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Rare Beer Club Review

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Subscription services are hugely popular in all consumer domains. Food, drink, pets, DIY – you name it – people love receiving packages at home. It’s fun, exciting, and often surprising to open up a new gift-box every month. And what could be more exciting than a box of beer? What about rare and exclusive craft beer?

The Rare Beer Club is a superb beer subscription service, offering exclusive and rare bottles that will impress any beer lover. The incredible selection is curated by beer industry professionals who have a trusted palate and great taste. We recommend The Rare Beer Club to any craft beer lover looking for new and interesting beers to taste, share, or collect.

How does it work?

Each month, The Rare Beer Club sends expertly curated bottles of exclusive and hard-to-find beer directly to your home. To sign up, head to their website to select your subscription package. A few weeks later, you receive your first shipment of beer. You can choose how many months you’d like to continue.

rare beer club newsletter with 2 bottles of cigar city tocobaga and viven smoked porter

Whether you’re treating yourself or giving a thoughtful gift, The Rare Beer Club makes it easy to sign up and start receiving beer.

Beer selection process

When you sign up for The Rare Beer Club, you can be sure that the beers you get will be amazing quality. First of all, the club itself was founded by a world-famous beer writer, the late Michael Jackson. Mr. Jackson was loved and renowned for his passion and deep insight into the world of craft beer. The current operators of The Rare Beer Club have promised to keep this passion for quality and tradition alive.

Each beer is put through a rigorous taste test by a group of acclaimed beer professionals, from beer judges to brewers, and brewery owners. We definitely trust their palates and taste when it comes to beer. Take a look at a few recent bottle selections to see for yourself:

  • Brasserie Fantôme – Pissenlit: A funky saison with dandelions from Belgium
  • The Lost Abbey – Righteous Son: A barrel-aged old-ale from California
  • Yazoo Brewing Company – Monteur de Houblon: A funky-sour-hoppy farmhouse ale from Tennessee
  • To Øl – Chateau Øl: A 10.4% ABV Golden Ale brewed in Denmark

You can expect some outstanding bottles like these in each package.

The Rare Beer Club also strives to develop and maintain strong relationships with artisanal brewers around the world. This can be seen by looking at some of the beers brewed exclusively for the club by such brewers as Jolly Pumpkin and American Solera.

What’s Included?

There are three options in The Rare Beer Club. You can choose to receive either two, four, or six beers per shipment. Each beer is 750ml and they are always hand-crafted and limited release beers from the world’s best breweries. You always get two different beers: one, two or three bottles of each, depending on your subscription selection.

Along with the beer, you’ll get a monthly newsletter with detailed tasting notes and other information about the beer. With orders of 3 shipments or more, The Rare Beer Club sends you their branded bartender’s bottle opener, which is a nice collector’s piece.

The Rare Beer Club also offers what they call the Personalized Shipment Program (PSP). Each month, members receive a list of the beers available. If you want, you can use the PSP to pick and choose the exact bottles you’d like to receive. We find this service useful to avoid styles that you’ll most likely not enjoy. There is usually a lot of sour beer and funky beer – not all beer lovers appreciate these. With the PSP, you can select the beer you’re sure that you’ll love.

Lastly, as a member of The Rare Beer Club, you have the ability to reorder your favorite beers while supplies last. This is a great option when you need to get more of a special bottle you tried from the subscription box.

How much does it cost?

There are a few different options available as a member of The Rare Beer Club. You can choose from either 2, 4, or 6 bottles per month. Here is a breakdown of the costs:

PackageBase PriceShippingTotal Cost per Month (incl. taxes)
2 Bottles per Month $38.95 $14.00 $52.95
4 Bottles per Month $55.95 $16.00 $71.95
6 Bottles per Month $72.95 $19.00 $91.95

As you can see, the more bottles you buy, the more savings you’ll get per bottle. The Rare Beer Club does not pick better or more exclusive bottles for the biggest package. You don’t have to feel like you’re missing out by choosing the smaller boxes.

If you’re a collector or would like to indulge frequently, it is definitely worth choosing the 6 bottle subscription. You’ll end up saving a lot of money per bottle:

PackageAverage price per bottle
2 Bottles per Month

$26.48

4 Bottles per Month

$17.99

6 Bottles per Month

$15.33

The Rare Beer Club has a minimum purchase of 2 shipments. Payment can be made in one installment or each time a package ships with most major U.S. credit cards.

Who is it best for?

If you’re like us and love a wide variety of beer, the Rare Beer Club will definitely impress you with its selection. Each month there are really interesting and hard to find beers. Every state has different beer availability and distribution so it may be difficult to find certain brands near you. The Rare Beer Club makes sure to select amazing products each month and will have you waiting impatiently for your box to arrive at your doorstep.

As a gift, The Rare Beer Club is a great choice for any serious beer lover. If you know that your loved one is serious about craft beer, they’ll be extremely appreciative of this subscription service.

How do you join?

Signing up for The Rare Beer Club is easy. Head to their website to customize your membership. There aren’t any tricks or misleading links. It’s straightforward and safe. If you need assistance, you can speak directly to a customer service agent on their online-chat or by calling their toll-free phone number.

Shipping

The Rare Beer Club ships beer almost everywhere in the U.S. Unfortunately, due to geographical and legislative reasons, they’re not able to ship to the following states: Alabama, Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nebraska, or Utah. International shipping (outside of the U.S.) is currently unavailable.

The shipping costs are included in the price and they’re the same no matter what state you’re in.

The beers are securely packaged in cardboard beer-shippers to ensure they get to your door without a scratch.

Customer Service

Monthlybeerclubs.com, the company who runs The Rare Beer Club, prides itself for its outstanding customer service. In fact, they have achieved an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB). The BBB is a consumer review service that focuses on customer service and user satisfaction.

Our communication with The Rare Beer Club has been nothing but professional. They deliver on-time and as promised.

The Rare Beer Club is confident you’ll be happy with your service – so much so that they offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you’re not happy, they’ll replace or refund your purchase.

Final Thoughts

The Rare Beer Club delivers hard-to-find, rare, and exclusive beers right to your doorstep. Continuing the legacy of their founder and prolific beer writer, Michael Jackson, this club offers outstanding service and access to truly unique beers.

We definitely recommend The Rare Beer club for any passionate beer lover that’s looking to try new bottles or add to their collection. Each month provides new surprises and flavors. Treat yourself, or a friend or family member. It’s truly the gift that keeps on giving.

If you are looking for something a little different, check out our article on the best beer of the month clubs.

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