Brewing clubs/guilds

Hi Everyone,

I am member in a very young brewer's guild. Well, I guess we are still just a bunch of guys that love brewing beer and really enjoy brewing together. We are at an impasse, where we are trying to define our group and decide to what level we would like to see it go. That being the case, I have some questions for all of you:

What do you expect from your brewer's club/guild?

Do you have dues? If you do, what do they go toward?

What kind of events does your club participate in, sponsor, or create?

How do you recruit new members?

Do the clubs get so political that it takes the fun out of brewing?

Are you formally organized (501c3) or an informal group? Are there benefits to being formally organized?

I have so many questions.... too many for one post. Please share your experience, or even your expectations if you have no experience. I am very interested in all points of view. My club is in a very new and uncharted (to us anyway) situation, and I would like to rely on the forum for some guidance/recommendations.

Thanks.....

I'm actually in two homebrew clubs, both of which have annual dues. I think one is $15/year and the other is $25/year. Apart from the usual monthly meetings where people get together to share their homebrew and exchange information, they do fairly regular parties and other gatherings, trips to local breweries, and group brews either on club equipment or at a local brewery.

The regional clubs around here run homebrew competitions, some of which rotate among the clubs and some of which are run by a single club annually.

The more successful homebrew clubs (in terms of membership) around here are associated with the LHBS and have their meetings there. Also, membership in the club gets you a discount at that LHBS.

So far as organization, dues, and the like, you might want to take a look at the information on AHA's website about starting a homebrew club.