2021 Beer Memberships: Adding, Keeping or Dropping?

GL, it took me years to get in from the officially unofficial waitlist that doesn't exist if you ask them, but then it might...but still probably not.

Although I got in before their Santa Cruz location so maybe they will increase the club size (kinda unlikely...but stranger things have happened) just because they have more space to brew.

 

Just wishful thinking on my part or at least get my name in the waitlist. Haha!

I was lucky enough to score a 1KS (previous batch) from a trade and is probably closest I’ll come to their membership.

 

I know there are good beers without getting a membership, but what styles of beers and from what brewery are you buying? Just curious.

 

I stick to lagers, West Coast IPA (GC/Beachwood and El Segundo) and saisons/wild ales from Homage, Blendery and Monkish with the occasional hazy (and their stouts/barleywine)

Does BL count? I was part of their T3/Saving Throw in the past. I’d pick up some BL barrel-aged goodies, every now and then, mostly their core stasis stuff FO, DSN, etc.

I’ve shifted a little of the spending from dropping upfront costs of the memberships to visiting local shops to purchase beers from different breweries for more spontaneous purchases.

The out of sight, out of mind aspect of memberships turned me off. I’d wait until the last day of pick ups to get my beers and it just didn’t make for a fun experience and it felt like a chore. Haha!

 

The waitlist doesn’t help. Some of us have been on it for 6 years

 

How do I get on the waitlist? I’m asking for my friends: me, myself and I.

 

It doesn't exist. Except that one time someone said it did, but then it got lost, covered in beer, and basically destroyed. Then they created a new one, but someone's pet pig saw it and consumed it. So they created another one but actually didn't, but said they did while also telling everybody it doesn't actually exist.

 

Haha, noted. Thanks.

 

re: Cellador

Anitya was the first member beer (or second, Naraka and Anitya came out together) this year.

My favorite Cellador beers are their non-fruited, so Barrel d'Or and Stellar Cellar are my standouts. I do have a bottle of Jungle Boneyard that I'm curious about, so I'm glad that turned out well. I'm surprised you didn't care for Shout Down My Rain Barrel as I thought their Masumoto stone fruited stuff was your favorite? I was planning on coming down to pick up the Anniversary stuff and Shout this weekend but with SF and LA both being on a stay at home order, I cancelled my trip.

 

This Bokke membership, not membership, I see hinted at through social media posts.

 

If you're referring to the Pre-presale group, it's not an official beer club and hasn't had a release in over a year

HINT HINT TO MONKISH READING THIS THREAD

 

Naraka was also delicious, though more on the sweeter end. I liked it better than Cinque.

I do think they need to play around more with unfruited stuff, since they are excellent at it, and their culture is beautiful: Famille, Laplace and Napoleon, Barrel d'Or, Brett du Rossier, Jungle Boneyard, etc. Their pineapple-guava stuff is spectacular

What I really don't like is when they do gimmicky stuff in the name of experimentalism like their cocktail hybrids: Jackson Ranch, Buried Lover... Or their vegertable sours which are just simply messy like the Carrot King... or stuff that is just overly busy like Tikki beer with Nutmeg...

I am all for their wine-beer hybrids (though Deadcrush is a mess imo) like Psalm Spite, Equus Mulus, and Anitya, and their cider-hybrids are among their very best stuff (Chapeaux). Just keep it elegant and let the base beer shine from time to time.

Shout Down my Rain Barrel was a bit too sour for my taste. I liked it a lot, but I prefer the Anniversary stonefruit offerings (Duo was my fave), Jia, Le Con, Spectacular Commodity, and Mas. It's still a delicious beer, just not my favorite stonefruit offering they have made this year. Jia has earned a place in my heart; it's beautiful.

 

When does the MT League membership renew? I'm thinking about adding that.

Any insight is appreciated!

 

Membership renewals already occurred and are sold out. There was no public sale for memberships this year. You either had to be a member or have a member "gift" you a membership.

 

Keeping: Modern Times - Theory

Dropped/Dropping: Lost Cause, Alpine

Considering: None, really. MT satisfies most all of my beer needs, and with so many places shipping or making home deliveries, I'd rather spread my beer money around than commit to a second or third membership.

 

Keeping - already purchased 2021 membership.

This will be my 6th year, my daughter got me a membership for Christmas the first year.

2020 sucked all around, and I cannot fault SN for that. The 2021 membership, with discount for returning members, which is I'm guessing to compensate for 2 cancelled events, plus the fact there will be 36 bottles next year works out to a deal, even if they are unable to hold any AHS events. I suspect they will be able to have possibly 2 events, late summer and fall/winter next year, which would be great.

But even without events it will workout to be less than $7 a bottle for some really special and limited brews.

Today, Christmas, cold, snowy, miserable outside, but we enjoyed two different AHS brews we had been saving for the holidays, 2020 Chocolate Cake Stout, and 2020 Belgian Style Chocolate Stout.

PS I live about 20 miles from the Mills River NC brewery.

 

Keeping:
The Bruery
Modern Times

Dropped:
Alesmith
They are still making good beers IMO but, the lack of explanation for why there is no BA Vietnamese Speedway Stout while they are making regular Vietnamese had me pull the plug. Also, trips to San Diego are not as much fun when you just pick up beer and cannot hang out and visit a couple breweries on the round trip home.

 

Keeping Modern Times and Private Press.

Dropping Horus.

 

Adding:
Moksa
Horus (if spots open up)
Private Press (if spots open up)