in San Antonio face a familiar tug of war: growth brings opportunities, but it also strains every inch of space and every degree on the thermostat. It is one thing to ferment well, it is another to hold finished beer cold, consistent, and ready. Warm wholesaler docks, multi-stop distribution across South Texas, and the timing quirks of seasonal demand raise the stakes. If you run a brewery here, refrigerated storage is not a luxury. It affects flavor stability, shelf life, and ultimately brand reputation.

I have walked through enough brewhouses and packaging halls to know how this plays out. The year starts steady, then Fiesta crushes you, and summer pushes the carb stone to its limits. Beer is packaged faster than the walk-in can swallow it. Pallets spill into hallways, the forklift beeps, and someone wedges kegs into a space that clearly wasn’t meant for kegs. That is the moment when an external refrigerated storage partner starts to make sense.

This guide focuses on custom refrigerated storage solutions tailored for breweries in San Antonio, TX. We will look at temperature ranges for different products, packaging constraints, regulatory expectations, and the operational details that separate a generic cold storage facility from one that actually helps a brewer scale. Along the way, I will highlight what to ask when you tour a facility and how to build a flexible plan that handles both wholesalers and direct-to-retail movement.

Why temperature discipline defines beer quality in the heat

Every brewer knows that heat hurts beer, refrigerated storage San Antonio TX but the mechanism matters when you plan storage. Oxygen pickup during packaging sets the clock, then temperature controls the speed. Warm storage accelerates staling reactions: hop oils flatten, malt sweetness drifts into cardboard, haze can change character, and highly hopped SKUs lose snap. Lagers and low-ABV beers show defects faster because they have less intensity to hide behind. In San Antonio, where ambient temperatures often push above 95 degrees from May through September, the thermal load from dock doors alone can undermine a room that looks big enough on paper.

Running a set point between 32 and 36 Fahrenheit works for most packaged beer. Some brewers prefer 33 or 34 to buy a little more stability, especially for hop-forward beers and delicate lagers. Draft beer in stainless kegs gives you a bit more forgiveness, but I have seen hop aroma in hazy IPA drop perceptibly after two weeks at 45 degrees compared to 35. Hard seltzers and RTDs follow similar rules. The colder the better, within reason, and never fluctuating. If a cold storage facility in San Antonio TX cannot hold a tight band across the day, keep looking.

What makes a cold storage facility truly brewery-ready

Refrigerated storage options abound, but a brewery’s needs differ from a bakery or a pharma distributor. When you search “cold storage facility near me” or “refrigerated storage near me,” filter for these core traits before you start comparing pallet rates.

Capacity that matches your form factor. A pallet of 12-ounce cans at 24 loose cases stacked five high behaves differently from a tight-banded case stack. Some warehouses assume a uniform pallet footprint and vertical profile. Beer pallets vary. Ask to see racking that allows for mixed height. Push-back or selective racking helps, but ground positions near docks are gold when you have hot loads inbound that need to be turned quickly into deep freeze zones.

Verified temperature mapping. Any cold storage San Antonio TX provider can show you a thermostat readout. What you want is a temperature map. The best operators have logged data across corners, near doors, at mid-rack height, and at the back wall. Look for evidence of commissioning tests and seasonal re-validation. In a hot market like ours, infiltration around docks and ceiling stratification can be nasty in August. I look for supply and return air balancing, destratification fans, and, ideally, redundant controls that alarm both locally and via SMS.

Cleanliness and air quality. Cardboard dust plus condensate equals trouble. Beer packaging sheds debris, and if the facility handles produce or proteins, odor cross-contamination can become a subtle but real problem. Take a deep breath near the racks. Look at the floor drains, corners, and under-rack zones. Routine defrost schedules and well-maintained door seals tell you a lot. If you see ice beard on the evaporators, ask why.

Dock discipline and pre-cool. When a truck backs in at 3 p.m. in July, you want sealed dock shelters, levelers with tight lips, and a routine for pre-cooling the dock area. Some facilities create a buffer vestibule between ambient and the main cold space to cut infiltration. If you hear “we just move fast,” assume your beer will ride a temperature rollercoaster on every load.

Inventory accuracy that fits brewery realities. Beer SKUs change fast. Seasonal recipes, a run of mixed-pack variety cases, or a short one-off for a collab can confuse generic WMS setups. You need a warehouse that can track lot codes, package dates, and, ideally, dissolved oxygen notes if you share that data. The ability to segregate based on date and rotation rules protects flavor and avoids older lots slipping into wholesaler orders.

Custom temperature bands for mixed portfolios

Most breweries do fine with a single cold zone, but mixed portfolios push you toward zoning. Barrel-aged stouts and mixed-fermentation beers sometimes benefit from slightly warmer storage around 38 to 42 degrees to maintain carbonation and slow chill haze changes while keeping oxidation in check. Nitro cans are happiest at colder temps to minimize cascade issues on warm shelves later. If you distribute kombucha or NA beers alongside your own SKUs, you might need higher humidity to limit package weight loss.

Zoning can be as simple as a segregated corner with stricter door control or as advanced as multi-evaporator rooms with variable frequency drives. The important part is stability. Temperature swings of 5 degrees show up in the glass. A cold storage facility San Antonio TX operator who understands beverage nuance should be able to demonstrate how they avoid cycles, not just hold an average.

Packaging realities: cans, bottles, and kegs

Cans dominate local shelves, but the mix still matters. Tallboys and sleek cans compress differently on pallets than standard 12-ounce formats. Bottles in 12-pack carriers add cardboard mass, which helps thermal buffering but creates more dust and absorbs odors. Kegs present another layer: stainless returns arrive warm, often with residual beer and CO2 trapped under pressure. A facility that manages “dirty” and “clean” keg zones reduces risk and smells, and keeps you in compliance if your municipal inspectors are particular.

Shrink-wrapped pallets need airflow. Stretch wrap too tight and you trap heat. In the summer, I prefer perforated wrap on the top third of the stack so evaporator air can wash over. Ask your refrigerated storage San Antonio TX provider whether they encourage vented top sheets or if they re-wrap on intake for airflow.

Receiving, QA, and practical tolerance for real life

Breweries run hard. Sometimes the canning line finishes at 8 p.m., and the load sits until morning. Sometimes it is raining when the truck backs up, and the pallet jack brings more moisture in than anyone wants. A good cold storage partner plans for this noise. They will have an intake protocol that records product temperature on arrival, flags anything above your defined threshold, and has a playbook for triage. That might mean immediate cross-dock into a deeper zone, a brief dwell in a blast cell if available, or a hold-and-report if quality risk is high.

If you carry your own QA standards, ask whether the warehouse can apply your sampling plan. Spot-check dissolved oxygen on designated lots, measure package integrity, or take photos of case conditions after a hot-day intake. A little data at intake protects you later if a wholesaler claims off-flavors or warm beer on delivery.

Distribution strategy for South Texas reality

San Antonio breweries often ship in three directions: north toward Austin, south and east into the Coastal Bend, and west toward the Hill Country and beyond. Each leg offers different ambient challenges, stop patterns, and distributor practices. Plan your refrigerated storage to support the longest leg. If your furthest wholesaler pushes a two-day delivery schedule, prefer a facility with early-morning outbound windows and yard space for reefers to pre-cool overnight. For short-hop deliveries within Bexar County, speed beats complexity. Ground positions near the dock can shave 15 minutes a load, which adds up quickly on hot days.

Consolidation services matter too. Many cold storage operations will stage multiple SKUs and lots into a single, sequenced load. If your distributor prefers a strict load order to match their route, share that pattern and test it with a small run before peak season. The smoother the handoff, the less time your beer spends sitting on a warm tailgate while a driver hunts for a missing pallet.

Compliance, safety, and paperwork that keeps the beer moving

TABC rules, bonded storage for certain products, and recall readiness should be baked into your plan. A cold storage facility that handles alcohol regularly will understand the documentation for chain-of-custody, ABC-friendly inventory logs, and how to quarantine product if you need to hold back a lot. Insist on a site tour that includes their recall drill. Ask how quickly they can isolate SKUs, what notifications they send, and how they document destruction or return if that ever becomes necessary.

Food safety programs matter even when we are “just storing beer.” Look for HACCP or a similar framework, pest control documentation, sanitation schedules, and third-party audits. While beer is low risk from a microbial standpoint, you do not want your product living in a space that fails basic GMP expectations. Insurers care about this, and so do your retail partners.

How to size refrigerated storage without overpaying

You can estimate storage needs with a few simple inputs: weekly packaging volume, average dwell time in cold storage before shipment, and a buffer for seasonality. For many 5,000 to 20,000 barrel breweries, cold storage demand swings by 30 to 60 percent between January and July. If you package 200 barrels a week into cans and kegs and ship roughly the same, a one to two week buffer equates to 400 barrels worth of space, plus room for dry goods staging and occasional bulk holds for big drops. Translate barrels into pallets based on your packaging format. A pallet of 12-ounce 24-pack cans typically holds 80 to 100 cases depending on stack height and wrap policy, roughly 7 to 8 barrels equivalent. Kegs are bulkier per barrel.

When negotiating with a refrigerated storage provider, ask for tiered pricing tied to reserved slots versus overflow, and clarify how they bill for partial pallets. You may not want to reserve your summer peak all year. A flexible contract that allows you to double slots for 90 days without penalty often saves more than chasing the absolute lowest base rate.

Power reliability and contingency planning

San Antonio’s grid is generally stable, but storms and extreme heat test any system. A cold storage facility should have generator capacity sized to run at least one refrigeration circuit and critical lighting, ideally more. Confirm fuel storage on site, refueling contracts, and how long they can operate without grid power. Some sites prioritize maintaining below 40 degrees during outages rather than full set point, which is sensible triage. If your brand cannot tolerate warming above 36 degrees for certain SKUs, flag that early and confirm what the facility can guarantee.

For your own fleet, consider reefer units that you can stage as rolling back-up cold rooms if disaster strikes. I have seen breweries park two reefers door to door and move their most sensitive SKUs in under an hour during an outage. It is not elegant, but it preserves a season’s worth of IPA.

Data sharing, traceability, and practical tech

A modern cold storage operation will offer a portal or EDI feed for inventory status. Brewers do not need a dashboard with fireworks; they need clean, timely data by lot, SKU, and on-hand quantity, plus movement history. The ideal system exports CSVs that your production and sales team can digest. If you run an ERP, test a small integration before you rely on it. The wrong field mapping can cause more pain than it saves.

Real-time temperature logs for your specific zones help diagnose issues later. Ask if the facility will tag your rows with additional sensors and share that feed. Even a simple daily report of min, max, and average by zone builds confidence and helps you correlate quality data if you spot flavor drift in the market.

Working with a cold storage facility San Antonio TX that fits your brand

Location and traffic patterns matter here. The I-35 corridor gives you speed to Austin and Dallas, but access to I-10 opens Houston and the Gulf Coast. If your distribution tilts east, a site closer to I-10 may cut an hour of round-trip time. Pay attention to how long it takes to get from your brewhouse to the warehouse at different times of day. Saving 15 minutes on paper can cost you an hour at 4 p.m. If you are searching phrases like “cold storage facility near me,” widen the map to include operational realities, not just mileage.

Culture matters more than most folks admit. A team that understands beer will load your hazy IPA underneath the lager only once. Ask if any staff have worked in beverage. See how they talk about handling mixed packs, taproom-bound kegs, and seasonal changeovers. The difference between a supplier and a partner shows up when you call at 5:30 p.m. and need one more pallet staged for a last-minute pickup.

Cost structures without surprises

Cold storage pricing typically blends pallet-in, pallet-out, monthly storage per slot, and accessorial fees. The base numbers look similar across providers, but the fine print changes the true cost. Ask for an all-in sample invoice using your projected volumes. Look for line items like re-palletizing, case pick, shrink-wrapping, labeling, load-out after hours, detention at the dock, and minimum monthly charges. Sometimes the lowest storage rate hides aggressive handling fees.

If you plan to case-pick variety packs on site, clarify labor rates and minimum increments. For a brewery launching a new mixed 12-pack, a few days of case pick at the warehouse can save your packaging line from rework. It is worth paying for if done cleanly and kept cold.

Seasonal tactics that protect beer during the Texas summer

From Memorial Day through early October, every process step wants to climb in temperature. Build habits that shave exposure:

• Pre-cool trucks and reefers to target temperature at least 30 minutes before loading, and verify with a probe at the back before the first pallet moves.

• Keep dock doors closed between loads. Insist that your carrier uses dock blankets or seals if the facility lacks them.

• Use temperature indicator labels on a few cases per pallet during the first hot week and audit them on receipt. You will learn where your weak points are.

• Stage the most temperature-sensitive SKUs closest to the coldest part of the room to minimize warm-air exposure during pulls.

• Schedule outbound loads early morning. If a late-day load is unavoidable, shorten door-open time by having everything staged near the dock before you open the seal.

These sound basic because they are, but the compounding effect over a summer can be the difference between fresh hop aroma on shelf and a tired nose by mid-July.

Keg-specific considerations that save headaches

Kegs behave differently in storage and in transit. They leave your brewery full, cold, and legally beer. They return warm, sometimes funky, and legally still beer. A facility that accepts returns needs a clear policy. Most breweries keep returns at their own plant, but if you rely on a third party, insist on segregation, regular removal, and cleaning schedules that keep pests and off-odors out of the cold room.

Dunnage matters too. Half-barrel and sixth-barrel stacks need stable pallets, and banding should be tight but not crushing chimes. If you intend to use plastic pallets, verify compatibility with the warehouse’s racks and lift equipment. I have seen cracked plastic pallets turn a clean stack into a wobble in seconds.

When to invest in your own cold box versus outsourcing

It’s a classic build-versus-buy decision. Owning your own larger cold room gives you control, immediate access, and the ability to blend production staging with finished-goods storage. The capital outlay can be significant. A well-insulated, 2,000 to 3,000 square foot room with quality refrigeration in San Antonio may cost in the low to mid six figures depending on site constraints. Operating costs include power, maintenance, and staff time. Outsourcing to a refrigerated storage partner spreads those costs across tenants, gives you scale when you need it, and moves the headache of 2 a.m. compressor alarms to someone else.

I typically recommend outsourcing once your finished beer regularly displaces production staging space, or when your demand curve swings so widely that you would underutilize a large box in the off season. Outsourcing also buys you time to plan a smarter in-house build later, sized around actual, observed demand rather than guesses.

A practical walkthrough for choosing a partner

Start with a short list. Search for “refrigerated storage San Antonio TX,” ask fellow brewers who manages their inventory, and check with your distributors. Then tour two or three facilities. Bring someone from packaging or QA with you. Watch how the staff handles product while you are there. If they treat a pallet of yogurt like a pallet of paint, that tells you something.

During the tour, ask to see:

• The warmest corner of the cold room during the hottest hour they will allow, and the corresponding temperature logs from that spot last summer.

• The intake area with a live load in process. Pay attention to thermometer use, scanning, and staging.

• Their generator or back-up plan, including last maintenance log and run test schedule.

• Inventory screens for an existing beverage client, with sensitive info redacted, to see how lots and dates are shown.

• A copy of their SOPs for dock door operation, sanitation, and product segregation by allergen or odor risk.

If the answers are confident and the space looks cared for, you are getting close. If you see improvisation everywhere and apology as a reflex, keep moving.

How this plays out for a mid-sized San Antonio brewery

One brewer I worked with had outgrown their original walk-in by year five. They were packaging roughly 250 barrels a week in summer, 150 in winter. Their portfolio leaned heavily toward IPA and pale ale, with a seasonal lager and a couple of stouts. We modeled storage needs around a two-week finished-goods buffer in summer and a one-week buffer in winter. That translated to 40 to 60 pallets in summer, 20 to 30 in winter.

They selected a cold storage facility near I-10 with strong dock seals, variable-speed evaporators, and a WMS that could manage lot rotation by package date. We set a firm intake temperature threshold of 38 degrees. Anything above that triggered a call and a choice: rush into a deeper zone with faster pull-down or hold for review. For the first two months of summer, we tagged three cases per pallet with temperature indicators to validate the chain. Two indicators tripped on a late-afternoon load. We adjusted by staging that SKU closer to the dock and moving the load window to 7 a.m. No more trips.

Cost-wise, the all-in monthly spend averaged less than the power and maintenance it would have taken to add a second in-house box, and it came with scalability for peak events. The brewery later built a modest expansion for raw material staging and short-term finished-goods hold, while keeping the external partner for seasonal surges and long-haul staging.

Final checks before you sign

Read the service agreement with a brewer’s eye. Define what “cold” means, not just “refrigerated.” Spell out temperature ranges, averaging windows, and remedies if the facility misses. Set expectations for data cadence, inventory reconciliation schedules, and dispute resolution. Clarify who pays when a carrier shows up two hours late and ties up a door. Align holiday schedules with your production plan, especially around Memorial Day and Labor Day.

If you have taproom events or special drops that require odd-hour pulls, negotiate a small bank of after-hours calls at a known rate. Surprises at 9 p.m. rarely go well.

The short path to fresher beer on shelf

Breweries that invest in disciplined refrigerated storage taste the payoff. Fewer stale notes show up in market quality pulls. Wholesalers complain less about foamy kegs and flat cans. Retailers notice that your IPA tastes alive even as it approaches the sell-by date. In a warm climate like ours, those small edges stack into brand loyalty.

Whether you build bigger cold space on site or partner with a refrigerated storage provider, treat the cold chain as part of the recipe. It is as real as mash pH and dry hop timing. If you are scanning for “cold storage facility San Antonio TX” or “refrigerated storage near me,” bring the questions that matter, the numbers that tell the story, and the discipline to act on what you learn. Your beer will tell you when you have it right.

Business Name: Auge Co. Inc

Address: 9342 SE Loop 410 Acc Rd, Suite 3117- C9, San Antonio, TX 78223

Phone: (210) 640-9940

Website: https://augecoldstorage.com/

Email: [email protected]

Hours:

Monday: Open 24 hours

Tuesday: Open 24 hours

Wednesday: Open 24 hours

Thursday: Open 24 hours

Friday: Open 24 hours

Saturday: Open 24 hours

Sunday: Open 24 hours

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Auge Co. Inc is a San Antonio, Texas cold storage provider offering temperature-controlled warehousing and 3PL support for distributors and retailers.

Auge Co. Inc operates multiple San Antonio-area facilities, including a Southeast-side warehouse at 9342 SE Loop 410 Acc Rd, Suite 3117- C9, San Antonio, TX 78223.

Auge Co. Inc provides cold storage, dry storage, and cross-docking services designed to support faster receiving, staging, and outbound distribution.

Auge Co. Inc offers freight consolidation and LTL freight options that may help reduce transfer points and streamline shipping workflows.

Auge Co. Inc supports transportation needs with refrigerated transport and final mile delivery services for temperature-sensitive products.

Auge Co. Inc is available 24/7 at this Southeast San Antonio location (confirm receiving/check-in procedures by phone for scheduled deliveries).

Auge Co. Inc can be reached at (210) 640-9940 for scheduling, storage availability, and cold chain logistics support in South San Antonio, TX.

Auge Co. Inc is listed on Google Maps for this location here: https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Google&query_place_id=ChIJa-QKndf5XIYRkmp7rgXSO0c

Popular Questions About Auge Co. Inc

What does Auge Co. Inc do?

Auge Co. Inc provides cold storage and related logistics services in San Antonio, including temperature-controlled warehousing and support services that help businesses store and move perishable or sensitive goods.

Where is the Auge Co. Inc Southeast San Antonio cold storage location?

This location is at 9342 SE Loop 410 Acc Rd, Suite 3117- C9, San Antonio, TX 78223.

Is this location open 24/7?

Yes—this Southeast San Antonio location is listed as open 24/7. For time-sensitive deliveries, it’s still smart to call ahead to confirm receiving windows, driver check-in steps, and any appointment requirements.

What services are commonly available at this facility?

Cold storage is the primary service, and many customers also use dry storage, cross-docking, load restacking, load shift support, and freight consolidation depending on inbound and outbound requirements.

Do they provide transportation in addition to warehousing?

Auge Co. Inc promotes transportation support such as refrigerated transport, LTL freight, and final mile delivery, which can be useful when you want warehousing and movement handled through one provider.

How does pricing usually work for cold storage?

Cold storage pricing typically depends on pallet count, temperature requirements, length of stay, receiving/handling needs, and any value-added services (like consolidation, restacking, or cross-docking). Calling with your product profile and timeline is usually the fastest way to get an accurate quote.

What kinds of businesses use a cold storage 3PL in South San Antonio?

Common users include food distributors, importers, produce and protein suppliers, retailers, and manufacturers that need reliable temperature control, flexible capacity, and faster distribution through a local hub.

How do I contact Auge Co. Inc for cold storage in South San Antonio?

Call (210) 640-9940 to discuss availability, receiving, and scheduling. You can also email [email protected]. Website: https://augecoldstorage.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuYxzzyL1gBXzAjV6nwepuw/about

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