MonthyClubs.Ca : Canadian Beer Club

My husband (also known at Mr.Baby&Life) is a huge beer snob. Microbrews (or Craft Brews as the hip kids these days are calling it) are his best friends….well… after ME!….hopefully. He is constantly on the hunt for good beer, especially IPAs and any time we travel, the suitcase is filled with new finds. One on going complaint  has been the lack of good beer clubs in Canada. The U.S has many and for some odd reason we Canadians are missing out on the trend despite having  some great breweries.

This past Christmas I decided to hunt a beer club down and the plan was  to look at  one  in the  U.S who would deliver to Canada (yes I was willing to pay any and all taxes involved, even if it ended up costing me  as much as a coveted Dior handbag. See the love?). Given my super Googling skills I landed on MonthlyClubs.Ca and while no online reviews were found (weird eh?) the customer service team was  fantastic.  They replied to emails promptly and advised me that the monthly selections are never repeated and are not available at the LCBO and while future deliveries are a highly guarded secret, they shared some of the previous deliveries. These included some fab brews from all over the world. This seemed like the perfect gift to me (and HA! Canada does have some good beer clubs!). I decided to buy a two month subscription as a test  run. In fact I teamed  up with another beer afficiando’s partner and we decided that  we would split the subscription. Which meant that if we ended  up with some bad batches we would have someone to share our misery with. Power in numbers! I bought a January and February membership and she picked up a March and April membership.

Each month we eagerly awaited the delivery and while we discovered some great new finds as you will see below, we were highly disappointed by the fact that each month we received beers from Ontario. I mean come on… It would have been cheaper for us to drive to these breweries and pick up a 6 pack. So much for the international selection we were hoping for. If you decide to split a membership with someone else keep in mind that you might receive the same bottles despite choosing deliveries for different months. We learned the hard way. Mr.Baby&Life got the same 6 bottles in January and February as the friend who got his shipment in March and April. When we reached out to Monthly Clubs they informed us that they tend to source local beers for the first few months of every year (due to many new memberships during the holiday season). Lost marketing opportunity here … it was the best time to showcase their network to the new subscribers!

This is a great gift idea for the beer (or chocolate or coffee or wine or….. chilli sauce.. yes they have those too!) lover in your life but keep in mind :

• You will most likely not receive an international or pan Canadian selection. Higher chance of you receiving beers from local  breweries (in most cases they will not be available at the LCBO BUT given the recent increase in craft brew selections at the LCBO… we have now noticed many of these beers on shelf.)
• If you want to split the months with a friend, book under one membership. Do not get two different memberships. You will both get the same beers, regardless of the months of delivery if you have separate memberships. 
• You will experience excellent customer service. Both the friend and I received an extra month’s supply when we complained about the beers not being filled properly (on two occasions we noticed that the Nickle Brook bottles were only three quarters filled).
• You will spend approximately $40 per month for SIX 341ml bottles (this includes shipping). We found the cost of over $6 per bottle to be quite steep for what we received.

Below are Mr.Baby&Life’s review of the craft brew selections!

January

The best first. The Bolshevik Bastard Russian Imperial  Stout was smooth and very  flavourful, without much of the harshness found in Imperial Stout. This was the best of the 12 beers sent from the club. The Bavarian Red Lager was crisp, with a nice  flavour but not a memorable one.The headstock IPA, at about 8.0% was an average IPA, with a nice bitterness but lacking in any hints of fruit that characterize the best IPAs. Overall, Nickelbrook ranked number 1 for  me. Score 7.5 out of 10

February

Not a wide range of flavours from Black Creek. Three ales, Dray Horse, Brilliant,  and Rifleman’s Rations filled the case. Each was a quality craft ale with the Brown Ale, Dray Horse, being my personal favourite.  Score 6.5 out of 10

March

Repeat of January

April

The most disappointing brewery, with an uninspired stout, a Maple Red Ale that lacked the crispness of most fine ales, and a  light beer, which is sure to disappoint anyone looking for a full flavoured beer. Score 2 out of 10

May

Cameron’s provide a nice  diverse selection, with a Rye Pale Ale that was well liked by all four participants at a dinner party. A slightly above average  lager, and a Doppelbock that was smooth tasting despite the high percentage or 7.1%. Overall, a nice batch but ultimately forgettable. Score 5 out of 10

This Sunday kicks off Ontario Craft Beer Week ! Be sure to check out the many  fun events lined up (over 120!!). Many a good beer just awaiting a discovery! BarVolo is usually  our favourite spot to celebrate this auspicious week!