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7 of the best beer delivery and subscription services in the UK

As the UK goes into lockdown and many retailers close their doors, we’ve listed our pick of the best beer delivery and subscription services you can still order from.

Budgets and selections can vary massively, but with so many subscriptions services on offer if can be hard to make meaningful comparisons.

Over the following pages, we’ve looked at a snapshot of the beer delivery and subscription services in the UK, and the benefits of signing up to their various loyalty plans.

While many of the businesses featured offer subscription boxes, others are retailers alongside this, or have only just launched new offers to keep their businesses afloat during the UK’s coronavirus lockdown.

Click through to see where to order rare and unusual beers from over the coming weeks.

 

Note: While we want to do everything we can to support the drinks industry in this difficult time, we want to remind our readers that it is neither healthy nor wise to drink excessively to deal with boredom or stress during lockdown. Make sure you are drinking enough water, set your own limits, or try opting for a case of alcohol-free beer once in a while.

Beer 52

Best for: craft geeks and adventurous types

Do you and your housemates want to explore oddly specific facets of the craft beer scene each month? Subscription service Beer52 curates cases of eight or 10 beers from breweries across the country and delivers them right to your door once a month. You can order a mixed case, or one that contains only light beers, if you’re still not convinced by stouts and porters.

You also get a copy of Ferment magazine, which provides a wonderful insight into the world of craft beer production written by top beer writers, as well as high end snacks to accompany your brews.

Starting price: Eight beers for £24, or 10 for £29

Website: here

BeerWulf

Best for: those missing the pub

Yearning for a freshly pulled pint? You may want to check out BeerWulf

Though not a subsciption service, BeerWulf offers a wide range of beers to cater for all tastes, including no and low-ABV, organic, vegan and gluten-free brews. You can also order one-off cases containing 12 or 16 different beers at competitive prices (the Easter pack, for example, is currently on offer at £36.99 for 16 beers).

The key difference with BeerWulf is that you can also order your own dispenser, and draught kegs.

BeerWulf sells compact Krups dispensers which can hold up to two litres of beer, cool it down to 2°C, and keep it fresh for up to 15 days, so you can pour pints at your leisure. You can then choose from more than 30 SUB kegs, with beers including Heineken, Amstel, and La Chouffe all available.

Starting price: Kegs are currently on offer from £89, but a case of 12 beers starts at around £29.99 for 12

Website: here

Signature Brew

Best for: Music fans missing pub quizzes

East London’s Signature Brew is well-known for collaborating with musicians, having most recently launched a lager in partnership with Bristol-based punk rock group Idles.

Now, the brewer has closed its taproom in Haggerston and is restricted to online sales, but is still providing something for those who miss their local, as well as giving back to the independent music industry.

Signature has launched a “Pub in a Box” case which includes its core range of beers (either 8, 16 or 24), beer glasses, beer mats, a vinyl record, pub snacks, a music quiz and playlists “curated by music journalists to accompany the beers themselves”.

Starting price: £25 for 8 330ml cans

Website: here

Beer Bods

Best for: Those who like beer tastings

Beer Bods, which claims to be the UK’s first beer subscription service, offers punters a pack of 12 beers every 12 weeks, so you can savour each one.

The idea is, you have one different beer to try each week for 6, 12, 24 or 48 weeks depending on the subscription you purchase.

As well as this, you have an opportunity to join in with what is thought to be the UK’s largest live beer tasting every Thursday at 9pm. BeerBods selects a beer to showcase from its selection every week. Members of the site’s beer club will receive an email every Thursday with the beer they’re meant to study that evening, and the story behind it. Last week’s beer was a citra pale ale from Big Smoke Brew Co (pictured).

Starting price: At the moment, the six week introductory package is half price, so £10 for six weeks (usually £20)

Website: here

Honest Brew

Best for: Those just getting into beer

HonestBrew offers subscription boxes for armchair adventurers and die-hard pale ale fans alike. Much like Beer52, the subscription boxes come in two styles – mixed, which includes both light and dark beers, or one that only contains IPAs and pales. You can then order a monthly subscription with a case of 6, 9, or 12 beers.

The online shop also offers a wide range of low ABV and alcohol free beers made by brewers such as Brewdog in Scotland, Thornbridge in Derbyshire, and Rothaus in Germany, catering for a wide range of tastes.

Starting price: £22.90 per box of six beers

Website: here

Brewdog

Best for: Equity holders

Brewdog has had to cancel next-day deliveries due to exceptionally high demand, but the Scottish brewer has now reinstated its discount for those who have invested in its Equity for Punks scheme, and is also offering free delivery for every full box it sends.

Brewdog also recently launched a new app for home deliveries called Hop Drop, which is available on both IOS and Android.

Website: here

Hop Burns & Black sub club

(Photo: Hop, Burns & Black)

Best for: Natural wine fans

In south London, Hop Burns & Black has its own “sub club” which provides you with 10-12 beers, including things like small-batch collaborations and store exclusives. HB&B also provides subscribers with beer tasting notes, food pairing tips, and enrols them in a monthly competition to win a 750ml table beer. There’s also a natural wine subscription box, for those who feel like getting creative.

Starting price: rolling monthly subscription starting at £49.85

Website: here

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