The Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club

What's in the box: Each box holds a mix of craft beers in different styles from US and international breweries, plus tasting notes, food pairing ideas and background on the breweries.

The Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club is one of the longer running beer subscriptions in the US and has been shipping craft beer since 1994. The founder says the idea came from a 1992 trip through Europe spent drinking Belgian ales, English porters and Czech pilsners. That background still shows in a lineup that mixes American and international breweries. Members choose from five beer clubs. According to the site, a tasting panel picks the beers from more than 10,000 breweries and rejects most of what it tries, judging on aroma, body, finish and overall character. Shipments come with tasting notes, food pairings and brewery stories, which helps if you want to learn about beer as well as drink it. The service is built heavily around gifting. Memberships run from 2 to 12 months, and you can print or email a gift announcement, so it works as a last minute present. It also offers a satisfaction guarantee. The tradeoff is that you rely on someone else's taste. You have little say over which beers arrive, and people who chase hyped local releases may find the picks less exciting than a good bottle shop. Alcohol shipping rules differ by state, so check that they deliver to you before ordering. For curious drinkers and gift buyers, it is a steady, well established choice.