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*****NOTE: THIS IS A FEELER FOR A MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM WHEN WE OPEN A COMMERCIAL LOCATION. THIS IS NOT ACTIVE NOW AND DOES NOT APPLY WHILE WE ARE STILL CONSIDERED HOMEBREWERS *****
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As we continue to push forward towards opening a commercial location in the Northern Virginia area, we are figuring out the logistics of running a successful brewery. Initially there will be no tap room. It will be 100% packaged and sold at our location. No on site drinking, no distribution. This gives us the ability to brew on our schedule and release on our schedule. You know, the whole work/life balance.
That’s where memberships come in. Memberships are going to be vital to our success as they provide us with a loyal and dedicated group of beer enthusiasts that we can continue to provide delicious malted beverages to. We are looking to gauge interest in our membership program so we can build out our brewery in a way that will best suit the number of members we have. So, let’s get into the details. Below are the perks and processes we’d offer. There may be changes and things may be added or removed based off real-world experience as we continue to move forward.
Cost: The cost would be $250 yearly. Once we get closer to opening, you will put down a $50 deposit to hold your spot. Once we are ready to open, you'll pay the remaining balance ($200). Your yearly membership doesn’t start until we release our first beer. All additional bottle purchased (see below) will be discounted to the $22-$25 range.
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Number of Members: This will be determined when we get closer to opening. If there is more interest than we feel we can supply beer for, we will use a lottery system to choose who will be able to purchase a membership. We are estimating it will be capped around 200 members.
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Beer Releases: All beer releases will be offered to members first. Members will have the option to pre-order more bottles/cans up to the limit set by the batch size. If all bottles/cans for a release are purchased by members, nothing will be released to the public. If there are any left after the purchase deadline, we still start by allowing all members to purchase additional allotments. For instance, if there are 200 members and 600 bottles, each member will be allowed to purchase 3 bottles. When the deadline hits, if there are still additional bottles, we will allow all members to purchase the remaining bottles before then opening to the public (i.e. it would become 4pp). The method used to release to the public will be determined later. To sum this up: every single beer we release will start as a member’s only beer and will only be made available to the public if members do not purchase all the bottles/cans of that release.
Included Beer: Your membership will include 8 x 22oz barrel aged bottles per year. For the first year we will be focusing mainly on stouts, porters, barleywines and belgians. As we continue to develop new recipes, we will look to include styles such as saisons and sours. The release time for this will be strongly dependent on when we can get up and running. For the first year you may not get any barrel aged bottles until the second half of the membership. But you will be guaranteed 8 bottles per year. For future years, things will be more spaced out as we will have built up a supply and will be able to have a steadier release schedule. We will be releasing non-barrel aged beers as soon as we open. These beers will have same sales scheme: members first, leftovers for the public. Do note that there may very well be more than 8 barrel aged releases in one year. Your membership is guaranteeing you will have 8 included and first dibs at any additional releases.
Swag: For each yearly membership, we will include some type of swag in the $25-50 range. We’ll try to be creative and not give you something you’ll have no use for.
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Proxies: We will allow proxies. For free. We know not everyone lives near us and we want to be able to share our craft with everyone. So simply put, if you don’t live here, you can assign a proxy to your account to pick up your beers. Once your proxy has your beer, we hold no responsibility for what happens next. So, make sure you trust them! Unfortunately we will not be able to assist in finding a proxy for you. The beer community is very large in the NOVA area!
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Shipping: We are looking into the logistics of offering shipping for our out of state members. We will be required to obtain a shipping license and while it's possible, we will need to see how much more work this will create for us. We hope to be able to offer shipping but we cannot promise it will happen.
Holds: We will hold your 8 guaranteed bottles for the duration of the membership. You will be required to pick them up before the start of the new membership year. For any additional bottles purchased, we will have three required pickups (every 4 months). Exact dates will be determined at a later time. What this means is we will hold your bottles/cans for you until the required pickup date. If you order something in January and you or your proxy can’t get it until the required pickup date in April, we’ll hold it. If you or your proxy do not pick up before that date, you will lose the bottles/cans and will not get a refund. That being said, if you want to pick up your bottles/cans after every release, we will have business hours in place to do so.
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Renewals: Your current membership will guarantee you a spot in the next year's membership. You will be given a deadline to renew your membership for the next year. If you do not renew within the allotted window, you will have to enter into the lottery for the next year. This comes with a clause - we reserve the right to cancel a membership and/or refuse a renewal to any members that are found to be abusing it or are acting in a malicious manner. Let's keep things cordial.