Co-operative Oak Barrel Program

Overview

The Winnipeg Brew Bombers club has purchased a 20-Liter French Oak Barrel for the purpose of aging homebrew. It’s available to club members to use under a co-operative format whereby shares in the barrel are purchased for the duration of the use of the barrel. Those shares are transferred back to the club upon return of the barrel and the members receive their money back.

Example:

You and three other members wish to collaborate on a barrel-aged brew. You each purchase a 25% share to obtain the barrel. Then you brew the recipe, age it for some time, and split the final product four ways. You then clean the barrel, return and get paid back for your shares.

Maintenance Fee

In addition to the of purchase of refundable shares, a non-refundable fee of $TBD must also be paid. This fee will be placed into a reserve fund that will be used to purchase a replacement after the current barrel has exceeded it’s expected useful lifetime.

Using the Barrel

Arrangements for use of the barrel can be made with the Club President as they maintain the records for the use of the barrel, including a wait list of members. Access to the barrel is first-come-first-serve.

Ideally, the barrel will always be in use, aging homebrew in a club members home, and be swiftly handed over to the next member/group for their planned brew. We don’t want to see the barrel sitting empty, drying out, or becoming a burden on the club president to maintain due to being underutilized.

Duration

The barrel can be used to age a single brew for a maximum of 6 months before it must be emptied, cleaned and returned. This is to ensure everyone has fair and equal access for the lifetime of the barrel.

Rules

Failure to follow these rules may result in forfeit of your shares.

  1. The club barrel is for personal, family or household purposes and should be used for the purpose of ageing beer, cider, and mead only.
  2. Wild yeasts are prohibited.
  3. The barrel is to be used in a careful and respectful manner.
  4. The barrel must be returned:
    • Undamaged.
    • With all parts included.
    • Cleaned and sanitized.

Ownership

The barrel will remain the property of the Winnipeg Brew Bombers.