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Craft Beer Club Subscription Box Review – May 2015

Lindsey Morse
ByLindsey MorseMay 14, 2015 | 7 comments

Craft Beer Club Subscription Box Review – May 2015 Box

The Craft Beer Club sends craft brews from around the country. Each month, they send a selection of bottles and information about the breweries behind them. They also send recipes to pair with the beer.

Craft Beer Club Subscription Box Review – May 2015 Glasses

My Subscription Addiction pays for this subscription. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

Craft-May-2015-Contents

The Subscription: The Craft Beer Club

The Cost: $39 per month for 12 bottles or $74.11 for 24 bottles.

The Products: Craft beers from breweries around the US. Each shipment contains 4 different styles (3 or 6 of each kind, depending on the subscription).

Ships to: US. Shipping is free, except for orders to HI and AK.

Check out our previous reviews of The Craft Beer Club or visit the Drink Subscription Box Directory for more boozy boxes!

Craft Beer Club Subscription Box Review – May 2015 Flyers

The Craft Beer Club includes flyers that provide information about the brewing companies and beers featured in the month’s box.

Craft Beer Club Subscription Box Review – May 2015 Flyers 2

On the reverse, they include “Food for your Brew” recipes and some fun trivia.

Craft Beer Club Subscription Box Review – May 2015 Gift

If you sign up for an ongoing subscription (as opposed to a single month), The Craft Beer Club includes a bottle opener and tasting glasses with your first box. I’m really impressed by the quality of these bonus gifts, and I’m happy with both of them. I don’t own tasting glasses, so I’m excited to add these to my glassware collection.

Now on to the beer! There were four different brews included in the box. I received three bottles of each variety.

Craft Beer Club Subscription Box Review – May 2015 Bad Water

Bad Water Brewing Company Western Lager

Bad Water Brewing Company Saison 

Bad Water Brewing’s Western Lager is made using traditional methods. It’s amber in color “with floral and spicy aromas with a bit of an herbal zing,” according to Craft Beer Club. There’s also a toasty quality to it that reminds me of freshly baked bread.

I’ve had saisons before, but I never really understood what they were. Thanks to Craft Beer Club’s flyer, I now know that saison is a type of beer that was historically brewed and consumed by Belgian farmhouse workers. It’s a pale ale that’s typically highly carbonated, fruity, and spicy. This particular version is really delicious- flavorful and refreshing!

Craft Beer Club Subscription Box Review – May 2015 Jacks Abby

Jack's Abby Brewing Hoponius Union

Jack's Abby Brewing Leisure Time Lager

Hoponius Union is an award-winning India Pale Lager.  It’s similar to a traditional IPA except that it’s aged and fermented cold. According to Jack’s Abby, it’s made with American hops that create a “huge tropical fruit and citrusy hop aroma.” IPA’s aren’t usually my favorite beers, and this IPL was no different. Even though I don’t personally appreciate its super hoppy flavor, I’m sure my best friend’s IPA-loving husband will happily take the extras off my hands.

Leisure Time is a wheat lager made with lemongrass, coriander, orange peel, and chamomile. I love both wheat beers AND beers that are brewed with unexpected spice combinations, so this is a perfect beer for me! I like the unique mix of flavors, and I think they blend really well with the wheat. Wheat beer is one of my favorite summer drinks, and I think this one is fantastic.

Craft Beer Club Subscription Box Review – May 2015 Recipe

Each flyer includes a recipe. These don’t seem to be traditional pairings (where the dish is meant to accompany and bring out flavors in a specific beer), but, rather, recipes that generally pair well with beer. This month, I really liked the sound of the Spiced Beef Sandwich recipe.

My husband offered to prepare the beef, which turned out to be a multi-day process of marinating, slow cooking, and resting. Luckily, it was all worth it- our sandwiches were delicious!

Craft Beer Club Subscription Box Review – May 2015 Sandwich

We served the beef on brioche buns with horseradish sauce, coleslaw, and hot pickles. The meat was flavorful and tender, and the pickles and coleslaw were a natural accompaniment. In my opinion, beer begs for simple, non-fussy food pairings. This sandwich definitely fit the bill!

The Verdict: I really enjoyed this box from The Craft Beer Club. I love trying new craft beers, and I like that they include recipes in every shipment. Value wise, the cost breaks down to just over $3 per beer. While I can pick up craft beers for less at the grocery or liquor store, I appreciate that The Craft Beer Club sends brews that I may not be able to find locally. Both breweries featured this month are new to me, and I look forward to discovering more new craft breweries in the coming months!

Are you a fan of craft beers? Have you tried The Craft Beer Club?

Lindsey Morse
Lindsey Morse

Lindsey is a professional baker, cold brew coffee addict, and rosé aficionado who loves writing about food and wine. When she’s not sharing her love of subscription boxes with the world, you’ll find her in the podcasting studio, perfecting her cake decorating techniques, or cursing her way through the New York Times daily crossword puzzle. 


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7 comments

Anna

Mmmmm… This looks so good! I could probably be talked into trying this subscription, lol!

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BB

Do they let you specify what styles of beer you like? A box full of lagers and saisons is kind of a bummer for those who prefer stronger-tasting beers like IPAs and porters.

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acidofoliate

Too bad the logistics of shipping beer are too complex, BB. Otherwise we could probably halve our boxes perfectly and I could guzzle all your lagers and saisons!

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Lindsey

Hi, BB! This is from their website: “At this time, we do not have the option to customize the monthly beer shipments. If there is a specific style that you do not like (porter, wheat beer, etc.) we can make notes in the account to not feature those styles for you. However, this does mean that if your monthly shipment does include one of those styles, we will skip you that month.” Hope that helps answer your question!

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BB

Aha! I totally missed that when I was looking at their site. Thank you!

acidofoliate

i love love love that you go ahead and do the recipes! would you opine which beer of the four would be the most suited company?

thanks for your food reviews: i will keep an eye our for Bad Water Brewing! My heart is wailing a slow, wistful song about that Western Lager.

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Lindsey

Thanks so much, acidofoliate, and what a fun question! I didn’t mention it in the review, but the recipe called for slow cooking the beef in dark beer (which really complemented the spice/molasses rub). So, I think porter, stout, or dark ale would bring out those flavors in the meat. Out of the four beers in this box, I’d probably go in another direction and pair the lager or the IPL- I think their bright flavors would help cut through the richness of the sandwich. 🙂

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