. Still, in spite of the abundance of beer, the time will come when finding a new product to try will become a challenge. When this happens, there is one solution that will keep the new beer flowly freely: Joining one of the many different beer clubs offerd via the internet.
It’s a great time to be a beer lover. Craft breweries continue to open up every day, offering great- tasting, specialty beer products that were once difficult or impossible to find. Beverage stores often have several aisles devoted exclusively to malt beverages products and the decision can often become overwhelming due to the dozens of choices. Still, in spite of the abundance of beer, the time will come when finding a new product to try will become a challenge. When this happens, there is one solution that will keep the new beer flowly freely: Joining one of the many different beer clubs offerd via the internet. One club that I have belonged to on and off is Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club, an on- line store that specializes in shipping cases of beer right to your front door, helping to cure those beer- hunting blues.
Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club utilizes a concept common to most beer clubs. The club offers several different beer club memberships, including Domestic beer, International Beer, etc., along with a Collectors Series. With each membership, a twelve pack is shipped to your place of residence, with three bottles each of four different styles, packed in a box with a special insert that has twelve individual, round openings to hold the bottles in place and protect against breakage. A newsletter is also included, complete with information about the beer within.
I have been a member of this beer club on and off and it has generally succeeded in finding me some interesting beer products to sample. This beer club is nice because it offers four different brands to sample each month. Two different breweries are selected, and there are two different beers offered from each. This is an improvement over certain other clubs that send a six pack each of two different styles. Instead of only two products to try, you now have four, improving the odds that you will have some brand- new malt beverages to sample each month.
Microbrewed Beer of the Month Cub has many obvious benefits, but there are a few things that could make the club even better. One potential problem is with the selection. Each month is a surprise, and a surprise in the form of a twelve pack of beer is always welcome. However, if your goal is to sample as many different brands/styles as possible, you will find that, sooner or later, you will get a shipment that has one or two products you have already tried. One way to avoid this type of problem would be to let the customers choose among several different featured beers/breweries of the month. This would eliminate the surprise, but it would help members avoid getting beer they have already tried. Another improvement would be more options- especially options that are slightly lower in price. The present cost per month for the domestic beer club, with shipping factored in, approaches three dollars per bottle! This is many times the price of beer when shopping at a store. Of course, one has to keep in mind that you are paying for much more than just beer. You are paying to have products sent to you that you would otherwise have a difficult time finding. And you are paying for the convenience of having them sent directly to your residence without having to search for the beer on your own. Still, a cost per bottle this high is a difficult fact to swallow.
Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club offers memberships for any number of months from two to twelve; with an option of purchasing an open membership (beer is shipped automatically every month until the recipient calls and cancels the membership). The monthly fee is charged directly to your credit or debit card. You can select to receive a shipment every month, or every other month, or every third month. These latter two options are nice for people who want to join but don’t want to commit themselves to the lareg cash outlay required for a one- year monthly membership.
Finding new beer to try is an adventure, but it can sometimes present a challenge. Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club is one of the better clubs of its kind on the market today and even though you may end up with some brands and styles you have sampled before, the convenience and the thrill of knowing that a box of goodies will arrive at your doorstep each month make any disadvantages fade from memory. It makes the perfect gift for anyone who enjoys sampling fine craft beer.
Rating: 8 Cheers out of 10
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