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Craft Beer Blog from The Beer of the Month Club

A craft beer blog written by the experts of The Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club

Those are my Juniper Berries!

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Dogfish Head Sah TeaI couldn’t help but think of Monty Python when I took my first sip of Dogfish Head’s Sah’Tea, described by the brewery as a modern take on a 9th-century Finnish beer.  It’s fermented with a German weizen yeast and brewed with black tea, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and black pepper and …juniper berries.  First sip I’m thinkin’ “And now for something really different!” Second sip and I’m thinking about the Holy Man in the Life of Brian who broke his vow of silence after 18 years to defend his Juniper bushes.

Prost!
Kris

Beer Panel uncovered some really nice beers

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Rated a nice line up at Beer Panel last night, although we only got through 10 beers as half of them were 8% ABV or better.  The highlight of the night was an 11% German barrel aged eisbock from Faust.  Uber rare stuff that we’re looking at bringing in for The Rare Beer Club in Q4.  Problem is they have several outstanding barrel aged products to choose from so we may be reaching out to our fan base for input in the months to come. Stay tuned!  Love the sample sticker that came on that beer.  “Analysis” indeed!

Prost!

 

So many good beers, so little time…

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kris-beer

If you’re like me, you’re already thinking about what to toss on your grill or smoker this weekend.  I’ve got a dark rum soaked, brown sugar pack smoked salmon recipe that’s pretty tasty…and easy.  I just make it look a lot harder than it is so I can spend more time manning the smoker and drinking beer.

The bigger question is what beer will I be drinking while carefully tending the coals and wood chips.  It’s a lofty decision since as the father of 3 year twin girls, I don’t get a whole helluva a lot of chill time by the barbie with a beer.  I’ve got a tasty beer I picked up as a Society member to The Bruery, Melange 3, a 15.5% blend of Black Tuesday, White Oak and Papier.  It’s an ass kicker though so I may have to invite someone over to assist with my duties. That or put the girls down early and call it a date night.  Option B:  I can’t seem to get enough of the Logsdon Organic Seizoen Bretta we ran in March.  It could very well be my all time favorite saison.  Okay, I’m going to take a stance on that and confirm it right now.  Love that beer. Flavorful and complex as hell. Check Ken’s tasting notes on it:  http://www.beermonthclub.com/logsdon-farmhouse-ales-seizoen-bretta.htm.

I drink beer like I order food when eating out.  I study the menu ad nauseum, narrow it down to my top 2-3 picks and then order something else.  I’ll keep ya posted.

What are you grillin’ and drinkin’ to celebrate the arrival of summer this Memorial Day weekend?

Prost!

Serious BBQ and Craft Beer at The County Grill in Newport News, VA

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My new home away from home in Newport News, VA

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You ever just stumble into something too good to be true?  Well, that happened to me last week when I was in Newport NewsVA to visit my 93-year-old grandmother.  After flying cross-country all day, I checked into my hotel at 9:30 pm tired, thirsty and famished (I love ya Southwest, but man cannot thrive on peanuts and water alone).

I figured I’d be eating out of a vending machine that night, but asked the gal at the front desk if she knew where I could grab a bite that late on a Tuesday night.  Without hesitation, she told me I needed to head over to The County Grill,  “Some of the best BBQ in the state, hell, in the country”.  “Okay”, I said,”But I really need a place that has good beer too”. “That’s the place for you Mr. Calef”, she confirmed.  “Best beer selection for a hundred miles”.  I was sold and drove a mere 3 blocks to my destination.

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Scotty dealing some fine beers on a Monday night.

I bellied up to the bar and surveyed the beer list which was indeed impressive with such rarities as Hoppin’ Frog’s B.O.R.I.S. The Crusher, a 9.4% Russian Imperial Stout, and Smaltz’s Rejewvenator,  a Belgian Dubbel-German Doppelbock hybrid, brewed with dates and figs.  Started off local, with a nicely crafted American Porter from the St. George B.C. and moved directly into Stone’s Enjoy Before 5-17-13, a 9.4% imperial IPA (I needed to wind down a bit after the long day.  It did the trick). I was now primed for the BBQ and ran with what they’re known for, their pulled pork sandwich…It did not disappoint.

Guiding me through the extensive beer list was Scotty Batten, their well loved and very knowledgeable bartender.  Over the night I shared who I was and it turned out that he’s a current member of our Domestic-International Variety Beer Club.  Gotta love that.

All in all a memorable night…Enough so that I dragged my sister Annie and cousins back the following night.

Cheers!

Welcome to The Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club’s Blog!

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Beer of the Month Club PanelWe’ve been kicking around the idea of adding a blog to our site for a couple years now as a way to keep you informed on what’s going on at The Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club and The Rare Beer Club™ so we’re really excited that the time has finally arrived!

So we’ve had a fair amount of time to think about and ask our members what kinds of content you’d like to see here and on our Facebook page. At the end of the day, we want you to drive what you see on this page so we’ll be listening carefully.

Out of the gate, you can expect to see:

  • Detailed descriptions of our up and coming featured beers well before they hit your doorstep
  • Rare Beer Give-Aways
  • Details of special offerings to members of The Rare Beer Club™
  • Recent discoveries and reviews from our beer panel
  • Surveys requesting which breweries, beers and beer styles you’d like to see in the each of our four beer clubs
  • Exclusive Facebook promotions and discounts

We’ll also be digging up information on beer festivals and events, sharing some of our favorite recipes to pair with the current month’s featured beers, and posting our Member of the Month winners.

We’re passionate about beer and eager to create a community around it. Join us for the ride!

Prost!
Kris Calef
President

The Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club

The Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club | 1-800-625-8238 (Outside USA call: 949-206-1904) | P.O. Box 1627, Lake Forest, CA 92609