As I walked by the front door of Amanti Vino what stood out was a line-up of craft bottles in the front window. Catching my eye in that row of bottles was two empty Russian River Pliny the Elders. Now I was excited to enter the store for the first time. They have a small but really impressive selection in the back left corner of the store, filled with nothing but craft beers that have great ratings and are harder to find. Talking to Thad, who is a wine sommelier but does a great job with the beer at the store, I learned that they specialize in the hard to find rare beers like KBS and Black Ops. He keeps some of the most precious beers locked away in the basement until its ready to be sold. Here’s the kicker though, the limited release specialty beers that are impossible to find but he has, get snatched up quickly by members of his beer club. For $20 a month you can be a member which includes a few bottles of great beers and first dibs on seats in his beer classes, as well as any special releases before they hit the shelves. I learned that its in his beer classes that are held semi-regularly that the most special of beers gets poured. That’s where those Pliny the Elders came from. In my opinion its definitely worth the $20 a month fee to get your hands on some goods that cant be found anywhere else. If you dont believe me, this is what club members got last month for their money…a Uinta Dubhe Imperial Black IPA, Uinta Crooked Tilted Smile Imperial Pilsner, and a Brasserie Saint Sylvestre 3 Monts Golden Ale. They also get a write-up about the beers and, like I said, first dibs on classes and rare beers. I’m definitely joining.