mcgeebc
Well-Known Member
I recently became familiar with the Hackerspace concept. People teaming up to buy space, equipment and tools for some more advanced hobbies. They range from woodworking to basic electronics to welding and robotics. I thought to myself, why aren't we doing this with our hobby?
I'm picturing a small space. Something like a commercial garage. Homebrewers would pool their equipment and/or money to build a few three tier brew stands.
They would pay monthly dues based on the number of premium (weekend) or non-premium (weekday) timeslots they want with the equipment. These slots would be a monthly commitment, not a one time rental. The dues would pay for rent, utilities, and equipment maintenance. Maybe hire someone to do regular cleanings or manage the space.
The more members, the more equipment and the cheaper the dues (economies of scale).
The space could be used to host club meetings and events as well.
The concept would sort of combine timeshare, VFW and brew on premises. It would be non-profit.
To avoid legal difficulties, fermentation would likely be done at home (although it would be nice to pool in on a nice fermentation chamber/walk in cooler)
It would probably be located close to a LHBS in case you forget to bring something.
Group grain buys could be done on a regular basis and base grains stored in the shared space. Members could pull from the shared grain on credit and pay with their dues.
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
My questions are:
Is anyone doing this already?
Do you like the idea and live in or around Cleveland, OH?
Familiar with zoning? What type of space would we need to rent?
What other laws/regulations would I be dealing with? Could this be considered a commercial kitchen? Maybe zoned and regulated like a VFW with a kitchen?
Would limiting fermentation to the home be enough to avoid dealing with any liquor laws?
I'm picturing a small space. Something like a commercial garage. Homebrewers would pool their equipment and/or money to build a few three tier brew stands.
They would pay monthly dues based on the number of premium (weekend) or non-premium (weekday) timeslots they want with the equipment. These slots would be a monthly commitment, not a one time rental. The dues would pay for rent, utilities, and equipment maintenance. Maybe hire someone to do regular cleanings or manage the space.
The more members, the more equipment and the cheaper the dues (economies of scale).
The space could be used to host club meetings and events as well.
The concept would sort of combine timeshare, VFW and brew on premises. It would be non-profit.
To avoid legal difficulties, fermentation would likely be done at home (although it would be nice to pool in on a nice fermentation chamber/walk in cooler)
It would probably be located close to a LHBS in case you forget to bring something.
Group grain buys could be done on a regular basis and base grains stored in the shared space. Members could pull from the shared grain on credit and pay with their dues.
Advantages:
- Move your equipment out of the house
- Space for people without it at home
- Shared cost for equipment means better equipment than you'd probably have at home
- Community and learnings from other homebrewers
- Reduced cost of material (grains)
- I could go on
Disadvantages:
- Loss of freedom for timing of your brews if the equipment is booked
- Loss of freedom for choice in brewing equipment (HERMs vs RIMs etc.)
- Overall cost probably more than brewing at home, but still cheaper than BOP
My questions are:
Is anyone doing this already?
Do you like the idea and live in or around Cleveland, OH?
Familiar with zoning? What type of space would we need to rent?
What other laws/regulations would I be dealing with? Could this be considered a commercial kitchen? Maybe zoned and regulated like a VFW with a kitchen?
Would limiting fermentation to the home be enough to avoid dealing with any liquor laws?