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Craft Beer Club Subscription Box Review – October 2015

Lindsey Morse
ByLindsey MorseOct 28, 2015 | 3 comments

Craft Beer Club Subscription Box Review October 2015 - Box

Craft Beer Club
4.8 overall rating
5 Ratings | 0 Reviews

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 October 2015 - Inside

If you sign up for an ongoing subscription (as opposed to a single month), you’ll receive a bottle opener and tasting glasses with your first box. Hop over to my first Craft Beer Club box review for details on these welcome gifts.

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

Craft Beer Club Subscription Box Review October 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 October 2015 - Flyers

The Craft Beer Club includes flyers that provide information about the brewing companies and beers featured in the month’s box. This month’s box includes beers from Alabama’s Straight to Ale Brewery and Ashland, Oregon’s Caldera Brewing Company.

Craft Beer Club Subscription Box Review October 2015 - Flyers2

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

Craft Beer Club Subscription Box Review October 2015 - StraightAle

Monkeynaut IPA 7.25% ABV

The first brewery featured in this month’s box is Huntsville, Alabama’s Straight to Ale Brewery. Founded by two home brewing enthusiasts, the brewery has grown to become one of the largest craft breweries in the state. Their beers are inspired by local places, surroundings, and historical figures and many (like this one) have kooky names. Monkeynaut IPA is named in honor of the monkey astronauts who paved the way for manned US spaceflight. It’s a “citrusy and amazingly well-balanced IPA with a big floral nose.”

Brother Joseph's Belgian-Style Dubbel 8% ABV

Brother Joseph’s Belgian-Style Dubbel is named for Alabama’s most famous monk, who built the Ave Maria Grotto in Cullman, Alabama. The beer is “a rich brown ale in the Abbey tradition… with dark fruit character that balances strength with sweetness.” I’m a big fan of this brown ale. It’s rich and tasty!

Craft Beer Club Subscription Box Review October 2015 - Caldera

Ashland Amber 5.6% ABV

The second brewery featured in this month’s Craft Beer Club box is Caldera Brewing Company, which is based in Ashland, Oregon. (Fun fact: Caldera was the first craft brewery in the state of Oregon to can its own beer!) Ashland Amber is a triple gold medal award winning amber beer that’s crisp and well balanced. According to Craft Beer Club, Ashland Amber has “citrus hop flavors and notes of biscuits and bready sweetness.” I think this beer is flavorful and very drinkable. I really like the notes of caramel.

Pilot Rock Porter 6% ABV

I tend to prefer dark beers over lagers and pale ales, so I’m always excited when Craft Beer Club sends a stout or a porter. This one from Caldera has “aromas and flavors of chocolate, citrus peel, roasted coffee, and sweet malts with hints of molasses.” It’s dark and delicious!

Craft Beer Club Subscription Box Review October 2015 - Cans

As you probably noticed, this month’s beers are all canned. The Craft Beer Club sends cans of beer once each quarter, and they make a pretty good case for doing so:

Craft Breweries across the nation are producing more award-winning craft beer in cans than ever. Aluminum cans are on the rise in the craft beer movement because they are unbreakable in shipping, airtight, and lightproof. Sunlight infiltrates glass bottles which can leave beer tasting skunky. Air can also creep in through under the metal bottle tops, allowing oxygen to permeate the beer and change the flavor too.

I have no problem with canned beer, but if you do you can let The Craft Beer Club know via phone or email that you prefer to receive bottles only, and they’ll skip the months that feature cans.

The Verdict: I’m a big fan of The Craft Beer Club. I love that they send interesting brews from around the country, and I really enjoy sampling beers from America’s different craft breweries. My favorite beer this month is definitely the Pilot Rock Porter, though I’m a fan of all of this month’s beers. Value wise, the cost breaks down to just over $3 per beer. While this subscription may not offer great value, I think it’s more about discovering new craft beers than about getting a good deal. I’m consistently impressed with the breweries The Craft Beer Club decides to feature, and I love trying new beers that I can’t find locally.

Have tried any of the beers featured in this month’s The Craft Beer Club?

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The Craft Beer Club discovers exceptional craft brews from around the country and delivers them each month direct-to-you or your gift recipient. Every selection is produced by small-production, independent brewers who use only traditional brewing ingredients and time-honored brewing methods.

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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3 comments

TMT

I wish I could get this, but I live in PA. =(

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Liz Cadman

Great news – we live in PA and were able to get this delivered with no problems! 🙂

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Mandy

I am a Portlander, where the craft beer movement is huge. I think we have more breweries than churches, now. Cans really are growing in popularity around here. Most of the great craft breweries are going cans.

Caldera is pretty good. We’re big craft brew fans in our house, so I always love reading this review. Plus, I love when Oregon brews show up in the mix!

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