The Craft Beer Club sends craft brews from around the country. Each month, they send a selection of bottles (or cans) and information about the breweries behind them. They also send recipes to pair with the beer.
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.)
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!
The Craft Beer Club includes flyers that provide information about the brewing companies and beers featured in the month’s box.
On the reverse, they include “Food for your Brew” recipes and some fun trivia.
Foolproof Brewing Barstool (4.5% ABV)
Barstool is an American Golden Ale and the flagship beer from Foolproof. It’s designed to be easy to drink (“not too malty, not too hoppy”), so you can enjoy it all night long. My husband loves a good easy drinking beer, so he immediately claimed the cans of Barstool we received. (With the understanding that I could sneak a sip, of course!) We both really enjoyed this brew. I think it’s a perfect I’m-home-from-work-and-I-don’t-want-to-think-about-anything-but-TV beer.
FoolProof Brewing Raincloud (6.5% ABV)
Foolproof describes Raincloud as “the perfect ‘stay at home’ brew.” It’s a “dark, smooth, mysterious… porter… brewed with chocolate and crystal malts.” I’m a big fan of dark beers, and, if I’m not mistaken, this is the first porter I’ve received from The Craft Beer Club. I think it’s fantastic. It’s rich, thick, and delicious- definitely a great beer to sip on while watching a thunderstorm!
Hoplanta Red Brick Brewing Company (6.8% ABV)
I went to college in Atlanta, so I’m extremely excited to discover a new-to-me Atlanta brewery! Hoplanta is, unsurprisingly, an American IPA. IPA’s aren’t usually my favorite beers, and this one is definitely a bit hoppy for my particular palate. Still, I can appreciate the astringent, citrusy flavors. I’m also smitten with the name of this beer- it’s such a fun play on Atlanta’s nickname, “Hotlanta.”
Hibiscuwit Red Brick Brewing Company (5% ABV)
(I can’t find Hibiscuwit currently featured on Red Brick’s website. Craft Beer Club mentions in their flyer that this is one of Red Brick’s newest beers, so it’s possible it hasn’t made it up on their website yet.)
Hibiscuwit is a seasonal Belgian Witbier that’s brewed with hibiscus, orange peel, cinnamon, and spices. Of all the beers in this box, I think this is the one I was the most excited to try. I love beers that are brewed with unexpected flavors; so hibiscus-flavored beer is right up my alley! I’m not sure if I can pick out the hibiscus notes, but there are definitely hints of orange and spice. Regardless, I think it’s a fantastic beer. I also feel like I wouldn’t be doing Red Brick justice if I didn’t point out some of the great beer names they’ve come up with. There’s Divine Bovine (Milk Stout with Organic Chai Spices), Vanilla Gorilla (Imperial Porter with Vanilla Beans), and Beard Envy (Bourbon Barrel Aged Barleywine). Fun!
As you probably noticed, this month’s beers are all canned. 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 Craft Beer Club know via phone or email that you prefer bottles only, and they’ll skip the months that feature cans.
The Verdict: I really enjoy The Craft Beer Club, and I think they do an excellent job introducing me to craft breweries from around the country. This is my fourth month of subscribing and, so far, every single brewery they’ve featured has been new to me. I’ve discovered some excellent brews, and I love having a box of artisanal beer delivered right to my door. The cost per beer breaks down to about $3. 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 probably can’t find locally. I would definitely recommend this subscription for beer lovers looking to try new craft beers from around the country!
Are you a fan of craft beers? What do you think of this month’s picks from The Craft Beer Club?
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