For members who have just joined the club, and those who need some refreshers, here is a basic summary of what we do and what you need to know to get around.
Boeing Employees Wine and Beer Makers Club New Member Orientation
For Those Who Make and Enjoy Wine and Beer and
For Those Who Would Like To Learn How
Membership
Congratulations, you’ve already completed the first step toward making better beer and wine by joining the club. Our membership focal will help orient you to the club and take care of adding your name to our distribution lists to ensure that you are informed of all upcoming club activities.
Executive Board
The club holds elections every year for the positions of President, Vice Presidents of Wine, Vice President of Beer, Treasurer, and Secretary. These members, along with several focals as dictated in the Club By-laws, form the executive board which is responsible for governing and maintaining the club. If you have any concerns or things that you can help with or would like to volunteer for a position, please contact the appropriate board member(s). The current board members are listed in the most recent copy of “The Press.”
Communications
The club publishes news at the beginning of every month, and as required, highlighting upcoming events, news, and other important club information, through this website. In addition, we email notifications for items that may have short response times.
Web Resources
The club’s website is http://www.bewbc.org. If you forget the website address, just Google “Boeing Beer” or “Boeing Wine” and it will be the first hit. Here we post “The Press” and any information that is publicly releasable. This site will be used for communicating with other members, posing relevant information and links, and the general distribution of club information.
Upon joining the club you will be added to our e-mail distribution lists which the board (and only the board) is authorized to use for distributing time sensitive messages to the entire membership. If you need to contact the general population, either contact the board or use the Yahoo Group site to post a message.
Club Events
The club holds monthly meetings or events. Meetings alternate between beer and wine topics, though all members are encouraged to attend. Meetings are usually held on the third Thursday of the month at 7:00 pm, though dates, times, and locations may vary in accordance with the meeting. Consult the most recent press for the latest details, meeting topics, and location. We hold classes, tastings, lectures, socials, tours, and many other events to keep your fermenting skills honed and promote dialogue.
In a few months of the year, other events replace normally scheduled club meetings. The current “event” months are: July: Winefest; August: Summer Social; September: Crush; and December: Winter Holiday Party. Look for details of these and other events in “The Press.”
Competitions
The club holds several competitions throughout the year including:
Winefest: A two-day competition and social where wines are judged by both your peers and professional judges.
Variant Competition: A brewing competition held in conjunction with the Summer Social where members are given the same set of initial ingredients and allowed to make a limited amount of additions to make the best tasting beer as judged by attendees of the Summer Social.
Pro-Am Competition: A brewing competition conducted with local breweries where the breweries select winning beers to be produced on their three-barrel system and sold commercially.
Club Facilities
The club maintains a storeroom at the Kent Recreation Center (22649 83rd Ave S, Kent, WA 98032) and storage container in the Kent Space Center parking lot. Consult a board member for the current combos. Our store provides basic equipment and supports crush operations. Some local homebrewing stores provide discounts for our club members if you request them (e.g., Larry’s Brewing Supply, Homebrew Heaven). The store is usually not manned, so to purchase items, select the goods you wish to purchase, fill out on of the receipt slips (found in the black cabinet), calculate you tax using the sheet posted under the check-out board, and leave the appropriate amount of money in the green bin in the cabinet. ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES ARE NOT PERMITTED ON BOEING PROPERTY. DO NOT bring fermented products into the recreation center.
Equipment
The club owns wine and beer making equipment which can be used by all club members. This equipment includes presses, filters, crusher/destemmers, cider presses, grape totes, macrobins, corkers, brewing equipment, cappers, and a host of other items. Many of these items are available for checkout at the Kent Recreation Center by using the check-out board at the store or through reservations using on-line tools (consult a board member). While all of this equipment is available for use, MACROBINS may only be used by vineyard focals and powered CRUSHER/ DESTMMERS are NOT to be removed from the club premises ever. (Note: some large equipment is stored in a storage container at the Boeing Kent Facility.) Upon checking out a piece of equipment (and establishing a return date), the equipment must be returned cleaned and in fully operational status. If you are unaware of how to operate or clean a piece of equipment, contact the Equipment Manager or another board member for help.
Grape Procurement
Every year the club organizes cooperative grape purchases from many premier vineyards. The Grape Procurement Focal and Committee publish a “Grape Procurement Plan” distributed in May and update this document throughout the summer (most current documents are distributed via e-mail and published on the Yahoo Group Site). Ordering begins in May with a priority “Open Enrollment” period. After that time, allocations are on a first-come, first-serve basis. While some vineyards may sell out quickly, tons of grapes are available, frequently up to the day of harvest. Keep your ears open for good recommendations and insights. Get a hold of the current Grape Procurement Focal (as indicated in “The Press”) for the current order status.
Joint Purchases
From time to time, members may come across unique opportunities for purchasing equipment or supplies at a bulk rate. Members are invited to alert fellow members about these opportunities through the Yahoo Group Site and organize a group purchase.
Other Activities
The Boeing Employees Wine and Beer Makers Club is a club for the members, by the members. If you have an idea and ambition, contact a board member and they will do everything in their power to help you see your idea through. By all contributing our skills and resources, we can all get closer to making that perfect bottle of wine or beer. Thank you for becoming a part of a Boeing tradition and welcome to our club!