Craft beer comes in all sorts of varieties and flavors and it is very difficult to be able to sample each and every one. Going to the store, finding a craft beer that looks nice, and buying a six-pack to take home is all well and good, however, it lacks variety, it’s the same beer six times.
What if you take a gamble and don’t like the beer? You’ve now got five unopened bottles in your refrigerator. That’s where a craft beer club comes along.
You can get a variety of craft beers delivered right to your door with no hassle and the best of every new craft beer that you are yet to sample. This article outlines the best craft beer clubs in the United States.
What Is A Craft Beer Club?
A craft beer club is an online subscription that brings the craft beer right to your door, the subscription is often monthly and lets you sample a wide variety of craft beer from around the world. The type of craft beer you get is all according to the club and subscription you choose.
Some clubs will only send a few tasteful craft beers for drinkers who are beer connoisseurs and want to try only the best. Other craft beer clubs give a larger selection of craft beers that are more common, for your average craft beer lover who wants to try a good selection.
Craft beer clubs are usually more expensive than just going to the store and buying your own craft beer, however, they are more convenient as they are delivered to your door, and many come with additions that are solely available with the subscription.
OUR TOP PICK
Beer of the month club has been in business since 1994. It’s a craft beer club that hand-selects micro-brewed beer from across the United States and delivers it in a pack of 12 right to your door.
This pack of 12 includes four different types of rare craft beers which include a mix of lagers, ales, IPAs, porters, stouts, bocks, and more.
Each of these beers is brewed from traditional and natural ingredients normally consisting of barley, hops, yeast, and of course water.
The Beer of the month club usually features two or three high-quality breweries each month and in your shipment of beers, you receive a monthly newsletter that tells you the inside details of your beer and the brewery it was made in, fun facts, and more.
The pricing depends on the number of months that the subscription you choose is but the average price of the Beer of the month club is around $45 per month.
The club does offer flexible subscription options so you can cancel at any time, and they also include free shipping.
All of the beer is pre-selected, carefully judged, and approved by an expert tasting panel so you are only getting the best craft beers. If you particularly enjoy one beer, as a member, you can reorder a list of past selections at a discounted price.
EDITORS CHOICE
Craft beer club has one goal: to find the best craft beers from independent small-production microbreweries across the country and deliver them directly to brew lovers in nearly every state.
Each box ships monthly, you get a pack of 12 world-class craft beers featuring four different styles and variations of these beers. Each shipment usually focuses on two craft breweries that are located anywhere in the United States.
You can either have a pack of 12 beers delivered for $44.75, or you can opt to have 24 craft beers delivered at $89.50.
Craft beer club comes with many different add ons and features that make this club unique. Each shipment comes with a color newsletter that gives you information and background stories about each of your beers and the breweries they come from.
You’ll learn about all of the awards that the beers have received, a recipe to pair with the beers, and even some interesting beer trivia!
Other perks include free shipping within the continental U.S., a heavyweight beer opener, a set of four custom-designed koozies, and even a discount on your next purchases.
BEST VALUE
Beer Across America is your go-to place for United States brewed craft beer. Every month, Beer Across America will ship out 12 beers selected and approved by experts consisting of four different varieties of beer from two craft breweries.
Beer Across America offers a flexible subscription of anywhere between monthly and annual shipments, because the subscription is flexible, you can also cancel at any time. They offer free shipping on their subscription and pricing is around $43 per month.
With every delivery, you will receive a newsletter that gives information about the beers you receive and the history of the breweries the beers come from. The newsletter also includes tasting notes and fun facts about the selection.
Every shipment also comes with a free, personalized professional barkeep bottle opener.
Beer Across America also sends you an email before every shipment (starting on shipment two) that tells you all of the beers that will be included and lets you skip that month if the beers don’t take your fancy.
RUNNER UP
The Hops Collective not only offers a variety of craft beers but also offers a variety of craft beer subscriptions. This craft beer club is the perfect way to discover new beers and expand your palette.
There are three different club subscriptions you can choose from. The first is the domestic beer club, this is the cheapest and simplest club starting at just $42.99 a month.
You can choose from six or twelve bottles and your subscription will come with a mix of domestic beers and uncommon craft beers.
This is a perfect club if you’re someone who loves all the domestic beers but still wants to push the boat out and find some uncommon craft beers too.
The second subscription that the Hops Collective offer is the mystery crate beer club which also starts at $42.99 a month. If you’re all for discovering new craft beers then this is the package for you.
You can choose either six or twelve packs of hard-to-find, artfully crafted beers and discover a brand new set of craft beers each month.
The final and most expensive club that the Hops Collective offer is the Ultimate Craft Beer Club, this club starts from $57.99 a month and allows you to choose either four or eight beers.
The ultimate craft beer club sources the best craft beers from microbreweries, this package is for anyone who labels themselves as a beer connoisseur and wants to find new and exciting flavors.
Each order of any of the Hops Collective beer clubs comes with a list of additions that you can choose at varied prices. This includes more beer, where you can choose which continent or which country you want your beer from.
Other additions you can make include gourmet food, fruit, cheeses, flowers, chocolate, balloons, cake, and even stuffed animals, for a perfect gift for that beer-loving friend.
RUNNER UP
Tavour is a little different from other craft beer clubs because of the control that it gives to the user. Tavour is actually an app, it sources hard-to-find, independent craft beers from across the United States and is constantly updating with new beers.
Tavour works with over 650 independent breweries and gives access to a client base that these breweries wouldn’t be able to achieve otherwise.
There are two options available with Tavour, if you’re a new member or completely new to craft beer and want to just dip your toe in the wonderful pool that Tavour provides, you can just pay as you go.
You can add a new beer to your crate that you like the look of and have them sent straight to your door in as little as a week. Beer prices range from around $7 to $30 and you can select as many beers as you like to be delivered.
Tavour has a flat shipping fee of $15 which means it does not matter how many beers you have in your basket as the price will always be $15.
The second option that Tavour provides is a subscription, you can still select all of your beverages and whether you want six or twelve beers, and Tavour will ship them out to you monthly, bimonthly, or quarterly depending on your preference.
Tavour subscriptions range from around $55 to around $100 depending on the beverages and amount of beers you choose. Tavour is a perfect beer club for anyone that likes their own choice out of hundreds of craft beers.
RUNNER UP
The Microbrewed Rare Beer Club is an extremely selective beer club that is perfect for connoisseurs that love craft beer, have tasted it all, and want to find something new and exciting.
It’s quality, not quantity when to comes to the Rare Beer Club as the lowest subscription you can get is two 750ml bottles of beer a month for $39 plus shipping.
If you want more you can go for a four-bottle option and six-bottle option at $55 and $73 per month respectively.
Rare Beer Club sends two separate varieties of rare craft beer a month and no two months will ever be the same (unless you request or reorder a beer you really like).
Because of the club’s quality-searching nature, you’ll often get beers that were brewed using rare production techniques, such as beers aged in bourbon and cedar barrels.
It isn’t just the United States that Microbrewed scan for the highest quality craft beer, they look worldwide for interesting and rare beers including South America, Europe, and East Asia.
The Rare Beer Club also has a personalized shipment program that ensures that you never receive a beer that you do not want.
An email is sent out before shipment of the two beers that are featured in that month and you will have the option to replace one or both of the beers with a past favorite or even skip the shipment altogether.
Rare Beer Club is the beer club for the drinker that has tried it all and wants to find their new favorite craft beer.
Buyers Guide
If none of these craft beer clubs are for you, and you’re thinking of looking for a different one that suits your needs, then not to worry, as we’ve put together a buyer’s guide on what you need to think about before purchasing a subscription to a craft beer club.
Variety
It is important to think about the level of variety that you’d like in your beer subscription, that goes for types of beers as well as the beer itself.
Some people don’t like stouts as they are too heavy, therefore, beer clubs that have stouts in the subscription wouldn’t work as they would just be left sitting in the fridge.
If you want full control over what beers you get then clubs such as Tavour would be perfect for you as many other beer clubs will simply surprise you with a random assortment.
Rarity
A lot of people subscribe to craft beer clubs because the craft beer that comes with these clubs is very difficult to find in stores. Especially with the rarest of clubs where they source the craft beer independently.
However, if you are using craft beer clubs simply because you love craft beer and want the convenience of having it delivered to your house, then there are options that give you more domestic brands of beer.
Price
There are a lot of factors that affect the price of a craft beer club subscription and it is well known that craft beer club subscriptions aren’t cheap. The biggest is the rarity and quality of the beer.
If you’re going for craft beer clubs that deal in very rare beers from independently sourced breweries, you’re going to get a higher price than going for clubs that simply send you a variety of craft beers.
Wherever you go the lowest price for a craft beer club subscription will probably be between $30 - $40.
I want to share with you all of my favorites, as well as share advice on picking certain alcohols and flavors.
I hope you enjoy my articles as much as I enjoyed researching them!
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