ProductReportCard Editors' In-Depth Review
Pros And Cons
Pros
- Can select which beers you want to receive from CBC's inventory
- Great, affordable beers from Californian breweries
- Can review ratings from members, RateBeer and Beer Advocate when browsing beers
- Can reorder your favorite beers
Cons
- No satisfaction guarantee
- Members of Classics Beer Club only receive access to 30% of CBC's beer inventory
- Newsletter doesn't include specific beer information and tasting notes (only on website)
- Only offers monthly shipping option
- No discounts when reordering beers or buying in bulk
- Unable to ship to Utah, Minnesota, Hawaii, Alaska, and Kentucky
Key Features
Products
As the entry-level membership, the Classics Beer Club showcases various styles of Californian microbrews within CBC’s Tier 1 category. Featured beers include Belgian-style beers, dark/lighter ales (stouts, porters, IPAs, pale ales, etc.) and session beers (lower alcohol content).
The September "Tier 3" shipment from Craft Beer Connect.
Credit: Mary Griffin
Quantity
CBC's Classics Beer Club includes monthly shipments of six 22-ounce bottles of beer. There will be two bottles of three different types of beer.
In each shipment, you will receive 2 bottles of 3 different types of beer.
Credit: Mary Griffin
Membership Options
CBC's Classics (or Tier 1) Beer Club is their most affordable membership. At this level, members will only have access to 30% of CBC's inventory of featured beers, but they still have the option of choosing which beers they want to receive. As with their other memberships, CBC only offers a monthly shipping schedule, and, once you sign up, membership is ongoing until you cancel. However, you can upgrade, downgrade or cancel your membership whenever you want.
Cost per Beer
The Classics Beer Club features beers that cost around $5 per 22-ounce bottle (S&H not included).
Newsletter
Most beer shipments will include a short newsletter with updates on CBC, new breweries/beers they are featuring, etc. For information on individual beers, tasting notes and food pairing suggestions, you have to visit the beer's page on CBC's website.
A brief newsletter like this is included in most beer shipments.
Credit: Mary Griffin
Recently Featured Beers
Some of the recently featured "Tier 1" beers include: Organic Açai Berry Wheat Ale from the Eel River Brewing Company, Black Marlin Porter from Ballast Point Brewing and Stone IPA from the Stone Brewing Company.
Gift Information
When you give a gift membership, you can either ask CBC to put together a single gift shipment with suggestions from you (ex. loves IPAs, hates ciders) or you can give the recipient a gift membership for a certain number of months and they'll have the option of choosing the beers they want to receive. If you choose the former, CBC will send your gift pack out during the next shipping cycle along with a customizable gift card. If you choose the latter (which we'd recommend), you can notify the gift recipient immediately via email. The email will include your gift message, details on the club, the length of their membership (1, 2, 3, 6 or 12 months) and instructions on how to order the beers they want.
Shipping Schedule
CBC only offers a monthly shipping schedule. Members will be charged on the 23rd of each month and then their beer shipments will be sent out. Transit time will depend on how far away from San Diego you are.
All of the bottles are securely packaged to prevent damage while in transit.
Credit: Mary Griffin
Satisfaction Guarantee
CBC members aren't covered by a 100% satisfaction guarantee. CBC will exchange your beer free of charge if you are sent the wrong bottles, but they will not refund or replace bottles that have been damaged by "acts of God or weather". If you want to cancel your membership, you won't incur any cancellation fees, but you must cancel before the 18th of the month or you will still receive that month's shipment.
Reputation
The Classics Beer Club from Craft Beer Connect has received positive reviews online. It is a great introductory package if you want to try out CBC, and you can easily upgrade (or downgrade) your membership whenever you want. We have been treating ourselves to the Specialties Beer Club (Tier 3) since June 2013 and have absolutely loved our experience. Our biggest complaints about Craft Beer Connect are mostly general ones. First, we wish that they offered a 100% satisfaction guarantee. We've never had any issue with our shipments, but we would be really annoyed if something was wrong with a bottle and CBC wouldn't refund or replace it. We also wish that CBC's newsletter included more educational information on the featured beers (brewery background, tasting notes, etc.). The website has this information, but a customized printed handout in each shipment seems to be standard for other monthly beer and wine clubs and is just easier to check out while you are trying to enjoy your beer. Plus, since the beers are so good, we usually like to save a few for guests, and it is definitely more fun when you can tell your guests how you "found" this amazing beer and then share the handout with them.
With that said, we love that CBC members are given the option of choosing which beers they want to receive. This is an awesome feature that you don't normally see from a beer club and definitely makes the process more fun and interactive. Originally from the East Coast myself, I'm not very familiar with Californian breweries, and so I also find it really helpful that CBC's website includes the ratings each beer has received from other members, RateBeer and Beer Advocate. While I wish their newsletters contained more information about the beers, it is obvious from CBC's website and newsletters that these guys have a serious passion for beer that is infectious. If you just want to try out a beer club membership, the Classics Beer Club is a great place to start. However, since you'll only have access to 30% of their beer inventory, beer connoisseurs who can afford to spend a little more might be interested in the Premium membership, which provides access to 70% of the beer inventory for another $15, or the Specialties membership, which provides access to 100% of the beer inventory for another $30.
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