homebrew club/shared brewhouse

[wisenuts]

hey all,

just started my AG career and was searching something when I came upon a club that has a shared brewhouse.

see here https://www.chaosbrewclub.net/

Is this a new thing?

I personally would love to do something like this.why? well the cost to brew isn't cheap and I always want more. Pumps,bigger kettles etc etc. Also, the gear I have now sits idle 98% of the time.

Do you think you would do something like this? What are your thoughts on this concept?

cheers!

 

[Yooper]

I've been at that brewhouse, and "helped" brew there.

It's great. Since it's an urban setting, it especially works well for those who live in the city and don't have outdoor (or indoor) space to brew.

Pappers can tell you more about it- he's a member.

I do know that it's expensive to maintain- the rental space, the cost of utilities, plus all the equipment, the walk in cooler, the kegerator(s), etc. I think they have three or four full equipment set ups, a grainmill, hoses, and so on.

I'm not sure, but it may be the only one of its kind in the US.

 

[kh54s10]

I can only see a club like that working in a big city environment. Somewhere with a lot of potential brewers close by, that do not have the room to build their own brewery. In my suburban area, I would much rather brew on my own equipment at home than to go to a club. I feel that most other homebrewers would do the same. Yes I have invested in equipment but in few years membership would cost more than my equipment. At this point the only investment in equipment will be if I move inside with electric, and away from my propane on the porch.

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

My BIL lives in the KC area. They have a twist on that concept there. There's a guy with a a sizeable brewing rig (my BIL said in the neighborhood of 60 gallons, but he's not super knowledgeable about brewing, just likes beer). Anyway, they buy grains in bulk and periodically they get together and brew. Each person kicks in for the ingredients and takes 5 gallons home in a fermenter.

 

[pdxal]

My club has a brewing rig that all members can "check out" and use at their place, or wherever, but no dedicated space.
It looks like a brew on premises, just with a club running things. Nice concept in that environment. More space for urban brewers, equipment, assistance, place to hang and share the fruits of your labor. Probably a good entry point to brewing for lots of people. but as mentioned cost would be pretty prohibitive.

 

[Dcpcooks]

They've been around a while. I see the building from the train every year when we go to fobab. One of these days I hope to make it down and check them out. I run a small club 30 miles north and we've kicked around the idea of a club system. Our members all brew at home with the exception of planned group brews into the clubs 100 gallon fermentor. It's a bit of work to get people all on the same page for those kinds of brews. It seems they have an active and dedicated membership.

I love the idea though and as I look at down sizing in the future I'm intrigued by the concept. I would imagine you could have a wealth of brewing experience in that setting and really cut some time off of a learning curve in that type of environment.

You'll need some capitol and dedicated members to pull it off. But hey you can't win if you don't try, so go for it! I'm sure they would help you with some initial planning ideas and cost if you asked.

 

[Pappers_]

I'm a member of CHAOS and just finished a term as the club's treasurer. We have about 50 brewing members. Four brew bays, with natural gas, filtered water supply, grain mill, storage space for members, a ferm room.at 65F for ales, two lager fermentation fridges, and one lagering fridge. All brewers need to provide is their ingredients and fermenter. New brewers can sign up as apprentices to learn to brew. A great resource for urban brewers.

In addition to the brewhouse, its an active club. Education workshops, club competitions, monthly group brew, quarterly themed parties, barrel projects, etc. Plus the brewhouse is a place to gather, we have a bar area and club kegerator.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

 

[Steve3730]

I can only see a club like that working in a big city environment. Somewhere with a lot of potential brewers close by, that do not have the room to build their own brewery. In my suburban area, I would much rather brew on my own equipment at home than to go to a club. I feel that most other homebrewers would do the same. Yes I have invested in equipment but in few years membership would cost more than my equipment. At this point the only investment in equipment will be if I move inside with electric, and away from my propane on the porch.

I've been brewing for about 4 years and have been around Chaos for 2 years but like you always thought I'd rather just brew at home and would only go to Chaos for workshops and parties. Last winter at one of their parties I won full brewer membership from a raffle. So figure I'd try it and after my first brew session there I was ready to sell all my equipment because I'll never brew at home again. slanted floor for drainage,stainless work stations, deep well sinks,every tool you might need at your finger tips. Brewing at Chaos seemed to remove all the hard work out of brewing and allowed me to make a better beer, and fueled my love for brewing. I've made more beer at Chaos in 6 months than I did at home in 3 years.

 

[Jtk78]

Right now, I would probably not take advantage of this (even though I'm in a far-ish suburb of where Chaos is located). However, our current home is a 10 year plan, and we're one year in. We plan to move to a very urban area, and I'm already seeing my brew days coming to an end. I would certainly love to brew in a setup like this.

 

[kh54s10]

I've been brewing for about 4 years and have been around Chaos for 2 years but like you always thought I'd rather just brew at home and would only go to Chaos for workshops and parties. Last winter at one of their parties I won full brewer membership from a raffle. So figure I'd try it and after my first brew session there I was ready to sell all my equipment because I'll never brew at home again. slanted floor for drainage,stainless work stations, deep well sinks,every tool you might need at your finger tips. Brewing at Chaos seemed to remove all the hard work out of brewing and allowed me to make a better beer, and fueled my love for brewing. I've made more beer at Chaos in 6 months than I did at home in 3 years.

Right now, I would probably not take advantage of this (even though I'm in a far-ish suburb of where Chaos is located). However, our current home is a 10 year plan, and we're one year in. We plan to move to a very urban area, and I'm already seeing my brew days coming to an end. I would certainly love to brew in a setup like this.

As I said, an urban area.

If there was one in my area it would probably be in an urban setting. Since I live in the suburbs it would mean I would have to travel at least 1/2 hour. Find and probably have to pay for parking. Mass transit would not be feasible as none go there from here.

Besides that I avoid any city with a population of more than 20k. I hate crowded cities and congested streets.