Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club, Author at Craft Beer Blog from The Beer of the Month Club

Oktoberfest is going vegan in Santa Monica October 4th!

September 27, 2014 by Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club

Could a meatless Oktoberfest carry enough intrigue to be a successful event?

When one thinks of Oktoberfest, easy drinking German beer in tall steins and an endless bevy of Bavarian-style meat products comes to mind. Frankfurters, Bratwursts, Blood Sausage, Schnitzel, and the list goes on! So if I said Vegan Oktoberfest, you would probably think that sounds a bit odd, right? Well the folks over in Santa Monica, CA don’t think it’s odd and they are throwing the world’s 1st Vegan Oktoberfest. Almost all their beers will be vegan by default, so the real noticeable difference will be with the food. Still focusing on German favorites like pretzels, potato pancakes, & sauerkraut, an array of food trucks will be present preparing themed menus to be paired with beers from over 20 local breweries. And just like any successful Oktoberfest, you will still get the opportunity to enjoy live polka bands, stein-lifting contests, and beer maidens walking through the oceanfront festival grounds in authentic Bavarian garb.

To learn more about this unique festival, visit www.veganoktoberfest.com.

Cheers!
Shelton

Sour Beer Day!

September 13, 2014 by Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club

Yes, it’s time to shock the taste buds, make the tongue curl, and pucker up! Today is Sour Beer Day, and to celebrate, I’m enjoying one of my favorite brews, Hofbrouwerijke’s Flower Sour– perfect for a warm SoCal day!

Flower Sour, pours a rich and hazy orange-brown with sweet candy and lime tart notes, reminiscent of fresh gummy bears. You get an initial refreshing, effervescent tingle on the tongue. The tartness rises just enough before being tamed by the floral notes and finishes with apricot and grapefruit and a solid dry finish that actually leaves a herbal and welcomed aftertaste.

What sour treat are you drinking today?

Cheers!
David

Craft Beer in Cans?

August 15, 2014 by Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club

Some of the best beers in the world are only available in cans, such as Heady Topper. So the perception that cans are only for crappy macro-lager is as outdated as the perception that American beer is only crappy macro-lager. Many experts say that canning can help the beer in many ways by protecting it from light, provide an air tight seal, and make it easier for transport just to name a few. But does it affect taste? Many experts say that the can itself won’t affect the taste unless you drink from the can itself but as most brewers and experts agree, you should always pour your tasty brew into a glass regardless of the packaging.

For us, the most compelling reason to go with cans is that it will open up more breweries for us to feature, because some breweries do not bottle their beer at all – they only use cans.

What is your take on cans?

The Mayonnaise Jar & Two Beers…

August 11, 2014 by Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the two pints of beer.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly, and the pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed again that it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up the rest of the space. He asked once more if the jar was full, and his students responded with a unanimous “yes.”

The professor then produced two pint glasses of beer from under the table and poured the contents of both into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the grains of sand. The students laughed.

“Now,” said the professor, as the laughter subsided, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things – your family, children, health, friends and your favorite passions; things that, if everything else was lost and only they remained, would still make your life full.”

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else – the small stuff.

“If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “There is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.”

“Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children, take time to get medical checkups, take your partner out to dinner and play another 18 holes. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the leaky tap. Take care of the golf balls first – the things that really matter. Set your priorities, because the rest is just sand.”

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented.

The professor smiled. “I’m glad you asked. It goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem to be, that there’s always room for a couple of beers with a friend.”

– Author Unknown

IPA Day!

August 7, 2014 by Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club

On the Hoppiest Day of the year it is only right that we celebrate with our very own, specially brewed for us, and appropriately named for celebrations, Mazel Hops! What are you drinking for IPA Day?

Smokey and the Bois Special Offer

July 8, 2014 by Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club

Today we’re excited to announce a special offer on a beer very close to our hearts. This month marks our company’s 20^th Anniversary, and to celebrate we teamed up with The Bruery in Placentia, CA to develop a beer worthy of such a momentous occasion. The result is a unique blended beer, Smokey and the Bois, available only to our club members and The Bruery’s Reserve and Hoarders Societies.

We worked personally with The Bruery to develop this beer, sampling a large number of blends at their barrel warehouse before we all reached a unanimous and very enthusiastic decision on the final blend.

Smokey and the Bois is crafted from three different Bruery beers: Black Tuesday (The Bruery’s famous ~20% ABV imperial stout), Bois (an exceptional, bourbon-barrel-aged old ale), and Smoking Wood (an imperial rye porter brewed with beech- and cherrywood smoked malts). And, for even more dimension and complexity, Smokey and the Bois has been aged with vanilla beans and Ecuadorian Nacional cacao nibs.

We have fewer than 100 cases available, and once it’s gone it’s gone. This bad boy is very big, and capable of many years of aging, so stock your cellar now.

Click the “Learn More” button for full tasting notes, and to access the order form.

Flexible ordering allows you to order 2, 4, 6, 8, or 12 total bottles. Orders ship after our July 15^th cut off date.

Order online or at 800-625-8238 Mon-Fri 7 am – 5 pm Pacific. If your club membership was a gift, you will be contacted by one of our team members for payment information if you submit your order online.

To take advantage of this special offer, please respond by 12:00 PM PST on Tuesday, July 15^th.

Cheers!

Pints for Prostates Exclusive Beer Naming Contest for The Rare Beer Club™!

July 7, 2014 by Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club

Win a Free 6-Month Club Membership to The Rare Beer Club™ by naming the exclusive featured beer for Pints for Prostates!

We here at The Rare Beer Club™ are collaborating with Fullsteam Brewery in Durham, NC to create this year’s Pints for Prostates/Rare Beer Club™ exclusive beer. Pints for Prostates raises awareness among men about the importance of regular health screenings and PSA testing through the universal language of beer and has been working together with The Rare Beer Club™ and U.S. craft breweries for the last five years creating inventive and exciting beers to help communicate their mission statement.

The beer will be featured in the club in September, 2014, coinciding with National Prostate Cancer Awareness month and will be named exclusively by the public, as anyone can submit names for the beers on the official contest page. Be sure to check out our other naming contests here.

Fullsteam wants this special beer to truly celebrate their “plow-to-pint” mission, highlighting the diversity and beauty of North Carolina. To that end, they’ve crafted a Spruce Pine Gose, a piney, tart, and slightly salty beer, incorporating ingredients from the North Carolina mountains (spruce pine tips), Piedmont (winter wheat), and coast (Outer Banks sea salt). Contestants are encouraged to visit the brewery’s website to view other beer names to note the current voice and naming conventions used by the brewery.

Entering the Contest

Although the new beer will only be available to members of The Rare Beer Club™, both members and non-members are invited to enter the contest, and submit up to three entry names for the new beer. The contest officially begins on July 3rd, 2014. Entrants will have until Friday, July 11th at 2 pm PST to submit up to three names. Finalists will be chosen by The Rare Beer Club™, Pints for Prostates and Fullsteam at which time contestants, club members and the general public can vote for their favorite name. The contest winner will be announced on Monday July 21^st.

To receive these special beers, join the Rare Beer Club™ online or call 800-625-8238 and be sure to start your membership by September, 2014 or earlier.

About The Rare Beer Club™ and The Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club™:

The Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club™ offers four different options for consumers. From the very inception of our original domestic beer of the month club in 1994, we’ve focused on consistently providing three primary product characteristics: Quality, Variety & Freshness. And in that spirit, we now offer you four outstanding beer club options, each dedicated to those same principles. Our owner’s favorite club, The Rare Beer Club™, features the finest the world of beer has to offer in limited-release, celebratory, artisanal beers from some of Michael Jackson’s favorite breweries. Two different selections are presented each month in 750 ml bottles, often cork finished, and some individually tissue wrapped. Members experience bold U.S. and imported interpretations of Farmhouse Ales, Russian Imperial Stouts, Barley Wines, Belgian Abbey Ales, varied Imperial, Extreme, Strong Ale and Grand Cru offerings, oak-aged ales imparting bourbon and vanilla notes, and much more. Many selections are pushing the envelope of creativity, are not yet distributed in the U.S., and brewed such that they can be cellared and aged. More information is available at www.beermonthclub.com.

About Fullsteam Brewery

Fullsteam is a Durham, North Carolina production brewery and tavern inspired by the food and farm traditions of the South. Their mission is to pioneer the art of Distinctly Southern Beer, brewing traditional and experimental beers with a Southern sensibility, often incorporating local farmed goods, heirloom grains, and seasonal botanicals. More information is available at http://www.fullsteam.ag/.

About Pints for Prostates

Pints for Prostates is a 501(c)3 a campaign that reaches men through the universal language of beer to encourage them to take charge of their health. The group was founded by prostate cancer survivor and beer writer Rick Lyke in 2008. The grassroots effort raises awareness among men about the importance of regular health screenings and PSA testing by making appearances at beer festivals, social networking and pro bono advertising. According to the National Cancer Institute, 240,890 new prostate cancer cases were diagnosed in the U.S. in 2011. More information is available at www.pintsforprostates.org. Pints for Prostates also has a presence on Facebook and Twitter (@pints4prostates).