The History of KROC

Scott Jackson's Awesome Brew System !!

First KROC Kristmas Party

In the spring of 1994, John Irwin, owner of the local homebrew supply shop The Homebrew Hut™, planted the seeds of the club by inviting home brewers to two tasting events, one at Bazooka Joes, the other at Old Chicago.

Later that year, a small group of Broomfield-area home brewers started meeting at the Homebrew Hut.   These meetings were merely an attempt to bring together people who were interested in brewing, to talk shop and to enjoy their latest creations. They sat on bags of grain and buckets of malt extract arranged in a circle at the store after hours (sometimes for many hours!) says John Irwin, "I can remember being there with John Adams and Matt Nieberger until 3 or 4 am, well past midnight!"

Scott brews great beers with this three Tier Brewing System which is highly functional, light weight, and heavy duty. It can easily be modified to be a portable brew system and taken on-the-road to brew-ins. The shelving can be found online at creativespacesusa.com and selecting InterMetro Shelving from the left pane.  The burners, shields and gas regulators can be found at  morebeer.com.

Several KROC members have brewing rigs using this 18x18 shelving, which fits a keg perfectly and is able to carry 300 to 500 pounds per shelf.

Click on this brew system photo for a link to photos of other KROC member's brewing systems.  □

Sometime in late 1994 /early 1995, this informal band of brewers out-grew the Hut and started looking for a larger venue.  They found the American Legion Post 11-11 in Westminster, CO. It was decided at this time that the club, even with a formal meeting place, should remain social and casual.  That ideology still exists today!

By this time, it became obvious that the group should have a name. But coming up with a name and being comfortable with it proved to be very difficult. After enjoying a few brews, names were easy to come up with and even easier to debate! These meetings tended to be very loud. At the end of one meeting, during the height of a fierce debate over what the name should be, the worst thing that could possibly happen happened - the keg ran out of beer! Thinking quickly, Tim Suttman and John Irwin looked at each other and said, "The Keg Ran Out Club!"

The name was apparently well liked, because KROC™ became a reality shortly thereafter!

Note: this particular instance was the only time the club has ever let the keg run out at a meeting. It happened at the close of the meeting as the last person filled the last glass at the very moment the beer reached the top! This also led to the club's motto - "May the keg never run out on you!")

About this same time, the club became more organized.  The first officers were: