Beer of the Month Club Roundup Month #3

The extra beers were from:

• Calicraft Brewing Company, San Jose, California
• Argus Brewing, Chicago, Illinois

The Beers

• Millstream Brewing - Iowa Pale Ale

LIsted as a Pale Ale, it was pretty hoppy but overall, it wasn't too bad. With 5.7% abv, and 29 IBUs, it is a mid-range beer on both accounts, not bitter really. A copper colored beer, it had a very nice off-white head of foam that stayed a bit and added some lacing to the glass. I rated it a 2.75 on Untappd, but it had a higher 3.45 average overall.

• Harpoon Brewery - Fresh Tracks Pale Ale

This beer was not nearly as hoppy as the last one, I found it to be pretty light and springy tasting. A nice refreshing beer. It was a light gold color with a moderate head of foam. It has an abv of 6.2% and 38 IBU rating. I enjoyed this beer and rated it at 3.50 on Untappd where it has an overall of 3.52 so I was pretty much with the average on this one.

• Calicraft Brewing - Oak Town Brown Ale

This beer was soaked in oak chips to give it a Cabernet feel. The brewery calls it a mix between a cabernet and an IPA, which is interesting, as it was a bit hoppy, not what you would expect with a brown ale. I was able to get an oaky taste but never really tasted anything like a Cabernet. I did like its unique taste and rated it a 4.0 on Untappd. The rest of Untappd wasn't as impressed as it had an overall rating of 3,63.

• Argus Brewing - Golden Prairie Ale

This beer has been a brewery flagship, having been first brewed in 1991. A nice copper colored ale, with a light tan head, it was a decent beer, I liked it pretty well, a nice mid-range ale, listed by the brewer as an Altbier. I rated this beer at 3.50, just above its overall average of 3.35 on Untappd. A 6% abv and light on the hops (no IBU listed), a pretty easy drinker.

• Harpoon Brewing - Flannel Friday Amber Ale

This was a pretty good amber, even though it was a tad on the hoppy side. Poured a nice darker copper color with a thin off-white head on the pour. The label calls it a hoppy malty crisp amber ale and that is a pretty good description of it to be honest. It is meant to be more of a fall season beer based on the way it is marketed. I gave this a pretty solid 3.75 rating, just above the average of 3.63 on Untappd.

• Millstream Brewing - Schokolade Bock

This beer is a bock, and has the requisite malty taste which was pretty good. As expected this poured out a dark brown with a tan head of foam. A pretty good American made bock, it wasn't bitter at all. Has an abv of 6% and 46 IBU. I did like this beer also, with another 3.75 rating, again, higher than the 3.54 average on Untappd.

This was the last month of my 3 month subscription to this club. My buddy, Bob, signed up for another 4 months, as we have been sharing the beers from each monthly shipment. He signed up for the Mixed cases, which include two domestic and two international beers. He has already started receiving them but I don't think I will continue this series unless there is an outcry for me to continue them. I would be willing but not sure how the reception is for these posts.

I stopped my subscription because I basically found the selections to be average at best with only a few exceptions and for the price at about $3.50 per beer, seemed high, especially without being able to pick the types of beers. They slipped some IPAs in the monthly selections even though there is a separate IPA club you can be in. I will say this again, their customer service is very good, as good as anyone. I did like that none of the beers were ones that I could run down to the local beer store and buy though.

There you have it. Let me know if you have been in a similar club or have tried any of these beers. Cheers!!