UPDATE 1/6/2010: Thanks to heads up readers like @killpineapple and @hockeyandbeer, I have learned that there are at least two breweries that utilize this concept. The Brew Kettle in Strongsville, Ohio and Brewbakers in Huntington Beach, California each let you brew on their systems.

Have you ever dreamt of working at a brewery? If you’re reading this site, chances are you have – or you’ve already realized it and currently work at a brewery. Congratulations on that. But for the rest of us, we each have our dream breweries we’d love to work at. Imagine if you could go to this dream brewery and brew on a professional system with real brewers helping you. This leads to my idea for breweries:

Create a program where anybody can pay to come into the brewery and brew a small scale production.

Of course, no amateur is going to come in and brew on Sierra Nevada’s main production line. But many breweries now have smaller brewing systems and facilities specifically designed for small batch brews.

Why not open these up to the public on certain occasions?

It would be a new way for breweries to engage with their fans, consumers, and communities.  Breweries could take this idea in any number of directions, both for profit and not. Breweries could charge BIG dollars to come in and work on their equipment (more than they’d sell the lost beer production for). Many people dream of this experience and I’m sure some are willing to pay well for the opportunity (it would be considerably less than what they’d have to pay if they purchased their own professional equipment). And the people who pay to use the brewing equipment aren’t just paying for the brewing experience – at the end of the process they’ll have A LOT of beer to take home to friends and family. Some of the target customers would include:

·         Home brewing clubs looking to gain knowledge and experience on larger systems

·         Beer fans who want a once in a lifetime brewing experience

·         Organizations and companies looking for fun team outings

·         Avid home brewers who need to make a large quantity of beer for a special occasion

·         Extravagant birthday, bachelor, etc. parties

This concept could also be used as a way for breweries to give back to their communities. Breweries could work with different non-profit organizations hand in hand to develop a beer that fits the personality of their group. They could then brew this beer with officials from the organization on hand learning about the process, and then sell this beer in their tap room or brewpub, all the while giving a portion or all of the proceeds back to the specific charity.

This could not only provide a new revenue stream for breweries, but it could create a new product that the brewery offers – the experience of brewing. Breweries’ products used to be one dimensional – the very tangible beer you held in your hand. Then came tours, tasting rooms and restaurants and breweries all of a sudden had two aspects – the beer and the experience you have while visiting the brewery.  Certain breweries have an opportunity to add a third aspect to this – user participation. By giving consumers the chance to collaborate with breweries, they can turn casual buyers into fans and fans who will tell everyone about it. Imagine if you had the opportunity to work with a professional brewer on a system at your favorite brewery – who wouldn’t you tell about it?