General Assembly 2023 of the Vereinigung ehem. VLBer
General Assembly 2023 of the Vereinigung ehem. VLBer - Brewers of Berlin

The Ordinary General Meeting 2023 of the "Vereinigung ehem. VLBer - Brewers of Berlin" took place in the run-up to the VLB Summer Party on 7 July 2023 in Berlin. Thereby, the association offer admission to the members of the Berlin Brewers' Guild, which is currently in liquidation.

The two chairmen Klaus Niemsch and Jan Biering reported on the activities of the past year. These included:

  • Project new roof of the guild house: This was completed in November 2022. The costs of around 15 T€ were covered by the Association.
  • Project VLB Alumni Gallery: The VLB Alumni Gallery with the group photos of all graduates of the Certified Brewmaster Courses since 2005 and the German Brewmaster Course since 2019 was newly created on the ground floor of the new VLB building in Dec 22/Jan 23.
  • Project new bar project in the Guild House: The Association support approved for this at the 2022 General Meeting was not taken up. The Radberger Group stepped in here with a permanent loan.
  • Other topics included the introduction of a Paypal payment option / support for the VLB Summer Party and the members' meeting of the Bavaria-Austria district group in Würzburg in May 2022.

This was followed by a discussion on an admission procedure for members of the Berlin Brewers' Guild. The merger of the Berliner Brauer-Zunft and the "Vereinigung ehem. VLBer - Brewers of Berlin" has already been under discussion since 2017. The aim is to create a single alumni association in Berlin, under which as many graduates as possible of a brewing, beverage or fermentation technology education in Berlin can find themselves. The "Berliner Brauer-Zunft e.V". association decided to dissolve at its general meeting on 6 July 2023. After lively discussion, the following resolutions were passed:

  • An admission of the guild members into the association of former "Vereinigung ehem. VLBer - Brewers of Berlin" is unproblematic according to the statutes and is generally welcomed.
  • A new "District Group/Chapter Berlin" is founded, which is to include the former Guild members and the graduates of the VLB courses and the TUB as well as all international graduates. This district group shall also take care of the operation and maintenance of the Guild House. Burghard Meyer agrees to lead this new group.

Consultation on adapting or adding a name with a view to better international comprehensibility. Jan Biering notes that the name "Vereinigung ehem. VLBer" is very unwieldy and difficult to understand, especially for international graduates. Also the TU students of the past years unfortunately do not see themselves as VLBers anymore. After lively discussion, the General Assembly agreed to use the registered name "Vereinigung ehem. VLBer" with the addition "Brewers of Berlin" in future.

After more than an hour, Klaus Niemsch closed the general meeting and proposed the VLB Summer Party as the next date, which will probably take place in July 2024. The complete minutes of the meeting are available to all members of the "Vereinigung ehem. VLBer - Brewers of Berlin" on request.


Participants of the General Assembly 2023 of the "Vereinigung ehem. VLBer - Brewers of Berlin"