Picture of a brew master making beer
beer brewing

How Beer Is Made

Beer has been around for a very long time. There’s actually evidence that suggests beer has been around since 3500 B.C., and this makes it one of the oldest drinks in the world. Beer is a mainstream beverage and is a staple across many cultures across America, Europe, and Asia.

Even though it is extremely popular, many people don’t know how beer is made. It’s important to know how the drink is crafted because then you’ll have a better understanding of how its flavor is influenced. If you don’t understand what changes the flavor of beer, then there’s no way to find the right beer to suit your tastes.

With that said, there are five main steps involved in brewing beer. The main ingredients include water, barley, and hops. Yeast is also used, but do note that sometimes hops are not found in beer.

Step 1. Malting

The malting phase is the first step in the crafting process. All beer contains a grain. Barley is the grain that is mostly used. However, rye and wheat are often used as a substituent.

The grains dry during a heating process. This also causes the grains to crack. When the grains are opened up, the enzymes become isolated and then the mashing step is what happens next.

Step 2. Mashing

The next step is mashing, sometimes called steeping. This is when the enzymes are steeped in boiling water or hot water. This causes them to be activated.

When grains are steeped, the sugars in it release into water, and then it will be ready for fermentation. This process can take around two hours to complete. Afterwards, the grains are taken out of the water, which leaves beer that is not fermented.

Step 3. Boiling

The next step is the boiling process. The wort is boiled, and spices and hops are added to it, and this is when the flavor is released into the mixture. This process usually doesn’t take that long to complete. In most cases, it takes around and hour for it to be completed.

Step 4. The Fermentation Process

The fourth step is the fermentation process, which is the part that produces the alcohol content that’s in beer. Before brewers reach this step, no alcohol is found in the beer mixture, and it’s only made of flavored water and sugar. This step is started off by adding yeast, which reacts with the sugars.

Alcohol is then created. This process can take a long time to complete. In fact, the yeast and the mixture are usually stored for weeks at a time and then used when the wort is fermented, and the alcohol content reaches it’s desired level, which is determined by the brewer.

Step 5. The Aging Process And Bottling Process

The final step is the bottling and aging process. Many people enjoy carbonated beer, which means carbonation is added during the bottling process. This can be done in a number of ways, but many brewers just let the bottles carbonate naturally, via the fermentation process.

Within a few weeks, you will have beer that is full of flavor and tastes great. The process of producing beer has not really changed all that much, regardless of how many years have passed. Beer may very well be the oldest man-made drink in the world.

The process is easy and just about anyone should be able to do it. You just need four ingredients and follow the above five steps. If you want, give it a try, and before you know it, you will have homemade beer that tastes great.…

The Rare Beer Club Logo
the microbrewed beer of the month club

Rare Beer Club Review

The Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club was first established in 1994 and since that time has developed into one of most highly respected beer clubs. When it comes to craft beer, these guys are intensely passionate about finding the best beers in the world and bringing them straight to your door. Microbrewed has a simple statement that says it all: “Expert Selected. Dedication to Quality. Unmatched Variety.” Kris Calef, beer expert, owner, and founder, ensures this.

Microbrewed offers the Rare Beer Club along with 3 other kinds of beer clubs including, The International Beer Club, U.S. and International Variety Beer Club and U.S. Microbrewed Beer Club. With this incredible beer club variety, I have no doubt that you will find the perfect beer club for you.

Michael Jackson originally founded the Rare Beer Club. Mr. Jackson was one of the world’s most famous beer experts in his time. He obviously had very sophisticated taste buds that wouldn’t settle for any mediocre beer. That is why The Rare Beer Club offers the ultimate selection of delicious beers from all over the world. So if you are searching for club that offers very complex craft brews that you wouldn’t have access to otherwise, then this is your club!

So how does the process work? The Rare Beer club provides two rare beer selections that come in 750ml bottles. You are given the option of how many bottles you would like of the two selections: 3 bottles, 2 bottles or 1 bottle. The 3 bottle club means you will receive a total of 6 bottles in two different selections with each shipment. Like other Microbrewed clubs, you can select the number of shipments you want, which month your shipments start and how frequently the shipments are delivered.

Beer Variety

Like with all rare beer clubs, for obvious reasons each month the variety will not be as wide as with a regular craft beer club. However, you still don’t receive the exact same beer selection more than once. There is a limited release for each selection and there is a variety of style, country, and brewery, which helps to ensure you receive an excellent selection of 2 handcrafted brews from the best brewers in the world.

Microbrewed doesn’t place any limitation on the kind of beer they choose and offer almost every kind of beer around, not only mainstream styles. Some of the selections they have offered recently include Russian imperial stouts, various cask-aged ales, farmhouse ales, Belgian abbey ales and barleywines. A majority of beers included in your shipments are going to cork finished as well as brewed to provide you with the option to age it. If there is a certain month’s selection that you fall in love with, there is the option given by Microbrewed to order a case of it at a discounted price.

Beer Selection Process

Their process for choosing their monthly beer selections are head and shoulders over the rest of the clubs. For a beer to end up showing up at your house, it first has to go through a very detailed process. That ensures you will only receive the hardest to find, flavorful and unique beers available. I have heard there are some beers clubs that don’t try out the beers personally before they ship them, and just assume they are going to be good. Microbrewed doesn’t make any assumptions.

They are some regular guys like us who judge and select the beers. Microbrewed’s panel of judges have more than 100 years of experience combined in the craft beer business. These judges have been featured at numerous beer competitions, festivals and beer events, which include the Great American Beer Festival. You are guaranteed to only receive the highest quality rare craft beers from Microbrewed.

Each beer is blindly rated by the panel of judges on the following 8 different categories:

  • Appeal
  • Flavor
  • Character
  • Finish
  • Mouth Feel
  • Balance and Body
  • Aromatic Profile
  • Appearance

If and when a craft brew is approved officially and chosen by their beer experts, it then shows up in a future beer shipment. The judges are even more picky when it comes to choosing beers for their Rare Beer Club so that you the only the most rare, best tasting beers available.

Community

It is always more enjoyable when there is someone to share things with, and that is why an incredible online community was established by Microbrewed. If you are unable to convince your friend to sign up with you for the beer club, then this is a great alternative way of sharing your thoughts on the most recent craft beer selections.

Every shipment from the Rare Beer Club includes a newsletter containing such things as suggested food pairings, brewery history, ingredient profiles and tasting notes. There is even more information on the Microbrewed blog than there is in the newsletter and contains a bunch of interesting articles on upcoming beer events, beer education and much more.

In addition to its blog and newsletters, Microbrewed has a Facebook page as well that enables members to interact with one another and share their views on the most recent selections. That also enables members to socialize with other beer enthusiasts who have the same love for beer that they do! Their Facebook page also helps you to stay up to date on all of the various current events in the world of beer along with funny beer meme posts.

If you are searching for a beer club that comes with an incredible beer lover community, then this is definitely it!

Shipping

Microbrewed has been shipping beer for more than 20 years, so they know what they are doing. I completely understand if you are somewhat skeptical of beers being shipped from all over the world. However, trust me, those guys really do know what they are doing. Every beer shipment is packed carefully and shipped at the precise right time. They totally understand that the best thing to do is ship certain kinds of beer at specific times of the year in order to make sure you get the best flavor possible.

Customer Service

Something that is critically important to Microbrewed is building trusted relationships with each member, and that is why a 100% satisfaction guarantee is offered. That means they will refund or replace any product that you purchase. With an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and more than 750,000 customers, what is there for you to worry about with this club?

Join Today!

The Rare Beer Club is the personal favorite club of Kris Calef, and I think it is mine as well! It is the ideal club for anybody searching for the best tasting and most rare beers around. If that is you, then there is no need to wait! It would be difficult to find a better quality selection than this.…

The Amazing Clubs Beer Club
amazing clubs

Amazing Clubs Beer Club Review

Amazing Clubs started in the year 2003 as nothing more than a gourmet gift club. The owner wasn’t satisfied with that and wanted to do more. In a single year, the business went from one club to 7 clubs in total. Since then, Amazing Clubs has ensured over 1 million satisfied customers and has earned the title “largest online gift of the month club.” Not only do they have the wildly popular beer of the month club, but they also offer 40 other clubs with various themes. Whether you want a bacon of the month club or a teddy bear of the month club, Amazing Clubs has it all. That said, while you may love bacon and teddy bears, that’s not why you’re here. You’re here for the beer, and that’s an Amazing Clubs specialty!

Here’s how the process works. You have several options in terms of how frequently you get deliveries of beer. You have your choice of five different time periods. You can pay for a 3 month, a 6 month, a 12 month, or a pay per month club membership. The last option is seasonal, offering you a delivery every 4 months. No matter how frequent you get deliveries, you get the same deliveries as everyone else. Amazing Clubs sends shipments from one of two different breweries and offers four different varieties of beer with every shipment. That’s a total of twelve 12oz beers! If you decide that one of the beers is so delicious, you want more, Amazing Beer Club offers a discount on specific beer re-orders.

We have more information in our best beer of the month club article. Reading through it will give you more information on our rating process and the categories we consider.

Beer Variety

This is the first and most important, factor that we consider. What kind of variety does the club offer? Is it a good selection, or are most of the beers the same style? The Amazing Beer Club offers four different beers from two different microbreweries. They also work hard to offer a wide selection of beer styles. So you won’t have to worry about selection. You’re bound to get a type of beer you enjoy! If you’re curious about the specifics, then here’s a list of beers that members received from the Amazing Beer Club in the year 2017:

  • some of the beers you get from Amazing ClubsIPA
  • Amber Ale
  • Pale Ale
  • APA
  • Milk Stout
  • Brown Ale
  • Pumpkin Ale
  • Lager
  • Red Ale
  • Oatmeal Stout
  • Pilsner
  • Witty
  • Hefeweizen
  • Organic Belgian White
  • Porter
  • Sea Salt Ale
  • Oak Barrel Stout
  • Black Ale
  • Brown Lager

Beer Selection Process

The Amazing Beer Club uses a panel of beer experts in order to choose the best selection. These experts are knowledgeable in all styles of beer, which allows them to ensure the beers members receive are at the top of their class. So if you’re a beer snob, don’t worry. People are just as huge beer snobs as you are making the final choices on what beers to send out.

That said, some other craft beer of the month clubs will let you specify what kind of beer you’d like ahead of time. Not by brand, but by style. This club does not. Every month is a surprise as to what kind of beer you get. For some, that can be a benefit. After all, the surprise and anticipation is often part of the experience! It also helps keep things from getting stale. It’s easy to fall into a pattern with anything. If you like a particular beer, it’s hard to choose a random beer you’ve never had if you’re making the choice on your own.

Community

Some beer of the month clubs have a great community of members who enjoy chatting about beer. The Amazing Beer Club isn’t really set up for such a community. That said, members will get a member newsletter with every delivery. Inside this newsletter, you’ll find descriptions and explanations of the things you’ll receive, as well as the discounts and processes of ordering specific beers if one catches your eye. If you buddy up, you can share these beers with your friend for half the price!

Shipping

Being able to get beer shipped to your home is something that has often been used as a joke in television shows. However, it’s perfectly legal, and it could open your mind to a number of craft beers that you can’t get in your location. If you’re worried about your first time membership, don’t be. The Amazing Beer Club is solid in terms of shipping, ensuring that you’ll get your beer at the right time and in one piece.

The club works hard to ensure you won’t have to worry about your beer breaking during shipping. They use specialized packaging which is designed to protect beer from both breaking and spoiling. Not only will you get your beer in safe condition, but you also won’t have to worry about bitter beer tastes once you open it up and take a drink.

Customer Service

Customer service is important no matter what kind of business you’re dealing with. No matter how careful the employees, accidents happen. When those accidents cause you problems, you should have a way to be compensated. Amazing Clubs hasn’t grown to over 1 million satisfied customers by having poor customer service! Indeed, they’ve worked hard to ensure their customer service department is staffed by well-trained employees who know how to help.

Should you be unsatisfied with your membership at any point, you’re allowed to cancel and receive a full refund on whatever has not been shipped. If you’re halfway through a 12-month membership, you can cancel and get 6 months refunded without having to pay any extra fees. However, don’t expect to be able to ship back the product you’ve received. The Amazing Beer Club doesn’t allow for that. If you get a beer, you’re not a fan of, then your best option is to pass it along to a friend.

Sign Up Today!

Joining a beer club is the best (and perhaps only) way of getting craft beers from all over the country without leaving your home or making friends in other states. Let the Amazing Beer of the Month Club do all the work. You can just sit back, relax, and try your delicious new beers!