High End Hands-On Microbrewery Comes to Freehold

Most brew-your-own facilities opened in the mid-'90s when microbeers were at their peak in popularity. The concept is simple: For a fee, you brew and bottle beer in a warehouse-type environment using state-of-the-art brewing equipment with an on-site staff to assist.

The brewer, whether amateur or experienced, picks the recipe -- from pale ale to holiday spice -- or experiments with their own concoctions. After mixing ingredients and waiting out the fermentation process (usually two or three weeks depending on the type of beer), brewers return to the facility to bottle, and in some cases, to create personalized labels.

Brew-your-owns are ideal for people who want to try brewing before investing in the equipment, to brew for a specific event like a wedding or party, or for folks who just want to try something different. They are very popular with couples and families who want to spend time together doing something productive and unique.

Not to mention, unlike homebrewing, you don't have to clean up the mess.

Prices for on-site brewing range, but usually cost somewhere between $195 and $230 to brew 5 cases of "Microbrew Size" bottles (60- 22oz bottles), which is far less than what  it costs to invest in low-tech brewing equipment and a beer recipe.

Brew-U customers use custom built BrewKettles that utilize The S.M.A.R.T System for Brewing Control, whereby very percise Temperatures and Hold Times can be achieved which are essential in producing MicroBrews that are rich in flavor and complexity.