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

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).

A Trip to Bottle Logic’s Tasting Room Will Not Disappoint

June 10, 2014 by Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club

So if you’re a fan of sci-fi comics and great craft beer, let me tell you about a brewery right here in our own Orange County backyard. They go by the handle of Bottle Logic and these guys are no strangers to craft beer, constantly pushing the envelope of innovation.

At the helm is Head Brewer Kyle Manns, who, after having his home brew recipe go on to the Great American Beer Festival Pro Am with The Bruery, officially started his brewing career as an assistant brewer at BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse. Over the next 3 years, he went on to help win 9 Medals and back to back Brew Pub Group of the Year awards. Kyle has modeled his brewing after an old music industry mantra, that of “less is more”.

The first beer that caught my eye was Double Actuator, a rock solid DIPA in my opinion. Weighing in at 10%, it’s generously dry hopped with Mosaic hops and offers a fruity flavor profile that hints of blueberries, mangos, and papaya.

The next time you’re in Anaheim, you definitely need to check Bottle Logic’s tasting room. Between the tasty suds and cool sci-fi vibe, it’s a must see. If you’re a fan of nitro taps, you’ll be right at home.

All in all, great beer, a solid, knowledgeable wait staff and sweet vibe.

Cheers,
Jeromy

Support Your Vacation Location Breweries!

May 19, 2014 by Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club

On a recent trip to Lake Havasu, I was fortunate enough to find The Desert Magic IPA from the good people at Mudshark Brewery based out of Lake Havasu City, AZ. Being an IPA lover, I was not disappointed. The brew has a lemon scent with hints of grapefruit and a nice balance of hops and a light malt give it a great flavor without too much of a hoppy bite. Quite the treat after a long day on the lake.

Mudshark Brewery also has a restaurant/brewpub located in the heart of Lake Havasu City, just a half mile walk from the world famous London Bridge. Haven’t been there myself just yet, but will definitely check it out on my next trip.

As I am sure a lot of you already do, be sure to find those craft breweries in your favorite vacation spots and support them the best you can. We need to make sure that these fine establishments remain in business as long as possible so we can drink great beer on vacation!

Cheers!
Ryan

Got Swagger?

April 23, 2014 by Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club

If not, you need to checkout Beer, because they definitely have enough to go around. So much that they named their hoppy red lager “Swagger”. I usually do not go out of my way for a lager, but I love hops, love reds, and everything else I have ever sampled from this fine craft brew establishment has been nothing less than amazing, so I couldn’t pass it up. And, of course, the Clown Shoes delivered! It starts off with the hoppy goodness of red IPA, and finishes with the crispiness of a lager. Being an ale lover, I have a very exclusive list of lagers and pilsners I enjoy and this one is at the top.

If you are lucky enough to have Clown Shoes Beer distributed in your local area, take the time to sample some of these incredible creations. And with beers with such names as “Swagger”, “Vampire Slayer”, “Chocolate Sombrero”, and even “Muffin Top” (my personal favorite) they’re kinda hard to miss.

Cheers!
Ryan

Goats, Spring, and Bock Beer

March 20, 2014 by Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club

Today is special my friends. One of significance, with deep historical roots, and one that will bring some sense of relief to many I’m sure. Today is National Bock Day, and it also happens to be the 1st day of spring. Bocks come in many different styles and variations, but they were typically brewed to welcome in the spring season and bid adieu to winter.

This past winter was pretty brutal to many due to some extreme weather sweeping across most of the nation. There were even some uncommon appearances of the season in some of the southern states. Remember all those people in Atlanta caught off guard by the winter storm and forced to succumb to its fury, abandoning their cars on the freeway just to get back home? Well it’s time to put that all behind us now and welcome in this magical time of year. Flowers bloom, picnics are be planned, the birds start to sing again, bears awake from their hibernation, and Bocks are in their prime.

Bock, what a funny word. But it’s more than just a funny sounding noun, it actually has some meaning. To be exact, it’s German for “Billy Goat”. Thank goodness that has nothing to do with the listed ingredients, but more to do with old world influence. During medieval times, old German monasteries would brew a strong bock as a source of nutrition during their Lenten fasts. Others believe it was made with more of a pagan connotation, only being brewed during the sign of the Capricorn goat, hence the name “Bock”.

So whatever your cause, there’s surely a reason to be found to enjoy a nice Bock this spring. What’s yours?

Cheers!
Shelton