VICBREW 2015

[GalBrew]

Geez! We could've done with a LOT more stewards first-up this morning, but we eventually got through it. No thanks at all to the people who think that Vicbrew just "happens" without a HUGE input from a lot of people.

5 stewards to cover 11 tables. That's just totally fucked!

I'm NOT a happy camper right now & you blokes that entered need to think about what service you get for your $8.

We need people to contribute their time.

Totally fucked is right. Biggest Vicbrew ever and only 5 people turned up to steward at today's start. Something has to change or something has to give. It's up to you homebrewers out there what sort of Vicbrew comp you want, but we can't keep growing at the current rate without a similar increase in our volunteer base. Read into that how you will.

 

[GalBrew]

Also keep in mind we need more judges......but that's another story.

A special thanks also needs to go out to the guys that turned up this morning and held it all together so the comp could run as well as it did. You all deserve a beer!

 

[manticle]

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Maybe something can be put on the entry form to see if folks want to help out or a discount on entry price?
Just a thought

I can't see a discount on a fee that is currently under $10 encouraging people to step up, especially considering all volunteers get free lunch.

Just do it - the incentive is that you want the comp to be sustainable and continue into the future. 1 day out of the year can ensure this.

If 10 people who have never done it (vicbrew) before put their hand up to steward or judge the next one, I'll fly back from Hobart to judge in 2016.

Put your name here.

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[worthogs webmaster]

Next year, if I can organise babysitting, I'll help out. We definitely want to show our support in practical ways.

 

[MartinOC]

I'll fly back from Hobart to judge in 2016.

THAT's the kind of commitment I'm looking-for!

 

[Yob]

When will the results be posted?

 

[Wolfman]

Yer when?

 

[Blind Dog]

Thanks gents and ladies for a great day. We may have been few in number, but this (bar)steward had a ball.

Personally, I reckon you put an entry limit on vicbrew 2016 (the 'free' limit for everyone) then if you volunteer to judge or steward or otherwise help out, you get extra, but you have to nominate your 'free' entries so if you don't turn up to help out, only your 'free' entries get counted. People who've helped out in the,say, previous 2 years also get extra entries

Might have had a few too many tasters...

 

[dan@twtr_dan]

I can't see a discount on a fee that is currently under $10 encouraging people to step up, especially considering all volunteers get free lunch.

Just do it - the incentive is that you want the comp to be sustainable and continue into the future. 1 day out of the year can ensure this.

If 10 people who have never done it (vicbrew) before put their hand up to steward or judge the next one, I'll fly back from Hobart to judge in 2016.

Put your name here.

1. Dan (unless someone else wants #1..)
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Count me in. A big thank you Martin for the opportunityand to the guys to sit amoungst and gain some valuable experience Saturday arvo. Unsure about correctness about naming names... A bigger thanks for everyone envolved with the event. I would have loved to have been there today but in the throws of preparing a house for sale...yes there is another excuse...

Appreciate feedback and advice on how to gain judging experience, and as you can see am an absolute newby to the forum.

Cheers, and hope everyone is enjoying a refreshing brew this evening. Dan.

 

[Dippet]

I know a good few Brewers and venue managers who were judges today. Anyway to arrange a loyalty/perk system that would give stewards discounts to their venues as a thank you?

While a free lunch is great don't forget that for 16-20 hours over a weekend these people are giving up their time for not a lot of gain. There is not a lot of incentive to come back if you've been pumped on day 1 and you're not getting paid


Just a thought.

 

[Mardoo]

The way I see it you make your entries, you do your service. $8 is SFA for an entry fee. Paying people? There were about 60 people involved in running Saturday's comp alone. You're looking at a $50 entry fee if folks are getting paid to mount the comp.

Blind Dog's idea is interesting, or maybe just a strict three-entry limit per person. Or there could be regionals and only the top three pass to Vicbrew as with nationals here, but who's going to do the work on that one? Some of the big US competitions have a lottery for entry. There are a lot of possibilities, and I suspect a lot will be decided over the next couple months.

Might be time for a fact-finding mission to something like this. It's only going to get bigger here, and as I understand it there were nearly 1/3 more entries to Vicbrew this year than last year.

 

[Spiesy]

Okay, I'm a little miffed.

There were around 600 entries and $8 each, right? That's almost $5k raised. Prizes are all donated by sponsors. Are the lunches not donated by the venue sponsor, or at least heavily subsidised?

I'm sorry, but I paid to enter the comp, like everyone else. Maybe I'm dumb, but when entering I didn't realise that this was purely a not-for-profit volunteer event. I'm not trying to rattle the cage, and appreciate the work people have put in, but I'm a little puzzled by some of Martin's comments.

Hoping to help out next year, regardless. Maybe Melbourne clubs could be encouraged to submit X amount of volunteers.

 

[Pogierob]

Not having the full picture of what happened it is obviously hard to base an accurate opinion on what happened, however if there was 200 odd more entries than expected, stewards that didn't show up and an all round general shortage, I don't believe the answer is getting on here and growling at everyone who entered a beer in the competition.

There are quite a few clubs in Melbourne, perhaps a possible solution would be to discuss with the committee of each club to possibility of each club being the stewards on a year by year rotation (as well as any volunteers outside of that).

I don't think refunding or offering discounts is the option as $8 isn't really that much and it is worth it to cover expenses of the comp, you get valuable feedback for that money on your beer also.

There are also outside factors that could be causing an issue, for example, this was right in the middle of school holidays, it's pretty hard for some to convince the family that the holiday "down the coast" needs to be cut short by a few days so daddy can go to a beer event.

600 entries is massive, it would take a lot to organise and sort, Great job to those who did it tough on the weekend

 

[worthogs webmaster]

If you wanted the Worthogs to run it, it would be a disaster. We only have around twenty members, and about five or six who actively participate in events. We clubs have to band together to support each other and VicBrew.

 

[Curly79]

Anyhow. Getting back to the petition to make manticle fly back to the mainland next year.
Put your name here.

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[manticle]

Okay, I'm a little miffed.
There were around 600 entries and $8 each, right? That's almost $5k raised. Prizes are all donated by sponsors. Are the lunches not donated by the venue sponsor, or at least heavily subsidised?
I'm sorry, but I paid to enter the comp, like everyone else. Maybe I'm dumb, but when entering I didn't realise that this was purely a not-for-profit volunteer event. I'm not trying to rattle the cage, and appreciate the work people have put in, but I'm a little puzzled by some of Martin's comments.
Hoping to help out next year, regardless. Maybe Melbourne clubs could be encouraged to submit X amount of volunteers.

It's a not for profit event staffed by volunteers.

Clubs are encouraged to submit volunteers. There just aren't enough of them.

 

[GalBrew]

Okay, I'm a little miffed.

There were around 600 entries and $8 each, right? That's almost $5k raised. Prizes are all donated by sponsors. Are the lunches not donated by the venue sponsor, or at least heavily subsidised?

I'm sorry, but I paid to enter the comp, like everyone else. Maybe I'm dumb, but when entering I didn't realise that this was purely a not-for-profit volunteer event. I'm not trying to rattle the cage, and appreciate the work people have put in, but I'm a little puzzled by some of Martin's comments.

Hoping to help out next year, regardless. Maybe Melbourne clubs could be encouraged to submit X amount of volunteers.

You do realise that the venue costs quite a bit of cash to hire for the weekend right? Where exactly do you think the money goes to?

 

[Wolfman]

One of our members was told he wasn't required?

An when are we going to find out who won everything?

 

[GalBrew]

And if people don't want to volunteer well that's also fine. I can tell you it is a tough 3 days to put on the event. I'm totally stuffed and I also didn't see my kid for 2 days. But if more people do t volunteer don't expect to be able to enter unlimited entries in 2016.

Nothing has been decided yet, but rest assured that something will

 

[manticle]

While a free lunch is great don't forget that for 16-20 hours over a weekend these people are giving up their time for not a lot of gain. There is not a lot of incentive to come back if you've been pumped on day 1 and you're not getting paid
Just a thought.

16-20 hours? Some people might but there's certainly no expectation of anything close to that. Both judges and stewards can elect which of the two days they are able to offer and if you are only able to do part of one day, that can still be a big help. Stewards change over all the time and some categories are much smaller and take less than half a day. More common average would be 4-6.

I'm certainly not having a go at anyone and absolutely understand people have other commitments. From me, it's a suggestion/reach out to those that have not previously been involved to consider putting their hand up for next year.

@spiesy - community sports clubs, brewing clubs etc are run by committee members, etc who are volunteers. They take membership fees but still rely on those volunteers to be able to run.