Homebrewing conversations here on Beer Me often trumpet the same message: “It’s easy to get into! Just get a gallon kit!”. Well, what we don’t talk about is how the hobby is SO fun, SO engaging, next thing you know, you have a mini fridge in your garage with your own yeast strains and a mass of homebrew equipment slowly taking over your living space. Ok, maybe it doesn’t snowball to quite that level, but as someone grows as a homebrewer, so does the collection of equipment.
What can be done to combat that? Say you’re a homebrewer who lives in a smaller space or travels a lot. Enter the “homebrew collective”! Think of this like a maker space of homebrewing. You pay monthly dues to brew in a collective space with other homebrewers. All the fun and community, without all the storage.
About eight years ago, Andy Oetman founded “Fishbowl Collective Brewing” in DC. This is a brewing co-op that does about six brew days a year. Members of the collective are encouraged to participate in at least 3 per year. They take a survey to decide the beer style and each person is assigned different jobs.
We go down a few rabbit holes on making beer with stormwater and hop-co-operatives (or rather, a co-HOP-erative), but generally stay on track.
Check out this episode with Andy Oetman, Founder/Head Brewer of Fishbowl Brewing Collective in DC!
