Beer Brewing Clubs

[TauntingElf]

I haven't heard of anything quite like this but I got to thinking the other day while beer tending at my local American Legion. Are there any private clubs out there who rent space and fill it with brewing equipment and let members of the club schedule time to brew their own?

I've wanted a reason to purchase a larger size brewing rig (test batch size, say 1-3 bbls) but I can't justify it if I am the only one using it or for that matter funding the grain bill.

If you have never heard of this would you be interested in joining one if it were within say 50 miles of your house?

 

[mo_feezy]

I'm positive i've heard people mention that idea. Or at least a business with the equipment and ingredients that lets you come in and brew whatever you want. But I have never known anyone who has gone personally. I would give it a go if there were one nearby and I was doing a bigger batch than I normally do.

 

[Schol-R-LEA]

I don't know of anyone who does quite the sort of setup you are talking about, but there was a storefront in Berkeley, CA circa 2000 where you could brew 5-10 gallon batches on the premises to take home. Sadly, they only lasted about a year, if memory serves..

Here in the Atlanta area, Covert Hops Society has a large MLT and boiler with a capacity of about one barrel, which are used for making group brews about four or five times a year. Some of the participants (usually eight) get to take a portion of the wort to ferment at home. Needless to say, only a few of the people who show up are able to actively participate, if only because of space considerations. Usually, the brews are conducted outside, at one of the members' homes.- there's no fixed place where it gets done. If PlanetScott is about, he could give more details than I could about past group brews.