Beer52 are one of the UK’s most well known beer subscription services. Founded in 2013 and based in Edinburgh, they offer a couple of different options – 8 beers per month for £24, or 10 beers per month for £29.
Both include a copy of their magazine, Ferment, and a snack to go along with your beers. The standard, mixed box includes beers of all styles – but they also allow you to opt for light beers only, if you’re not a fan of the dark stuff.
We got our hands on Beer 52’s Summer Bangers box recently and were excited to give it a go. We’re often cynics when it comes to these types of beer subscription boxes – from past experience with similar services, you can get poor quality beers from breweries you’ve never heard of, or beers fast approaching their best before date…
So how does Beer52 shape up? A really pleasant surprise! On opening the box, we saw three old faithful, favourites; FourPure‘s Juice Box Citra IPA – a modern day classic, Moor‘s Stout and Northern Monk‘s Northern Star – two dark beers we’re always happy to revisit.
There were another few beers from breweries we know and love that we hadn’t had before – Northern Monk’s Patrons Project 5.01, a 3% Session IPA which, it turns out, is one of the best low ABV beers in the UK right now; Thornbridge‘s Green Mountain, a Session NEIPA which is a very drinkable, dialled down version of the hazy murk bombs that are all the rage nowadays, and a To Øl lager. We’re not big lager fans but To Øl are an awesome brewery so you can’t be anything but pleased to see them pop up in a mystery box.
The rest of the beers in the box came from Ilkley, Redwillow, Mondo and one brewed by Beer52 themselves. They were all decent enough beers, but not spectacular. To me, these type of beers serve as perfect fridge fillers for those nights where you don’t want to crack open an expensive DIPA… you just want something cold and refreshing.
It’s also pretty cool that Beer52 have some of their own beers in the boxes from time to time – if you’re a Pokemon style, Untappd beer-ticker, these are exclusive beers that you’re not going to get anywhere else.
Ferment magazine is also a very well produced, high quality, addition to the box. You’d expect this type of free magazine to essentially be promotional material but it’s actually full of well-written, entertaining and informative content which was another pleasant surprise.
The snack that came along with our box was a packet of Walkers Max Strong Hot Chicken Wings crisps. As a student, I lived off Tudor’s Roast Beef & Pickle crisps for about a year and was gutted when they stopped making them. These are as close as I’ve found in recent years so they brought back a ton of memories. I’ve no idea why they taste similar, considering they’re totally different flavours, but trust me, they do.
The crisp revelation may have been the highlight of the whole box for me, if it weren’t for that Northern Monk Patrons Project beer, which is an absolute worldie.
We can’t see how Beer52 isn’t decent value, all things considered. For the price point, you’re looking at less than £3 per beer. You’re also getting a snack of some sort, a really good magazine, and postage covered too.
If you’re the type of craft beer junkie who routinely searches out the latest, mega-fussed over DIPA and happily spends £5+ per can of beer without blinking an eye, Beer 52 won’t replace your regular beer hauls but at this cost, it would be unreasonable to expect it to – we’d still recommend it, as you’ll get some very good fridge-fillers delivered to your door and surprise beers are always fun.
If you’re relatively new to the world of craft beer, then Beer52 provide the perfect introductory service.
please cancel any future orders thankyou for http://www.beer52.com/G22
Hi Martin,
If you want to cancel your Beer52 subscription, you’ll need to contact Beer52 directly.
You can find their contact info here: https://www.beer52.com/contactUs
Please cancel my subscription with immediate effect
Many thanks
Gary Leatherbarrow
Hi Gary,
You’ll need to contact Beer52 directly. We’re just a website that reviewed a box of their beers.
You can find their contact info here: https://www.beer52.com/contactUs
Good article, I’ve tried these guys before they’re really good, depending if you’re into your ales you could think that they are slightly on the pricey side if you prefer quantity over quality (and randomness) but then you wouldn’t be their target audience anyway.
Only thing I didn’t like was not being able to cancel on the website through the accounts section, you have to phone or email but it was still easy enough.
I am in hysterics that people are trying to cancel through your blog though, made me leave this comment
Haha, yeah, I was a bit baffled too – especially the second time! ?
Did you try out Beer52 beyond a promotional box? I tried to get it as a gift for a beer lover in my life and it’s turned out to be a compete nightmare. AWOL deliveries, long phone support queues that just cut you off, and a black-box of a customer service email. Frankly I’m not surprised you’ve got people trying to cancel through your comments section- it’s probably as likely to work!
There’s some much better alternatives there. I’d definitely recommend people take a look around to see other reviews before they take this up.
Hi Tom,
I’ve been a subscriber on and off over the last few years – I’ve never had any problems with deliveries but I always get parcels delivered to my workplace reception. It would definitely be better if you could cancel your subscription via the website but I’ve cancelled by email without any problems in the past.
I’ve never had any issues but I guess the service ain’t for everyone – sorry to hear you had problems and thanks for your feedback.
An interesting selection of beers, unfortunately there’s the odd beer that’s a bit too
different, and I’m not a fan of Tiny Rebels ‘alternative’ brews which seem to pop up quite regularly.
Really good deal for someone who has an interest in trying a variety of good quality beers.
Always had great customer service, been a customer for nearly a year now. Rang a few times to delay orders, and cancelled odd months here and there with no issue.
I am also finding it difficult to cancel, their official site keeps comeing up with wee problems. Not impressed.
Sure some interesting beer but at £9.00 a pint it should be!!
I was on simply cook site and clicked on your beer offer by mistake can you cancel any offer or subscription I may have asked for thank your
Yours faithfully malc carr
Hi Malc – we’re not Beer52.
You’ll need to contact them: https://www.beer52.com/contactUs
Hi,
I recently started a subscription to beer52 and am, so far, pretty happy. It’s a bit pricier than the Co Op but it’s worth it for the one or two weirder beers they include.
However, I was wondering if you could cancel my subscription to Which and New Scientist magazines? I’m also thinking of leaving the gym if you could cancel that as well?
many thanks,
Alex
This is the best comment we’ve ever received. 😀
Enjoy your beers but we’d recommend keeping your subscriptions – it’s been scientifically proven that beer tastes better if you’ve earned it in the gym. I read that in New Scientist, actually.
(I didn’t)
Hi we did not subscribe to anything, we simply trialled your selection of beers for 5.99. Frankly I’m appalled by how you have automatically taken 30 pounds out my account. As an unemployed pregnant woman with a small baby to care for this is disgusting. I’ll be expecting a full refund from you and I’ll be ringing at 9am to complain.
Disgusting beer too.
Hi Nadia,
You need to contact Beer52: https://www.beer52.com/contactUs
This is the comments section of a beer blog, not Beer52 customer services.
Thanks,
Michael
Reading the comments has just completely made my day 😀
Just to let you know, I’m not going out after all so please can you cancel the babysitter.
Hi Barny,
Thanks for contacting us here at Cancellations-R-Us.
I’ve told Susan her services are no longer required.
Do let us know if you’d like anything else cancelled.
Unless it’s your Beer52 subscription – literally can’t help with that.
Regards,
Michael
the guy trying to cancel through here has probably given up trying to get through on their phone line, they don’t answer, or just keep you on hold for 15 mins and then cut you off – that’s my experience, pretty poor customer service.
This post is now 3 years old and Beer52 are still happily plodding along so someone somewhere must think it’s worth it! I personally don’t due to the haphazard inconsistent quality of their beers and poor customer service.
You should try Beer Snack Club mate – you actually get decent beers paired with snacks, and they pick a different UK town each month too. Beerbods is good too but the former profit shares with the breweries.