UBREW - an open brewery where you brew the beer

Beer brewed by you, with a community built for you.

UBREW is an open brewery. Simply put, that means you join as a member, turn up, and brew your own beers with our professional equipment and a community of like-minded beer lovers.

Brew better beer than the pub, for cheaper than what you’d pay in the pub - and have more fun doing it. Oh, and did we mention that every single membership we sell during crowdfunding is a group membership? So when you join, you’re joining with four of your mates too. So you can share not just the fun of brewing, but the cost as well. You get as much access as you want - if we're open, you're welcome. A typical brew takes two weeks - that's enough time to brew 210 pints in a month!

But we know that you don't just love to brew - you also love to drink the brew. Which is why we're putting a craft beer pub in the front of the brewery. We'll also be selling member made beer there. So if you want to brew, drink and sell beer, we have all of that covered. Ale doesn't get any more local than drinking in a community brewery alongside the brewers themselves - and we're sure East London will welcome the opportunity with arms open and handlebar moustaches quivering with delight.

Currently we’re pre-launch. With a premises already arranged in crafty East London, all we need to do is acquire the funds for the equipment, and we’re good to go. And you, you lucky little scallywag, you’ve found your way onto our crowdfunding page. That means you get to be among the very first to sign up for membership, and give us the help we need to create the space that every brew enthusiast deserves, but very few have previously had access to. You love to brew, which means you love to create. By pre-ordering from us here, you’ll be creating something amazing. 

 T-Shirts - limited edition designs, £20 each!

FAQ

How does the five person membership work?

This is an earlybird offer - if you sign up now, your membership can 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.

Where will this be based?

We have a premises in on the Bermondsey Beer Mile, making us neighbours with BBNO, The Kernel, Anspach & Hobday, Bullfinch, Partizan and Fourpure!

How big are the fermenting vessels?

The fermenters will be 50l and 100l in our first iteration, this will grow as our membership grows.

How does selling the beer work re-duty etc?

We handle the admin of duty, you simply declare to us whether you intend sell your beer or not every time you brew up a batch. If the beer leaves the premises with the intent to sell, duty must be paid. If it's for personal consumption, then there's no duty required!

What is the cost for bottling and kegging?

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!

What selection of Hops and Malts are you planning on having available?

We haven't finalised the selection yet, but they'll be the best quality out there. The whole point of UBREW is to make brewing about brewing, not dodging bad products or playing russian roulette with vacuum packed hops. We make sure that the produce we're buying isn't something that a seller couldn't offload to someone else, so you don't have to - we also build stronger 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.

When would you be up and running from when you complete funding?

We project October.

How much automation in the process are you planning on including?

We aim to keep the whole process very hands on. UBREW essentially becomes your brewery. From brew to bottle you control the flow. Members of the UBREW team are on hand to guide and inform if needed.

Will you have to book a time to brew?

We aim to make this process as easy and flexible as possible. We have developed a very simple booking system to ensure that you get to brew when you want.

Do you have any stretch goals?

Equipment, equipment, equipment.

If we overshoot our target (which doesn't look too far fetched), we'll be investing in a full range of commercial kit and doubling up on fermenters. We'll also be able to invest more heavily in the gear to bottle, keg, test and label your beer.

How much time will I need to spend at UBREW?

As far as time commitment goes, it'll be up to you - you can spend as much or as little time at UBREW as you like. Generally speaking you'd pop in to do a brew, then a few weeks later come back to take it out of the fermenter. You could also put a brew on the same day you collect your previous batch if you wanted to be economical with your time, meaning you could be coming in once or twice a month to brew and pick up a batch and maybe have a drink while you're here.