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Yeah and we have managed to leave the “Shur jaysus just hold yer nose and get it down ye! All you want it to get a good buz on.” crowd on boards.ie <knocks on wood>

Good to see the responses and I do appreciate your caution.

Our next full EBCU meeting is in Milan on the 23/24th of November and I would be happy to cover this group there. If you can provide some general information by mid November then we can update other countries on what is happening here.
This does not commit you to anything but we are always pleased to here of progress in craft brewing and consumer issues.

I may have contacted some of you in the past on the subject of an Eire group but this now looks like the best chance.

Laurent works closely with UnionBirrai in Italy and BierIg in Austria and they were formed by craft brewers with a consumer intest also. So that may be a route for yourselves. Do not feel that you have to follow the CAMRA route but if you do eventually form a group then let it be what best suits your national needs.

Terry

&amp;quot;terry&amp;quot;:1dc7wy5y wrote: Our next full EBCU meeting is in Milan on the 23/24th of November and I would be happy to cover this group there.[/quote:1dc7wy5y]That would be very cool. Mods, can we do this?

&amp;quot;terry&amp;quot;:1dc7wy5y wrote: I may have contacted some of you in the past on the subject of an Eire group but this now looks like the best chance.[/quote:1dc7wy5y]Errr, could I request the non-use of the word "Eire". It's "Ireland" in English, or "Republic of Ireland" if you need to distinguish us from CAMRA NI.

If we were the ECB[/url:1dc7wy5y] we'd be able to issue our own money <!-- s:D --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_biggrin.gif" alt="" title="Very Happy" /><!-- s:D -->.

All right, let it be Ireland we use then, sorry teh improper "Eire".
(Bad habits I've taken dealing with french Canadians, some of whom go mad when you refer to their bit of land as Canada instead of Québec and to them as Canadiens instead of Québécois. <!-- s:wink: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_wink.gif" alt="" title="Wink" /><!-- s:wink: --> )

2 to 5 years i mentioned not because it's anawful lot of work, but to put together gradually a healthy dynamics. Some of the smaller contiental beer consumer groups work on a rather informal basis, only CAMRA and DBE have permanent offices.

Newsletter : indeed, one would be needed, but it can be a simple thing, of 4 or 8 pages for a start,, maisnly distributed as .PDF; with hard copies for the non-connected members and as a means of information in bars etc.

As Terry said, there are different ways to think up a beer consumer organisation, and the one that suits best your needs and group dynamics is the one to use, event if it remains light and flexible, even if it remains largely web-based.

Cheers !

Laurent

I think, eventually, it would be a natural progression to a more formal group, as Mike mentioned. I'm sure we spoke of this in the pub before (possibly with Séan, possibly to myself). No point in rushing into it though.

Sure, we already have more members than the French affiliate (ATPUB)!

Can I volunteer to represent ICB at future EBCU meetings? All I would require is transport, accomodation and generous expenses! <!-- s:lol: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_lol.gif" alt="" title="Laughing" /><!-- s:lol: -->