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. Your name will be added to our distribution lists to ensure that you are informed of all upcoming club activities. Membership is effective January-December each calendar year. Active membership is required to be eligible to purchase grapes.
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).
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 few hits. Here we post any information that is publicly releasable. This website has features which are limited to members of BEWBC. On this site we maintain proprietary club files, post photos, contact other club members, solicit information, and maintain databases. We also ask for members to subscribe to the "Club News and Announcements" area in the forum. To do this, log in, go to the forum, go into "Club News and Announcements," and click on the icon which says "Notify." With this enabled, you will receive vital information from the board when it is posted. We encourage you to subscribe to other forums which interest you as well.
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 website forum to post a message.
Club Events
The club holds bi-monthly meetings or events which all members are encouraged to attend. Meetings are usually held on the third or fourth Thursday of the month at 7:00 pm, though dates, times, and locations may vary in accordance with the meeting. 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: March: March Madness; 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 competition and social where wines are judged by both your peers and professional judges.
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.
Joint Novembeerfest: A brewing competition among local brewers
Club Facilities
The club maintains a tailer at the Boeing Employees Tennis Club location in Kent near the Space Center and a storage unit at Snoqualmie Ridge Storage for crush purposes. Consult a board member for the current combos. Some local homebrewing stores provide discounts for our club members if you request them (e.g., Larry's Brewing Supply, Homebrew Heaven). ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES ARE NOT PERMITTED ON BOEING PROPERTY. DO NOT bring fermented products onto Boeing property.
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 trailer or Snoqualmie Ridge storage facility 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. 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 March and update this document throughout the summer. Ordering begins in March 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 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 forum 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!