We’ve been completely overwhelmed by the number of people who have signed up to our new email list for Manchester — and we’ve only just launched our new membership yet. But more on that in a moment.
Most people have been super stoked by the chance to join their own Open brewery — where you get to brew your own beer — but occasionally, we’ve had the odd question from people who have had their hopheads buried for the past eighteen months.
So we thought we’d help you out. But first, one from the vaults — our original Crowdfunder video. Still one of the best ways to get our super simple concept.
But how does the membership work?
Primarily we work on a membership model — like gyms only you get less healthier the more you drink. Earlybird members just sign up for one month’s membership in advance, starting from £50 per month and rising as we sell more memberships. We also include a FREE £120 one-off brew courses if you buy an earlybird membership.
Ok but how does this work in practice?
Each membership has a fermenter which is stored in our Manchester Piccaddilly site. Members then use the online system to book a timeslot in advance on the other quality, microbrewing equipment including: a boiler, a mash-tun and cooler. They then have to clean the kit after use and pay for the ingredients — including bottles and caps or kegs.
What about the quality of the beer?
We all know and have fond memories of the boil in a bag homebrew kits from the ’80s — exploding in garages or nearly poisoning our parents. But it doesn’t have to be like that and we’ve had hundreds of happy brewers in our first location who have walked away with high quality craft and cask beer in the last year.
Good brewing is primarily about cleanliness and great kit. Stainless steel helps a lot. Fresh ingredients are also key — bought in bulk so they cost less than the hops you would otherwise be able to buy.
How does the five person membership work?
We believe that brewing is best enjoyed like drinking it — shared amongst friends. Your membership can therefore be shared with up to four of your friends, meaning you split the cost up to five ways. Of course, you could have the membership all to yourself, or share it with just one friend, or whatever you like.
Our advice is to sign up, then ask friends if they’d like to join you. We know from experience that this is the best way to get a brew on.
Brew Courses — what do I get for my money?
You get to learn how to brew beer. What more could you ask for? Ok, well there will also be a free beer on arrival, plenty of tasters throughout and attendees will be able to take home around half a dozen, professional standard, craft beers.
The cost of ingredients, renting the space/equipment and providing an expert brewer are all included in the price.
When do you expect to be up and running?
We project that August will be when the first memberships will go live in Manchester with a kickass launch party taking place slightly earlier.
How easy is it to brew for the first time?
It’s fairly easy to learn the basics in the first session. We will be providing members with a step by step guide as well as giving first timers an induction programme by our expert brew assistants.
What really stands UBREW out is our community. What we’ve already seen from our London location, is that expert brewers come together and show brewing novices the ropes — in a really nice, careful and respectful way. In this respect our Community defines us as a business.
How long does it take to brew beer?
The brewing process takes anywhere between 3–6hrs (depending whether you go for ‘Extract’ or ‘All-grain’ ) and the fermenting time takes around 2–4weeks (depending on the type of beer you are brewing). On average, each membership should be able to brew 80–160 bottles of 330l beer a month. If you’re not familiar with brewing you might want to read this old blog which covers off some of the basics.
What is the cost for bottles and kegs?
We’ll provide the facilities needed to bottle and keg, and we’ll have bottles and kegs for sale on site. We’ll striving to provide the best value for money possible, and if you want to use your own bottles, you’re still more then welcome to use our equipment! On average, you should be able to produce a decent beer for around 80p per bottle (including all ingredients, bottles and membership).
What types of hops and malts will be available?
We haven’t finalised the selection yet, but they’ll be the best quality out there and cover the key areas. If you need something specific, we can normally get it in for you. The whole point of UBREW is to make brewing about brewing, not dodging bad products or playing russian roulette with the postman.
We also have existing and strong relationships with suppliers than home brewers would have the luxury of, meaning you reap the benefits of being a major purchaser before you’re buying the bulk normally required. Of course, you can source your own malt and hops, but we’re guessing you’d rather go through us.
How do I sign up?
Get your mates together and sign up at weareubrew.com — the sooner the cheaper the rates!
Cheers
Matt and Wilf
ps if you’re in London — feel free to pop in to our taproom and say ‘hi’!
