Bruce Buerger

The views and opinions expressed in this statement are those of the candidate and do not necessarily reflect those of the American Homebrewers Association (AHA) or the  AHA Governing Committee.

I would like to thank the board for their consideration. It is truly an honor.

I’ll be the first to admit - I’m not a brewing superhero like many of the other nominees.The experiences I would bring to the Governing Committee would be homebrewing, program/project management, organizational skills, and 20 years in information technology. I think these skills would be particularly helpful with:

•    Working with the AHA to further establish educational programs.
•    Working with the AHA in its efforts regarding club incorporation.
•    Advising clubs on how to organize events.
•    Helping clubs to form partnerships with local brewing industry organizations.

My background - I’ve been homebrewing since 1997. My involvement in Beer Barons of Milwaukee started at the end of 2006 when I proposed and conducted an Introduction to Homebrewing class. The class was very successful and led to the creation of Intermediate, All Grain, and Recipe Formulation classes. In 2008, the Barons formed Brew U and I was considered Dean.

In 2008, I was elected club Treasurer. That year I was given the tasks of moving the clubs finances into a financial management system, incorporating the club as a non-for-profit organization, and arranging insurance. Throughout 2008 I pursued these goals and in 2009 the Beer Barons of Milwaukee Cooperative was formed as a non-corporate stock 501(c)(7) with insurance that covered both liability and property damage. This process included re-activating the club’s dormant EIN, filing for incorporation with the State of Wisconsin, filing for non-profit status with the IRS, and obtaining insurance once the non-profit status had been achieved.

In 2009, I became Treasurer of the Barons World of Beer Festival. In addition to managing the books I also had an opportunity to build relationships with local distributors, breweries, and brew pubs. In 2011, the relationship building resulted in forming a partnership between the Barons and a local distributor. Today the Barons manage the books for the annual Taste of Great Brewers Festival which is the kickoff event for Milwaukee’s Beer Week.

My term limit as Treasurer was up in 2010, however I still continue to stay very active in club activities and Wisconsin homebrewing events.  In 2012, I spoke before the Wisconsin State Senate and State Assembly sub-committees on behalf of homebrew legislation. I’m a National BJCP judge and since 2011 I’ve served as Coordinator for the Midwinter Homebrew Competition and the German Fest Stein Challenge. I also serve as Webmaster for The Schooner Homebrew Challenge, the Belle City Winter Warmer Homebrew Competition, and the Beer Barons of Milwaukee BrewBlog.

Thank you very much for your consideration.

Prosit, Sláinte, Salute, Na Zdravi, Cheers - Bruce Buerger