If you’re lucky enough to have found a favorite brewery—where you get excited about every new beer release—you should see if they have a club. And if they’re not labeling it as a club, keep your eyes peeled for terms like subscription, society, and collective. Whatever the verbiage, beer clubs are a golden opportunity for breweries to connect with their most loyal clientele—and for beer fans to find new beloved brews.
Brewery clubs members exclusive beers, but there’s more to it than that. Discounts on beer and merchandise, members-only events, and brewery swag are generally part of the deal, too. Some brewery clubs even give members the chance to vote on upcoming releases, buy vintage brews, and even snag space in beer cellars. Sound too good to be true? Many beer drinkers agree. In fact, brewery clubs have become so popular that several are already filled to capacity for the year. Don’t let that discourage you. Even if it requires a little delayed satisfaction, here are 10 brewery clubs that are definitely worth the wait to join.
10 Best Beer Clubs in America
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1. Cigar City Brewing El Catador Club
Tampa, FL and Longmont, CO
Cigar City’s El Catador Club doesn’t offer lifetime memberships. Instead, it offers “Editions” that typically run for six-month stints. El Catador Club got its start in 2013 and maxes out at 500 members. Lucky imbibers in the 16th Edition will get two 500-ml bottles of seven different barrel-aged beers, which can be picked up at the Cigar City taproom in Tampa, FL, or the Oskar Blues taproom in Longmont, CO. Shipping is not available, so non-locals need not apply. Members get a 20% discount on purchases in the Tampa or Longmont taprooms, plus a welcome gift (typically a T-shirt or glass).
What sets this club apart: Interesting takes on barrel-aged beers. The first release of the 16th Edition is Clu Haywood, a bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout laced with decadent flavors of caramel and peanuts.
