AMS President Jeremy McElroy is one of the people behind the brewery. Geoff Lister/The Ubyssey

Beer at UBC will be cheaper and significantly more local when the new SUB opens.

The AMS has committed to the construction of a fully operational brewery in the new SUB to provide beer to the UBC community, including the Pit and the Perch (two of the establishments slotted for the new building). There is also the potential for beer to be sold at other venues on campus.

“If we want to make more money we have to control the cost. And how do you control the cost? You make the beer,” said AMS President Jeremy McElroy. McElroy, along with AMS VP Finance Elin Tayyar, was responsible for commissioning a feasibility report on the brewery over a year ago, partnering with First Key Consulting.

“The report came back positive, saying that due to the craft beer culture in Vancouver as well as the nature of being isolated on campus and the amount of beer we go through right now, that it would be feasible to brew our own and in fact do really well while doing it,” said McElroy.

Many details of the brewery still have to be finalized, including the name, the number and types of beers brewed (likely four different varieties), the hiring of a full-time brewmaster, and the locations on campus besides the Pit and the Perch that the beer will be sold. The brewery has now been allocated an approximately 1000 square foot area in the basement of the new SUB.

The AMS is in initial talks with different establishments on campus, and depending on licensing, is also hoping to provide kegs to licensed events on campus.

The cost of the beer has also not been finalized but should be at a cheaper cost than commercial beer, where, as McElroy pointed out, “the majority of the mark-up is in profit and government taxes.”

Since the financial report, the brewery has been approved by the AMS and UBC administration, and a formal submission is currently being worked on to present to BC Liquor Control and Licensing. The AMS has also reached a partnership deal with First Key Consulting, which McElroy said will add veteran experience to the project.

Other universities have attempted similar projects, but didn’t follow through. The University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union (USSU) in 2010 looked into opening a brew pub, but found it unfeasible due to provincial regulations, cost and the lack of required infrastructure.

“We didn’t really have a location to do it in which would be suitable as it was,” said Reid Nystuen, USSU vice-president of operation and finance. “So we would have to probably do another million dollars in renovations and retrofittings to an existing space.”

Adding the brewery to the construction of the new SUB substantially reduces the initial start-up cost for the AMS. “The biggest cost associated with the space is the equipment,” said McElroy, “but within a few years the equipment is paid off with the volume of beer we expect to be going through.”

Overall, McElroy is proud of the project and hopes it creates “UBC’s beer.”

Jill Alport, a second-year Science student, is in favour of the new addition to the SUB. “I think it’s a great idea,” said Alport. “I would definitely drink UBC beer, especially if it was cheap.”

“The new SUB is pushing the envelope with new student space to begin with,” said McElroy. “Why not have a brewery?”

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