Memberships, limited to the first 1,000 people, go on sale starting at 5 p.m. this Sunday at the old Sears Roebuck outlet store across Spruce Street.

"This membership does not have a set time period,'' Cigar City officials said in announcing the club. "Membership concludes 30 days after the release of the 5th and final bottle." You won't know what you are buying when you get your membership, though one bottle will be "a barrel-aged variant of Hunahpu's Imperial Stout,'' the brewery's most coveted beer.

The name of the club is Spanish for "the taster," after the person who tested cigars at cigar factories for quality assurance.

While it's a first for CCB (and maybe Florida), the idea of a membership club is not a new idea in craft beer circles. Lost Abbey and The Bruery, both in California, and Crooked Stave in Denver all have membership clubs.

It's a good deal for beer geeks and collectors, and a really good deal for CCB, which gets a quick infusion of $120,000 or so for beer that hasn't even been made, without the hassle of dealing with large crowds every time it releases one of these bottles (or the resulting complaints from those who couldn't get any).

The folks at CCB posted a blog item on Wednesday saying they are "absolutely thrilled at the response we've received for El Catador Club. Enthusiasm is high and we, along with everyone else, are expecting a large crowd at the brewery on Sunday."

One oddity about the sale: no drinking allowed. The property isn't zoned for alcohol and anyone caught drinking (even a CCB beer!) will be ordered to leave and barred from joining the club. There are no restrooms at the site and overnight camping is discouraged.

Camp overnight for the privilege of paying $120 for beer that hasn't even been made yet: Does anyone need further proof that Cigar City's beers are highly prized?