When Brad Clark left Ohio brewery Jackie O’s, the announcement said that he was going to “pursue a new path” in California. It seemed plain that Clark—who had built an acclaimed barrel-aging program since starting at Jackie O’s as brewmaster in 2005—would go and start a brewery of his own. What was not plain was the shape that it would take.
It has turned out to be a new path indeed. His venture is called Private Press Brewing, and Clark’s plan is to keep it 100 percent club-based. That is to say: to buy Private Press beer, you’ll need to be a member. Registration opens in June.
Many breweries around the country have membership clubs on the side. It’s a tidy way to get rarer, small-batch beers into the hands of the people most willing to pay for them. Often these clubs offer exclusivity on those bottles and other perks, such as taproom discounts or members-only parties.