IS THE BREWTUBERS HOMEBREW CLUB THE SAME AS A CLUB WHERE YOU MEET IN PERSON?
Yes and no.
Yes! – We do meet in person, in THREE different ways. The first is an ad-hoc meet up with members which is more of a private session between two or more folks traveling to a specific state or country. The second way we meet in person is through a club sanctioned event that the Events Planner board position plans, called a “Homebrew Brewunion.” This consists of the group of interested individuals coordinating a destination, date, & accommodations (hotel, travel, etc.) that generally results in a mini vacation of 2-3 days, usually over the course of a weekend. For example, the last Homebrew Brewunion took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the Fall of 2024. The third form of in person meeting is at the National Homebrew Convention (NHC). For example, in 2019 we had a booth at Club Night where we poured our beers for the first time as a club. Much like the Homebrew Brewunions, those Brewtubers in the club that document things on YouTube will record their experience and post it for all to see!
No – We don’t meet in person on specified weeks/months/etc. However, now that BewTubers is an official club with voted roles, with both paid & non-paid membership tiers, we have something for everybody. We have an official monthly club meeting online utilizing a Zoom account every first Thursday of each month at 9 pm EST. This allows folks from most of the globe to participate. We also engage in brew days on zoom that help further the hobby of home brewing. There are two events open TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC; Learn To Brew Day & Big Brew Day. For these events, a board member opens the zoom and it stays open all day & night long to allow both members & interested parties to pop into the zoom for free to chat. We use this opportunity to help educate folks about the club and in the past it has been a great way to bring new members in. Additionally we utilize the paid Zoom account for paying members to use for collaboration brew days with other paying members, and club experiments. We were doing this platform long before COVID-19 as Brewutbers was launched in 2011, formalizing as an official AHA recognized homebrew club in 2019.
AS A BREWTUBER HOW CAN I SHOW PEOPLE I AM A MEMBER OF A HOMEBREWCLUB?
A few different ways! Firstly, if you’re a YouTube Brewtuber, visit our “Media” page under the “More Stuff” tab on the homepage. You can download an intro video we made some years back & chop it up as you see fit (right click on the image, select “save as,” then you can save a copy to your computer). Display a Brewtubers logo as well as a video to put in the beginning, middle, or end of your videos! Additionally if you’re a paying member of the club, we have sponsorship requirements to the companies that pay us for sponsorship where you can help promote the club by using a sponsorship tile for your youtube videos!
– Camera shy but still want to show people? Tag us in your Twitter/X, Bluesky, or Instagram bio @Brewtubers!
ARE THERE WEEKLY/BI-WEEKLY/MONTHLY/ OR SEASONAL MEETINGS?
Yes! See FAQ above. Brewtubers meets once/month (currently on Zoom on the first Thursday of each month) where we review club business, invite sponsors to present, and have guests from the brewing community to come chat with the group! Free members must sign up on brewtubers.com or be invited as a guest. Paid membership is allowed immediate access.
ARE EVERYONE WHO POSTS VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE & OTHER SITES BREWTUBERS?
No! Unfortunately we’ve had other groups of people claim they’re Brewtubers, but we’re the only ones that have the official name licensed in the United States and registered as an official Homebrew Club with the AHA! We’re the original Brewtubers.
IS THERE A COST OR DUES TO BE PAID?
Yes- and No, as mentioned above there are two membership tiers, one is free the other is a paid yearly club dues. click here to see the benefits membership.
HOW DOES THE SITE PAY FOR HOSTING AND WEB PRODUCTS?
We are paid by sponsors, club dues, merchandise sales, and donations. We are a registered Non-Profit Social Club under the United States IRS rules governing that type of entity. All financials are made public once a year during our January club meeting. Any additional or excess funding is used for club purchases related to our Socials, Homebrew Home Coming, or Club Night at NHC. (subject to fund availability and club voting.)
ARE THERE EDUCATIONAL COMPONENTS TO THE CLUB LIKE THERE ARE WITH IN-PERSON CLUBS?
Yes, we do experiments! Instead of boring one another with a digital meeting where someone creates a PowerPoint presentation, a club member will run what we call an experiment where other members of the club sign up (we ask for no more than 12 to keep it manageable for the hub) to brew one recipe that the club member running the experiment decides on, keeping everything same except for one variable: a grain, yeast, water profile or hop(s). These challenges enable a group of 12 to select the same recipe and change only one item based on the experiment selected, at which point the beers are shipped by each individual homebrewer to the coordinator (or hub) who then sends one of each of those beers back to you for review. These experiments are fun, enlightening, and a lot is learned from each one! As of right now, at least until we create a form of dues, each club member taking part in the challenge is responsible for shipping to the hub and receiving beer back. Those in the club that chronicle their experiences on YouTube will review some or all of the beers on camera. Additionally, the educational component comes in the form of why we’re named Brewtubers; there’s plenty of free learning that’s done in the members’ video blog on YouTube! Videos are created, ideas related to brewing and the process are discussed, and much is learned. To get an idea of what we mean, Search “Dual Grain Triple Play Hop Challenge” on YouTube where a group of Brewtubers recently took part in a hop challenge, brewing a beer keeping the grist and yeast the same, only changing the hops. If you’re looking for additional examples, YouTube search “yeast, grain, or hop challenge” individually.
DO I HAVE TO MAKE VIDEOS TO BE IN THE CLUB?
No, you don’t! We do ask that you at least participate in some activity, whether it’s commenting on videos on YouTube or the links on Facebook, group chats on WhatsApp! and Facebook, attending group get together both digitally or in person, or creating an account on the Brewtubers website and posting and responding to the Brewery (forum). Additionally, follow us on Twitter and Facebook, and ask to be added to the Brewtubers group page. Of course we welcome you to be more involved in other facets of the club, such as posting videos, commenting on videos, donating to the website, and entering into competitions either locally or nationally as Brewtubers Online Homebrew Club being your club name.
IS BREWTUBERS A REGISTERED/OFFICIAL HOME BREW CLUB?
Yes, Brewtubers Online Hombrew Club is officially listed on the American Homebrewing Associations website. and is a federally registered social club under the not for profit rules governed by the IRS.