2018 Beer Club Renewals

Keeping: Bruery HS

Joining: None

Dropping: None

 

I see that a lot of people seem to be dropping the Good Beer Co Stable. If you don't mind me asking, why? I'm considering adding them, and wondering if it's felt like a good value this last year...

 

Keeping: Casa
Dropping: MT
Adding: Dionysus and Wild Barrel

 

Updated...

Keeping - Cellador, Dionysus, Modern times (bumped to ToL Committee)
Dropping - Nothing
Adding - De Garde, Four Fires, SUPERSTITION!!!, Casey

I tried to cut back on groups for this upcoming year.. i think i failed.

 

Update:

Keeping:
Bruery Reserve

Joined:
MT - League
Alesmith - Order of the Anvil

 

Ok, finally figured this out:

Keeping:
Bruery Reserve (upgraded to Hoarder's)

Joined:
Good Beer Co Stable

Now if only Beachwood Blendery would do a membership program...

 

I'll bite on this. I've liked their stuff. As most say, it's pretty solid. But ... it's just pretty solid. Nothing has blown me away. I'll give a few pros / cons of the membership that factored into my decision to drop it:

PROS
- Solid quality
- Reasonable price per bottle
- Many releases
- Low ABV / easy drinking - there's sort of a gap in the market around pretty easy drinking low ABV wild stuff. Some of their 4% - 5% beers are great summer crushers
- They'll ship

CONS
- Some quality flubs - carb isn't always on point, and some of the experiments (trees of california) just don't work ... occasionally too much of a vinegar note
- Lack of variety - they do a lot of different stuff but it mostly tastes like variations on a theme ... I get that this can be written up to house style, but I compare to the variation from, say, De Garde or even Cellador and it doesn't measure up
- Distro - a lot of stuff is coming up to bay area in distro
- Uniqueness of member bottles - I just didn't find that the member bottles were head and shoulders above stuff of theirs I could buy at distro
- Competitor quality - there's so much other good (better?) beer available in distro or through locals like Cellador + Highland park + Blendery ... hard to keep investing
- Lack of progress - I joined several years back because I was excited about their approach to low abv stuff and thought they would keep getting better, broadening horizons ... I really haven't seen that play out.

A lot of this stuff is subjective ... but the overall point for me is the beer world keeps getting more and more competitive. Just locally look at all the new entrants or competitors. You have to progress to keep earning my dollars. I didn't feel that happening.

 

Keeping - SARA's Cellar, Rare Barrel (now splitting this one with a friend)
Dropping - None ( May drop RB next year)
Adding - None

I see a few people saying that they are adding the de Garde Keepers. Did they add more people for 2018? I got an email in July saying I would get info "about next years Keepers membership and the details on how to get in".

 

People are probably counting it because a good chunk of the membership takes place in 2018 and the sign up was around the same time as all of the other 2018 memberships.

 

You're right. I was thinking that sign up was earlier in 2017. Also, I was really hoping to get in!

 

Is there a waitlist or free for all?

 

I received an email saying that I’m on a waiting list

 

I think if you were close dog to the cut off they put you on a waiting list

 

Keeping:
Bruery Reserve (upgraded to Hoarder's)

Joined:
Alesmith(wife bought me this for Christmas)

 

Dropped Nothing
Added Alesmith (shipping was the main reason)
Keeping Modern Times (picking up in LA main reason)
Keeping Rare Barrel (enjoy sharing bottles with friends)

 

Dropped: The Rare Barrel
Added: Alpha Hop Society, Alesmith, Casa Agria
Keeping: Cellador, Dionysus

Cellador was a great first year membership.

 

Welp, I guess I can add SARA Cellar to my list. Just got invited in today.

 

me toooooo

De Garde and SARA for me this year