The Craft Beer Club sends craft brews from around the country. Each month, they send a selection of different beers and information about the breweries behind them.
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 paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
The Subscription Box: The Craft Beer Club
The Cost: $39 per month for 12 bottles or $74.11 for 24 bottles.
ACTIVE DEAL: Receive 3 bonus gifts with your first shipment! No coupon needed - just use this link.
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 all of our The Craft Beer Club reviews and visit the Drink Subscription Box Directory for more boozy boxes!
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
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 Belfast Bay Brewing Company and Rivertown Brewery & Barrel House.
On the reverse, the flyers always include “Food for your Brew” recipes and some fun trivia.
Belfast Bay Brewing Company is located in Belfast, Maine and has been brewing beer since 1996. The brewery is one of the largest in the state, but Belfast beers can be difficult to find outside of Maine.
Belfast Bay Brewing Co. Lobster Ale
Lobster Ale, a dark copper red ale, is one of Belfast Bay’s flagship brews. By cutting back on the hops and adding in small amounts of black and dark crystal malts, Belfast has created an extremely drinkable, “user friendly” session beer. This beer is super smooth, with an understated fruitiness and flavors of caramel, toast, and toffee.
Belfast Brewing Co. Stone Crab IPA
When I first began this subscription, I pretty much steered clear of IPA. Even though it’s one of America’s favorite beers, I often found it to be too bitter and sharp for my palate. Thanks to Craft Beer Club, though, I’d had a chance to sample a wide range of different IPAs, and I’ve actually discovered some that I really enjoy. This is one of those IPAs. It’s very nicely balanced and far less hoppy than a lot of IPAs on the market. It’s crisp and refreshing!
Rivertown Brewery is “an innovative, sour beer focused brewery in Cincinnati, Ohio.” They’re known for their innovative recipes and sour beers.
Rivertown Brewery Divergent Sour Ale
I know that sour beers are having a moment right now, but I haven’t really been able to get into them. They definitely seem to have a polarizing effect on beer drinkers, and, unfortunately, I’m currently more in the “hate ‘em” than the “love ‘em” camp. I opened up this one to give it a taste and… nope. Still, I have to give Craft Beer Club credit for sending this brew. Even though it’s not to my particular taste, I’m happy to see a diverse selection of beers in the box, and I’m always happy to try something new.
Rivertown Brewery Roebling Vanilla Espresso Imperial Porter
Now this is more my speed! I LOVE dark beer, and I especially enjoy rich, chocolatey stouts and porters. Rivertown’s Roebling is made with Cincinnati coffee, Ugandan vanilla beans, and organic turbinado sugar, and it’s a “big, rich, chocolate, espresso infused brownie of a beer.” It’s incredible. On the provided info sheet, Craft Beer Club included a recipe for a “Roebling Float,” and if there’s anything better than a coffee-like porter it has to be a coffee-like porter with ice cream.
The recipe called for vanilla bean ice cream, but I made due with what I had on hand: tiramisu-flavored gelato. Wow. Just, wow. What a perfect grownup treat for a hot summer day!
Verdict: I always look forward to my shipment from The Craft Beer Club, and this box was a great one. I really enjoyed both of the beers from Belfast Bay Brewing Company, and I loved Rivertown’s porter (and my “Roebling Float”)! When it comes to value, the cost of each Craft Beer Club box breaks down to just over $3 per beer. While that’s not exactly a steal, I think the price is fair— especially since most of the beers featured in the subscription aren’t available nationwide. I love the convenience of having craft beers sent directly to my door, and it’s so much fun learning about new American craft breweries every month!
Have you tried any of the beers featured in this month’s The Craft Beer Club?
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