Best Beer Of The Month Club: Which Hops Shop Comes Out On Top?

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1st
The Rare Beer Club logo small
2nd
The U.S. and International Variety Beer Club logo small
3rd
The Original Craft Beer Club logo small

Are you a beer enthusiast who’s tired of your same old local store offerings? Fortunately, microbrewing is a booming — and very trendy — business these days. New breweries are popping up all over the U.S. and the world every day.

Thanks to a batch of online beer subscriptions, you can sample some of the best new beers before they hit the market and maybe even a few that are not available in your local bottle shop. Check out our best beer of the month club reviews to see which monthly beer subscription can satisfy your thirst for new brews.

Article Overview

Best Beer Of The Month Club Winners

We’ve conducted our beer club reviews based on several factors including the quality and variety of beer delivered to your door, informational offerings via blogs or newsletters, the variety of subscription options, cost and more.

The Rare Beer Club Review

#1Rare Beer Club bottles

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The Rare Beer Club wins our top spot as the best beer of the month club. Brought to you by the world-renowned beer critic, Michael Jackson and his taste-testing panel of experts, this club is all about rare beer finds from craft breweries around the world.

You’ll be introduced to exclusive beers before they make it to the U.S. market, brews developed solely for the Rare Beer Club, and Imperial and Extreme beers, which are heartier versions of existing styles (more malt, more hops, and much higher ABVs). Types of selections include hard ales, sour ales, IPAs, stouts, lagers and more. They offer a wide variety of subscription/gift options, with a minimum of two shipments to get started.

Pros

Cons

  • You can customize or skip each monthly beer box
  • 100% satisfaction guarantee (replace or refund)
  • Wide variety of subscription options (most aren’t ongoing)
  • Monthly newsletter with tasting notes, beer profiles, brewery histories, and suggested food pairings
  • Extensive online resources about craft brews
  • No contract/cancel anytime
  • Expensive subscriptions
  • Hefty shipping fees per delivery

Pricing

All of the Rare Beer Club selections come in 750 ml bottles, and most are cork finished and wire caged. You receive two separate beer selections in every shipment. The four bottle option includes two of each selection, and the six bottle option has three of each. See all plans.

Number of Bottles Per Shipment2 Bottles 4 Bottles 6 Bottles
Price Per Shipment$37.95$55.95$72.95
Shipping Fees Per Shipment$14$16$19

The U.S. And International Variety Beer Club Review

#2U.S. And International Variety Beer Club bottles

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Our number two pick for the best beer of the month club is the U.S. and International Variety Beer Club, from the same corporation that runs the Rare Beer of the Month Club. This company and its expert tasting panel know what they’re doing when it comes to fine brews.

With this club, you’ll receive hand-crafted beers from both U.S. craft microbreweries and International breweries — 12, 12 oz. bottles from two different U.S. microbreweries and two different microbreweries from overseas (three bottles each). This beer club is the company’s most popular package for the variety of beers you receive and less expensive subscription fees compared to their Rare Beer Club pricing.

Pros

Cons

  • Very affordable pricing
  • 100% satisfaction guarantee (replace or refund)
  • Wide variety of subscription options (most aren’t ongoing)
  • Monthly newsletter with tasting notes, beer profiles, brewery histories, and suggested food pairings
  • Extensive online resources about craft brews
  • No contract/cancel anytime
  • Hefty shipping fees per delivery
  • Not as many premier-quality, rare beer finds as our number one pick
  • Customization and skipping months is not an option

Pricing

U.S. and International Variety Beer Club sends you four different beer styles, three of each style.

U.S. And International Variety Beer Club Promo Code

Our link above applies discounts if available.

Unboxing Video

Check out what’s inside the U.S. and International Variety Beer Club for a sneak peek of what to expect each month.

Enjoying This Article? Read our Cigar Club Reviews

The Original Craft Beer Club Review

#3Original Craft Beer Club bottles

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The Original Craft Beer Club takes our number three spot as the best craft beer subscription service. Like our top two clubs, the Craft Beer Club has a panel of experts that sample hundreds of beers per year to give you the highest quality craft brews. They select a wide variety of beers, including ales, lagers, stouts and porters, from independent American brewers that produce small batches. And in your first shipment, receive bonus gifts including a year subscription to Beer Connoisseur, bottle opener, 4 custom koozies and more.

The downsides to this craft beer of the month club are fewer subscription options and ongoing charges to your credit card, so you have to remember to cancel if you no longer want their beer boxes. But the Original Craft Beer Club offers competitive pricing and free shipping.

Pros

Cons

  • Average pricing and free shipping
  • 100% satisfaction guarantee (replace or refund)
  • Monthly newsletter with info about each beer
  • Free annual subscription to Beer Connoisseur E-Magazine
  • No contract/cancel anytime
  • Not as many subscription options as other clubs, and all are ongoing
  • Customization is limited
  • May ship cans occasionally

Pricing

The Original Craft Beer of the Month Club offers monthly, every other month or quarterly shipping options with automatic renewal. Shipping is free.

  • $42 per shipment for 12 beers (4 styles, 3 of each)
  • $80 per shipment for 24 beers (4 styles, 6 of each)
  • See all plans

The Original Craft Beer Club Promo Code

Our link above applies discounts if available.

Other Beer Of The Month Club Reviews

Below are our reviews of a few more popular monthly beer clubs. They didn’t make it into our top three but are worth considering.

Amazing Clubs | Clubs Of America

Amazing Clubs Beer Of The Month Club Review

Amazing Clubs Beer of the Month Club logo

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Amazing Clubs offers 40 different subscription clubs, everything from beer to teddy bears. And it seems that they’ve spread themselves too thin to offer the highest quality and variety of products, at least when it comes to their monthly beer box. You do get 12 quality beers (ales, lagers, stouts, porters, etc.) from award-winning breweries around the U.S. with every shipment, but they’re not unique or hard-to-find brews. And beer enthusiasts will likely find the lack of an informative newsletter about each beer and minimal website resources disappointing.

Pros

Cons

  • Competitive pricing
  • Free shipping
  • Can cancel anytime if you opt for ongoing pay per shipment
  • Good customer service hours, via live chat and phone
  • Quality and variety not up to par with many other clubs and no international beers
  • Their customer “guarantee” doesn’t promise replacements or refunds
  • Fewer subscription options than some competitors
  • No customization available
  • Some consumer complaints about unhelpful customer service agents

Pricing

  • $39.95 per shipment ongoing until you cancel (delivery every month or every other month)
  • $116.85 for 3 Month Club (delivered every month or every other month; $38.95 per shipment)
  • $155.80 for Seasonal (4 Month) Club (delivered every 3rd month; $38.95 per shipment)
  • $227.70 for 6 Month Club (delivered every month or every other month; $37.95 per shipment)
  • $443.40 for 12 Month Club (delivered every month or every other month; $36.95 per shipment)
  • See all plans

Clubs Of America Beer Of The Month Club Review

Clubs of America Beer of the Month Club logo

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Clubs of America Beer of the Month Club has delivered more than 3 million shipments since its founding in 1994 — a testament to the reputation and popularity of this club. Every beer subscription box includes only the finest, award-winning beers from small American microbreweries. They seem to be a bit heavy on ales, but they also deliver pilsners, IPAs, stouts and lagers. With a money-back guarantee and free shipping, this Club can be a great option, unless you want international beers or if you mind the occasional can instead of a bottle.

Pros

Cons

  • Average pricing and free shipping
  • Good variety and quality of domestic beers
  • 100% satisfaction guarantee
  • Beer Expeditions newsletter with details of each beer and tasting notes
  • Option to pay in full or monthly (can cancel anytime)
  • Can customize with other membership clubs
  • No international beers
  • Only one box type offered and no customization
  • May ship cans occasionally

Pricing

Clubs of America offers one to 12 months options with a $25 discount if you opt for the 12-month subscription. You can choose delivery every month, every other month or every third month.

Enjoying This Article? Read our Wine Club Reviews

Guzzle Or Gift It?

These beer of the month subscriptions are a great way to indulge in your own brew interests, but they also make a perfect gift for fellow beer enthusiasts. Any of the beer boxes we’ve reviewed here would make great gifts, especially since these libations could keep on giving for a few months beyond the initial celebrations! And if you’ve ever had the inkling to brew your own beer, be sure to check out our home brewing kit comparison article.

What do you want out of a beer club monthly delivery?

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I ordered 3 months of the Original Craft Beer Club membership for my dad last Father’s Day and he loved it! In fact, he personally opted to extend his membership for a few months beyond the gift because he enjoyed it so much. It was a great gift!

Katie, that’s great to hear, so glad your dad enjoyed it! We have a promo right now for any other dad’s out there looking for a deal for Father’s Day or other special occasion coming up. $10 off a purchase or $25 off 12-month memberships plus a free bonus gift with the code: BeerDad. Just use this link to take advantage of this offer

So tough to decide, going to get my husband one of these for his birthday next month, he’s a big fan of craft beer though so think that’s the best pick for him.