When Jessica and James Cantu first heard about beer club, it was completely by accident, they said.
鈥淲e happened to be in the bar one night and someone mentioned it to us, Jessica Cantu said, 鈥渟o we went to the first beer club night, and have been back ever since.鈥
The Cantus are regulars for the monthly meeting organized by Kevin "Flip" Pilpczack. They were two of more than 50 people who came out on May 30 to enjoy an assortment of craft beers to try.
鈥淭his is great because you can come as often or as little as you want,鈥 James said. 鈥淔lip educates you on the different types of beer, where they come from, who makes them and what makes them taste the way they do, and it鈥檚 really opened my eyes to it all.鈥
For $15 per person, Pilpczack offers samples of a variety of five or six different beers and pairs each with a full meal to go along with it. On Wednesday night, he paired craft beers that are great for grilling.
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John Mortimer, owner of Tinker's Guild, was manning the grill out back. He was busy grilling sausage, burgers and serving up pasta salad.
Mortimer laughed and joked with beer club patrons as they arrived. For him, beer club was a great idea and when Pilpczack approached him about having it at the bar, he was more than thrilled, he said.
Also, Pilpczack is his son-in-law: 鈥淪o he better have it here,鈥 Mortimer joked.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a nice night out," he said. "It gives you a chance to try a different beer for very little money and have a great time.鈥
The monthly club lasted more than three hours on the outdoor patio at Tinker's that had a neighborhood backyard feel to it. Men and women of all ages sat with friends and new faces to sample the beers on tap for the night. More than half of the group has been coming for more than three years, and each patron also had something else to go along with their 鈥渇light glasses.鈥 Nearly everyone had a pint of their own 鈥減re beer鈥 to drink in between each tasting.
鈥淭here are rules to beer club,鈥 said member Hilary Ford, who's been coming to the club for more than three years. 鈥淣ever drink more than one drink before beer club, and never drink more than one beer after beer club.鈥
For Pilpczack, who leads the club in each tasting, there鈥檚 more to beer than Blue Light or other common beers most see.
鈥淭here are some great beers that people may not even realize are available to them,鈥 he said. 鈥淎nd doing something like this gives people the chance to see what鈥檚 really out there.鈥
Jeff Gage and Jim Sims collectively agreed that they鈥檝e never had a bad beer night at beer club. Gage and Sims, who are friends, have been coming to the club for more than three years, they said.
鈥淭he real advantage is it鈥檚 a sampling,鈥 Gage said. 鈥淲e can sample four, five or even six beers in one night, and sometimes we find some great beers to buy.鈥
Gage and Sims are dropped off by their wives once a month to try the craft beers picked by Pilpczack.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a social event, but we also want to be responsible,鈥 Sims said. 鈥淪o if you like beer, come out and give it a try."
Many attendees agreed that beer club wouldn鈥檛 even exist had it not been for Marc and Dawn Schulz. The couple previously owned Bistro One, where they brought craft beer to patrons at special pairing events each month.
鈥淲e were looking to take on our passion for craft beer and bring more people into it, and that鈥檚 how beer club originated,鈥 Marc said. 鈥淚 like that there are close to 100 people here who are passionate about craft beer and it鈥檚 fun, laid-back and social.鈥
Schulz wanted to focus on craft beer, and defined that as a beer that鈥檚 small, independent and traditional, such as Sam Adams and Sierra Nevada, he said. He no longer participates in running the monthly meetings, but shows up for the fun 鈥 and to taste the beer.
鈥淜evin has taken the reigns, but I still come out and love to have a good time with this group of people, he said. 鈥淎uburn is a really friendly area, and we have a lot of fun coming to beer club.鈥
Schulz鈥檚 enthusiasm is apparent early on in the night. As Mortimer and Pilpczack welcomed the crowd to kick off the event, Schulz was the first to comment on how great beer club is.
With a silenced crowd and more than seven patio tables full of beer club members, Schulz stood up and shouted, 鈥淚 dare you to find a wine club this cool.鈥
