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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

Who wants to name Jolly Pumpkin’s next Rare Beer Club­­­ exclusive beer?

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That’s right cats and kittens, it’s been awhile, but we’re announcing the first of 3 beer naming contests we’ve got slotted this year and another chance for you to win a 6-month, 2 bottle membership to The Rare Beer Club®.

Rosie-the-cat
Rosie the Cat

So here’s how this one got started. My 19 year old Maine Coon, Rosie, died last October. He was a real piece of work. Yeah, that’s right…HIS name was Rosie! His story is a bit like Johnny Cash’s “Boy named Sue”…you had to be tough to own that name and he was. Rosie was a huge personality in the hood, entered neighbors’ homes at will, was generally as adventurous as they come and into everything, and survived several coyote and raccoon attacks. Lived pretty much outdoors backing up to a canyon with plenty-o-predators for the majority of his life.

So I got to thinking that a cat that was that cool deserved to have a beer named after him. I’ve got a bottle of Jolly Pumpkin’s La Roja on my desk because the artwork featuring this wild, swashbuckling red pirate cat always reminded me of Rosie. Seemed a no brainer to reach out to Ron and see if he had any interest in the project. Lucky for me he’s owned cats and dogs, had owned a coon himself at one point, and could relate to the loss of a good buddy. So Ron’s in. Sweet.

jolly pumpkin la rojaThe beer will be based on Jolly Pumpkin’s La Roja, an amber ale brewed in the Flanders tradition offering earthy caramel, spice, and sour fruit notes developed through naturally occurring brettanomyces and lactobacillus from barrel aging. It will be unfiltered, unpasteurized and blended from barrels ranging in age from two to ten months. Ron intends to bump the ABV slightly and modify La Roja’s recipe to make the beer’s flavor profile even more assertive and bold to match Rosie’s personality. In short, a wild red ale to celebrate a wild red cat.

“I’m in, Kris. How do I play,” you say? Here are the vitals you need to know about the contest:

You can submit up to three names by 2 pm PST on Wednesday, March 16th. Three finalists will be announced on Friday, March 18th at which time contest entrants, club members and the general public will be allowed to vote for their favorite choices. Contest winners will be announced on Friday, March 25th. If your beer name is used, we’ll hook you up with a 6-month membership to The Rare Beer Club (two bottles per month club).

To receive this RBC exclusive beer, you’ll need to be an active member of The Rare Beer Club in July of 2016 when it will be featured.

Have fun. I’m really looking forward to seeing what you all come up with this time. I’ve never been disappointed in the final beer name of any contest we’ve run in the past.

Prost!
Kris

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Wekken Sour for Sour Beer Day 2015!

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Wekken SourOn this second Sunday of September in spirit of Sour Beer day we find ourselves enjoying a Brewmaster’s Collaboration. Left Hand Brewing Co. has graced us with their Wekken Sour, a unique blend of their Wake Up Dead Imperial Stout and De Proef’s Zoetzuur.

This 8.9% ABV pours nearly black and coffee-ground like with a rich cream colored foam head that clings to your glass.

On the first whiff, you are immediately hit by the tart flavors which are then followed up with notes of figs, chocholate covered cherries, and a woody, earthy scent.

Unlike the aroma, the flavor is much more nuanced and complex. As it hits your tongue, you get a sudden rush of tang that quickly passes and is overcome by the richness of roasted malts, leading to a smoother flavor reminiscent of cacao nibs as it washes down just in time for the herbal hop notes to come through and tie everything together beautifully with a dry crisp finish.

Although this beer is perhaps not the best choice for the weather at hand, it was a solid beer that I would definitely recommend to anyone who is looking to venture into the realm of sour beers.

Salud!
David

Adelbert’s Brewery, The Rare Beer Club® and Pints for Prostates Partner to Reach Men Through the Universal Language of Beer

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RBC LogoCharlotte, N.C. – Adelbert’s Brewery of Austin, Texas, and The Rare Beer Club®, which ships unique craft beers nationwide, are teaming up to benefit the Pints for Prostates campaign.

Adelbert’s is releasing specially labeled bottles of Scratchin’ Hippo to create awareness and support the mission of Pints for Prostates, which uses the universal language of beer to reach men with an important health message. This award winning Bière de Garde will feature a limited edition label with the Pints for Prostates logo exclusively available through The Rare Beer Club.

Scratchin’ Hippo is a 6.9 percent alcohol by volume traditional, rustic artisanal French-style farmhouse ale. Its complex malt-driven flavor elicits notes of toasted caramel, roasted malts and cocoa, complimented by a mild sweetness.

adelberts-scratchin-hippo“Scratchin’ Hippo is one of our most popular and unique beers. It is named for a massive hippo in Kenya that decided one night to scratch itself by rubbing up against the house where my brother Del, the namesake of the brewery, was living. He thought it was an earthquake,” said Scott Hovey, Founder and Brewmaster of Adelbert’s Brewery. “We are happy to partner with Pints for Prostates and the Rare Beer of the Month Club on this project to help raise awareness about prostate cancer.”

The limited edition label features the Pints for Prostates logo, which includes the blue ribbon to remind people of the ongoing search for a cure to prostate cancer, a leading cause of death among American men. A donation for every 750 milliliter bottle of Adelbert’s Scratchin’ Hippo sold through The Rare Beer Club will be made to Pints for Prostates.

“The annual release of a special beer through The Rare Beer of the Month Club helps us to connect with guys and urge them to take charge of their health by getting screened for prostate cancer,” said Rick Lyke, a prostate cancer survivor who founded Pints for Prostates after successful prostate cancer surgery in April 2008. “We are extremely grateful to Adelbert’s and The Rare Beer of the Month Club for helping us to achieve our mission.”

“This is the sixth year The Rare Beer Club® has partnered with Pints for Prostates on this project and we’re always pleased to do so as it’s a great cause and our members really look forward to a unique beer each year. Adelbert’s is a great craft brewery that we’ve only worked with one other time in 20 years, so we’re really excited to be working with them again,” said President Kris Calef. “Together with the brewery, we’ll donate $1.00 for every bottle sold and include a Pints for Prostates information card in each shipment to remind our members to get tested. A little education and early detection goes a long way to save lives.”

To get the specially labeled version of Scratchin’ Hippo join The Rare Beer Club online or call 800-625-8238 and be sure to start your membership in September. .

According to the National Cancer Institute, prostate cancer will claim the lives of nearly 30,000 men in the U.S. during 2015. Prostates cancer is 33 percent more common in men than breast cancer is in women, yet few men know they should get a prostate health screening at age 40. The release is part of the Pints for Prostates Oktoberfest for a Cure observance that is taking place from August through October.

About Adelbert’s Brewing

Based in Austin, Texas, Adelbert’s Brewery is committed to brewing Belgian-style, bottle-conditioned ales for people to seek, savor, and share with others. Adelbert’s uses Bohemian old-world floor malted barley, low alpha Noble Czech hops, fresh yeast propagated at the brewery, and a multi-temperature decoction mash technique. The brewery believes quality beers require quality ingredients and a painstaking attention to detail throughout the brewing process. Learn more at www.adelbertsbeer.com.

About The Rare Beer 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 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.

P4P LogoAbout Pints for Prostates

Pints for Prostates 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 men’s health screenings by making appearances at beer festivals, social networking and pro bono advertising. According to the National Cancer Institute, approximately 233,000 new prostate cancer cases are diagnosed annually in the U.S. More information is available at www.pintsforprostates.org. Pints for Prostates also has a presence on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@pints4prostates).

July 2015 Rare Beer Club® Special Offer

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RBC Logo

Today it’s our pleasure to announce another Rare Beer Club® Special Offer! You can read a summary below or visit the special offer page for full tasting notes and access to the order form.

If you’re new to the club: welcome! One of the best things about being a member is that, in addition to our normal monthly selections, you can take advantage of our periodic special offers on additional exciting and hard-to-find beers.

We’re very excited to offer four delicious beers from Colorado’s Odell Brewing Company – specifically from their Cellar Series, which are very limited production beers usually available only from their tap room. And, like our June feature from Odell, Barrel Thief, three of the beers below have aged on wood. Cheers!

  1. odell-brewing-logoJaunt – Incorporating the juice of Riesling grapes from the Western Slope of Colorado, Jaunt is also aged with light and medium oak staves during secondary fermentation. Additions of wheat and Pilsner malt serve to keep this smooth and crackling. 7.6% ABV.
  2. Trellis – This very unusual strong ale is brewed with locally grown herbs and spices including cilantro, coriander, lavender, rose petals, and pineapple mint. Along with being an expressive (and wholly unique) offering, every bottle sold raises one dollar to support The Gardens on Spring Creek. 8.7% ABV.
  3. Fernet Aged Porter – A blend of 50% porter and 50% aged porter matured in Fernet barrels via Leopold Bros. Distillery. Inspired by the framework of dark, minty liqueurs, Odell combined the core elements of minty licorice barrel notes with the base of a chocolate-malt-forward porter. 9.4% ABV.
  4. 180 Shilling – An upsized riff on the flagship beer they opened their doors with back in 1989: the also-delicious 90 Shilling. We, unabashedly, were totally into this one. An undercurrent of roast meets huge, glorious levels of caramel and dried dark fruits and sherry, with a perfect impact from the oak. 9.6% ABV.

Flexible ordering allows you to order 2, 4, 6, 8, or 12 total bottles, combining any of the 4 featured beers in any way to get there so that you can easily try all four. Orders ship after our July 31 cut off date.

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

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

If you wish to get any of these limited selections, please respond to this special offer by 12:00 PM Pacific on Friday, July 31, 2015.

Cheers!

Kris Sig

 

 

Decoration Day

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CFoB LogoMemorial Day weekend is upon us and there’s plenty to do with family & friends. You could of course do the traditional beach and BBQ thing, but there are just too many great beer festivals going down this weekend to ignore. We’ve picked out a couple of our favorites and just wanted to highlight them in case you’re interested.

In just 2 days you’ll have the opportunity to taste over 200 brews at one of the largest and oldest regional beer festivals in California bringing in over 4,000 attendees every year, The California Festival of Beers. Based in San Luis Obispo, you’ll get to sample brews from over 6 dozen breweries all around the world. Accompanied with cuisines from local chefs, live music & entertainment, you just can’t go wrong here. Be sure to get your tickets soon though because this event draws a big crowd, selling out every year!

ABQ Beer Week LogoFor some of us however, 2 days is just not enough to enjoy all the fun. If you happen to be that someone looking to still partake in all the pleasures a beer fest can bring about but still want to take it at your own pace, then the Albuquerque Beer Week is for you. This ten day series of events in Albuquerque, NM will feature breweries from all around the world including some breweries featured in our Club such as Deschutes Brewery, Weihenstephaner, Odell Brewing Co., and much more! For foodies and beer lovers alike, this week long event has just about something for everyone.

For more beer festivals, be sure to check out our Upcoming Beer Festivals page which is updated monthly!

Have fun out there, be safe, and have a wonderful Memorial(Decoration) Day weekend!

Cheers!
Shelton

HAPPY Birthday Michael Jackson!

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Michael-JacksonsAnd no, not that one.  I’m talking about the The Beer Hunter and founder our Rare Beer Club!   Michael James Jackson (27 March 1942 – 30 August 2007) was a beer journalist and critic, traveled the world discovering different beer cultures and his work was influential in the popularization of the brewing culture in the US. The modern concept of beer style is largely based on his work in the 1977 book The World Guide To Beer in which he categorized beers from around the world into style groups according to local customs and names.  He also hosted a television series aptly titled the Beer Hunter in around the 1990’s.  His awards and accolades are countless in the beer industry and we are honored to continue his pursuit of beer.

Salud!
David

They Are Women, Hear Them Roar

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Women & BeerEquality for women in the work force is stronger than ever, but don’t tell that to the beer industry which has been male dominated  for hundreds of years and remains so today.  However, things are changing fast and by the hand of the minority.  In recognition of International Women’s Day on March 8th, the non-profit organization Pink Boots Society will be throwing their second annual International Women’s Collaboration Brew Day (IWCBD) with over 80 participants from 11 different countries.  This year’s style to be mastered – Unite Red Ale.  Following the event, over 80 versions of the beer will be released so that fans and supporters around the world can not only try the brew, but join in the cause of supporting women in the beer industry.

To that my friends, I say Cheers!
Shelton

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