Charter

Pinellas Urban Brewers (PUB) Guild Charter

Preamble

The Guild acknowledges that the brewing of malt, honey, and fruit based beverages is a craft. That being established, the PUB Guild is formed with the express interest in enabling people who wish to learn how to become brewers, to do so, and those that are brewers to enhance their ability and skill in this craft.

The PUB Guild is established as a Membership of Brewers and Associates that have a common interest in furthering the craft of brewing and to keep the essence of the craft intact. This is the common goal of those who want membership in this organization.

Article I – Guild Management

PUB Guild will be loosely formed, with a governing board called the Guild Managers (5 members).  The five member board should be made up of 2 Master Brewers, 2 Journeyman Brewers and 1 Apprentice Brewer so there is representation from each level of Membership. If there are no members at a level that wish to participate, then that position for the Managers can come from any level.

Any eligible Member may put their name in for nomination.  Guild Managers will be selected by secret ballot held at an official Guild Meeting. Guild Managers will serve for 1 year and may repeat if needed to fill the positions, but changing this board is preferred. It is important for Guild Members to want to serve in this capacity. Guild Managers should not serve more than 2 consecutive terms as Guild Managers, and after sitting out a year are once again eligible. With a quorum vote, Guild Managers can be removed for failing to function in the needed capacity. During a quorum vote, at least ⅔ of the Guild Membership must vote, with a majority deciding the outcome.

This board will work together to move the agenda of PUB Guild forward and help determine the direction according to the wants of the membership. In using a governing board, no one member will need to take on the total management of the Guild, and no one Manager will hold more or less authority over another.  It will be the responsibility of the Guild Managers to define the needs of the Guild; raise funds for the Guild for equipment and instruction/classes; plan and coordinate Guild events/meetings; and manage attendance at events the Guild is invited to.   While the Guild Managers are equally responsible for these and any other tasks, it may be preferable to establish roles for each Manager to simplify common tasks.  These roles will not limit a Manager’s ability to assist or participate in any tasks.

Event Coordinator

○       Organize Outside Events

○       Organize Guild Meetings & Demonstrations

Treasurer

○       Cost Out Projects

○       Track Funds (primary account holder)

Secretary

○       Organize Guild Documents (register, meeting notes, the Beer Grail)

○       Organize & Tally Votes

○       Track funds (secondary account holder)

Quartermaster

○       Organize Guild Equipment Storage

○       Organize Guild Equipment Transportation

○       Organize Setup/Breakdown & Construction

Marketing

○       Acquire Additional Benefits for Membership

○       Manage Website & Facebook

The board of Guild Managers will meet once a month, before the scheduled meeting to go over the business of the Guild. Attendance at the meeting can be in person or via technological meeting services, and this should be addressed to see if needed before each meeting.

Article II – Guild Membership

In the spirit of guilds of old, the PUB Guild Membership will be organized into levels.  These levels are intended to be symbolic of the old world experience and do not intend to hinder nor elevate any one Member over another.  These levels are defined below:

  • Friend of the Guild – This is the level of guild membership for people who are interested in brewing, enjoy tasting the beverages, but are not currently brewers. There are no brewing requirements to be a Friend of the Guild. This level of membership will keep people informed of PUB Guild activities and we encourage Friends of the Guild to become active members and eventually brewers themselves. Once a year, in the time of merriment, there will be held a “Festival of the Friends” in honor of the support and help of our Friends of the Guild members. This undertaking will be a most happy occasion, where the concoctions of the Guild will be shared with our closest friends and again many toasts and signs of enjoyment and happiness will be produced by all in attendance. A “Great Brew Day” in honor of this event will be planned with time for aging and bettering of the libations. This will be organized by the Guild Managers and all brewing Members should take most seriously this event; for if we cannot brew the best for those who support us, what becomes of us and our skill.
  • Apprentice – This level is for newer brewers that are just starting with the craft. The Apprentice brewer will have not crafted more than 15 batches of beer and/or mead. Apprentice brewers are very important to the guild, these are the lifeblood of the Guild and every Member is encouraged to recruit new members.
  • Journeyman Brewer – After the guild member has accomplished the crafting of 15 batches of beer and/or mead, and made at least one instructional presentation to the Guild Membership, they will attain Journeyman level of membership in the Guild. This level shows the accomplishment of the brewer and their commitment to their craft and the Guild.Journeyman members are the core of the Guild. These are the members that are advancing in both knowledge and understanding of the processes of brewing; dealing with brewing chemistry, yeast utilization, conditioning, serving beer, and recipe development. A Journeyman is in a position to teach and help Apprentices and to explore advanced issues in brewing with the Brew Master members.
  • Brew Master – The Brew Master is a leader by accomplishment. This level is obtained after brewing 30 batches of beer and obtaining 6 points in AHA sanctioned competitions to include the Best Florida Beer, Sunshine Challenge, Commander Saaz,Hogtown Brew Off, and other Florida circuit home brewer competitions; along with other state and national competitions. Point scoring to attain this level will be Gold=3, Silver=2 and Bronze=1.A Brew Master of the Guild will be a source of advice and help, while understanding all Members will bring new insights and resources to make the Guild as a whole better.
  • Judges of the Guild – This level is for members, whether brewers or not, that have become BJCP judges. A member may hold a brewer level Membership and also this level at the same time. A Judge of the Guild will play an important role providing the ability to give comment on beers produced by members in intra-guild competitions. A member may use the talent of a Judge of the Guild to get objective feedback on beers produced. The guild will provide assistance, if possible, in helping members attain this membership level through training and of course providing ample samples to help increase the judging skill.Attaining this level will allow the Guild to help in judging events in our area when needed.

Each member will receive a medallion signifying membership level upon attaining that level and a name badge. The medallions are for acknowledgement of leveling and should be worn at the Festival of the Friends for recognition as a brewer. Name badges are encouraged to be worn at every event to enable new members and visitors to get to know the membership easily.

Upon the acceptance of this charter, each member will submit a request for member leveling. It is understood that some current Guild Members have the knowledge and skills for different membership levels. These requests will be assigned to the initial Guild Managers for setting the membership level.  Any new Member may also submit a request for leveling upon joining the Guild. The request will simply be a written document outlining the accomplishments of the brewer, to enable the Guild Managers to make a decision. The document doesn’t have to be a book. It is imperative that Guild Member level is a tool to help Guild Members with improving their skills and craft. It should NOT be indicative of class or that any member is more important than any other. Please, we request unity in the guild!

Article III – Dues

In order to provide the most access to discounts and special events, as well as a means to collect funds for Guild projects, the Guild will be collecting dues for membership.  Dues will be divided into two categories: Members and Friends of the Guild.  You do not need to be a dues paying member to attend Guild Meetings or Brew Day events.

All Members (Apprentice, Journeyman, and Brew Master) will have mandatory dues paid once a year.  The dues will amount to $25 for an individual and $40 for a couple.  With payment of dues a Member will get certain benefits, including but not limited to:

  • Guild Membership Card – Used as proof of membership for events and discounts at local bars and homebrew stores.
  • Wholesale prices on Guild Merchandise
  • Access to Guild only events
  • Guild Nametag

Friends of the Guild will have mandatory dues with a value decided upon by the individual.  We urge that this be a minimum of $10.  Upon payment of dues a Friend of the Guild will get certain benefits, including but not limited to:

  • Guild Nametag
  • Festival of the Friends Celebration

Funds collected will be deposited into a Guild bank account (Local Credit Union preferred) managed by two of the five Guild Managers.  These managers will be accountable for all funds that come in and out of the Guild.  Each year, after Guild Manager elections, this duty will be passed off (along with a name change on the bank account) to two new Guild Managers.  In the event that an account holding manager has to abandon his duties mid-year, the account should be transferred to one of the remaining managers at the earliest convenience.

In the event that the Guild wishes to make a purchase in excess of $1000, a quorum vote must take place.  During a quorum vote, at least ⅔ of the Guild Membership must vote, with a majority deciding the outcome.

Article IV – Guild Guidelines

Again the Guild will be loosely organized and will have nominal rules. The guidelines are as follows and they may be modified by the Membership as the Guild changes and grows.

  1. The guild will supply a Membership Register and all Brewer Level Members will inscribe their name on the register. All current and future members will inscribe their names in a standard fashion:<printed name>, <signature>At the first meeting after the adoption of this Charter, Greg Rapp will sign the register in the standard fashion, but will inscribe <,Founder> after his signature.This is done in honor of his establishment and support of the PUB Guild.  Those members that were in the original group that formed the Guild will inscribe <,OCM>,  which will stand for Original Charter Member.  All current members at the first meeting after the adoption of this Charter will inscribe <,CM>,  where the CM stands for Charter Member.  There should also on this day be the making of merry with malted beverages and mead with many cheers and toasts to all things brewing.

    The register will brought to each meeting and any new Members will inscribe their name into the register.

  1. A Membership Card will be given to each Brewer Level Member for use when needed for discounts and entry to events
  1. It is the duty of each Guild Member to responsibly enjoy the fruits of our craft.
  1. The Guild should hold regular periodic meetings, typically once a month, so that we can share our brewing experiences, as well as taste each others brews to offer feedback.These meetings will be posted to the Guild Calendar which all members have access to.  As much notice as possible will be given so that everyone has full opportunity to attend.
  1. Official Guild Meetings will be required for Management Elections, Quorum Votes, and when other critically important decisions must be made.These meetings must be posted to the Guild Calendar a minimum of 7 days prior to the meeting.  It is important that Members attend these Official Guild Meetings, as the decisions made here have a great impact on the Guild as a whole.
  1. The Guild will strive to have at least one brew day per month. This is in keeping with the goal of the Guild helping teach and raise the level of skill and expertise in our craft. As many members as possible should try to attend brew days, even if not brewing to share in the camaraderie, learn new techniques, and offer opinions/insights about the brewing that takes place (does not mean you have to stay for the whole brew day, obviously if you are brewing it helps to stay through your brew).
  1. A PUB Guild online calendar will be set up and all events/dates will be published by the Guild Managers.All Guild Members will have access to this calendar.
  1. Document, document, document is a theme of brewers and the Guild encourages you to make use of this in your brewing. There are brew day sheets that can be accessed or printed from the Internet, as well as software or plain old pen and paper. Record all ingredients, steps taken (the mistakes you make and it will happen), OG, FG, and any notes. This will allow you to be more successful in recreating a great beer.
  1. Think of the guild as a type of cooperative. Sometimes there will be a need for an ingredient that was overlooked or forgotten (document and prepare). Guild Members should be open to helping another Member out if capable, and anything loaned should be returned or replenished, if ingredients, as soon as possible. Some members may have yeast farms and be able to provide specific yeast needed. Please be aware this can take up to a week or more to take yeast from slant to plate and step it up to a full yeast starter. This is not a request to make the day before brewing.
  1. The Guild should maintain a tap system for delivery of beer at events the Guild is invited to participate in. This will need to be funded and kept in good working condition. There should be a member that is the Keeper of the Taps. The tap system will need to be made available for brew fests and other events. The CO2 canister and regulator system should be monitored for level of CO2 and leaks and be kept in good working order.
  1. As mentioned, funds will be needed for building and maintain equipment, sponsoring education (e.g. BJCP judging), and other Guild needs. The Guild Managers can call for an assessment of funds and it is the responsibility of the membership in whole to respond with the required funds. Donating the needs from resources is encouraged if items are available. This is an area where the Friends of the Guild can help support the guild.
  1. An attempt will be made at least once a year to host the course and testing for the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP). This will include a tasting event for off flavors and class type instruction for writing the exam. The Guild should try to coordinate this offering with other guilds.
  1. While there is friendly competition and obvious boasting that guilds will do, the PUB Guild Membership will always respect other guilds both local and remote. It is understood we all have the same basic wants for our craft and many exceptional beers, procedures, and knowledge can be shared between all brewers.
  1. It is noted that not all beers brewed will be liked by all. Members will prefer different styles. PUB Guild Members must understand that honest appraisal is the core of enhancing the skill of the craft. It is inherent that the Membership provides beer they craft to be tasted and reviewed while accepting a critique positively, even if the result is less than expected.
  1. The Guild should strive to hold a bi-monthly intra-guild, style based competition. This will enable the Members to hone their basic core brewing skills and recipe design.
  1. The Membership is encouraged to enter Florida home brewer competitions. Pub Guild will receive points for entries that medal, which will help the Guild with exposure and growth. This is also a tremendous way to get feedback from judges on your beers. Go PUB Guild!
  1. In keeping with a Belgian brewers tradition, Members are encouraged to file for brewing. We will not take it as far as they do there, but there should be a completion of brewing filed for each brew that is completed. This will enable the Guild to form a long history of accomplishments to show future generations.We shall call this document the Beer Grail.  The filing should include:
  • Brewer(s) Name & Level
  • Name of the Brew
  • Style
  • Date Started & Data Completed.
  1. The Guild Managers will enable a method of tracking the filings for brewing and membership level. Also any competitions that an entry placed in should be reported to Guild Managers for recording.
  1. The Members present at the adoption of this Charter will assign their names to this document showing its acceptance. These names will represent all the Members.
  1. Changes to the Charter can be made by submitting a change to the Guild Managers and can be affirmed by quorum vote at the next meeting after the change has been published.  During a quorum vote, at least ⅔ of the Guild Membership must vote, with a majority deciding the outcome.
  1. In the event that the PUB Guild disbands, community assets should be liquidated in a manner that is agreed upon by the members, and the money donated.

Having stated the above, this original Charter of the Pinellas Urban Brewers Guild (PUB Guild) is complete.

Signatures