Craft Beer Club March 2016 Subscription Box Review

Craft Beer Club is a monthly subscription that delivers a twelve pack of select microbrews right to your home.  Each selection has received acclaim and is very popular within its distribution area — CBC lets you enjoy them wherever you may be.  Their focus has been on ales for the last several boxes.

The Club delivers a mixed twelve pack each month.  We received three each of four varieties.  The selections have been a couple selections each from two featured micro breweries.

Two separate volumes of Micro Brew News were included, one for each pair of selections.  Each issue included information on the history and philosophy of the featured breweries, as well as details on the style, stats, and composition of each brew.

The back of each sheet had a recipe designed to pair well with the beer selections, as well as some beer-related trivia.

 
The pack included three each of four great ales from two renowned breweries — Oasis Brewing Company from Denver, Colorado, and Church Street Brewing Company from Itasca, Illinois.  Oasis’ flagship brews celebrate the Egyptian influence on early brewing.  Church Street beers are only distributed in the Chicago are, so these bottles of brew are a true prize for us farther afield.  Each beer comes in its original commercial bottle, so you get to see the label artwork and experience the beer as intended by the brewer.

Left to Right:

Oasis Scarab Red Ale:  This red ale boasts a beautifully vibrant copper hue and rich, velvety texture.  It is sweet, with the hops providing balance without standing out.  The malt finish is equivalent in intensity to that of a brown ale, but with lighter and sweeter caramel tones.

Oasis Pale Ale:  This pale ale has a beautiful, piney nose and vivid color.  It is smooth and presents the hops beautifully, adopting a dry finish without straying into bitterness.  A very drinkable pale ale, this brew can certainly win converts to pale ale.

Church Street Tale of the Shony Scottich Ale:  This Scottish style ale has a rich and roasty character full of caramel and barley notes.  Malty, with a hint of chocolate, this ale is the heaviest of the selections.

Church Street Hauch von Himmel Hefeweizen Ale:  Presented in all its unfiltered splendor, this Bavarian style Hefeweizen has intensely sweet/sour yeasty aspect.  Notes of clove and banana float through the explosively cloying concoction.

The box included a code for a one year subscription to The Beer Connoisseur Premium Web Magazine.

I’ve enjoyed this subscription immensely.  I like that the selections include two beers from each featured brewery, as it allows you to appreciate their mastery of multiple styles.  They are all highly drinkable and appeal to a wide audience of beer lovers — none have been too dark or hoppy for my palate.   This is a great subscription to split for boy’s (or girl’s) night, or just to have an ever-evolving selection of craft beers on hand for your own enjoyment.

Visit Craft Beer Club to subscribe or find out more! You can see the free items you’ll get with an annual subscription in our first Craft Beer Club review!