Submission #28342 by Congregation Beth Shalom Men'S Club - Northbrook, IL (643)
2023
I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines.
Beer on the Wall
Programming for Younger Men, 39 and younger
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The lifeblood of any successful Men’s Club is sustainability and reaching out to future generations of members. Attracting younger members and introducing them to the Club will help keep the Club alive. We followed a successful program on Zoom in the early days of the pandemic with an in-person version, craft beer tasting from a local shop.
On March 4, 2021, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Congregation Beth Shalom (CBS) Men’s Club held a dinner and beer tasting. As we were still not yet having events in person at the synagogue, dinner could be ordered from a Kosher caterer, the beer was available for pickup, and the tasting was guided by an employee of a local craft beer store called Beer on the Wall. This was an incredibly memorable and successful program.
Now that we are able to have events back in person, we wanted to bring this program back in-person. What made this event memorable, beyond the beer, learning about brewing, and the discussion, was the wide range of Club members who attended. This was especially popular amongst our younger members. These members are who we hope to become emerging leaders in the Club. In bringing this program back in an in-person fashion, we hoped to attract a younger crowd. This way, we could show them how fun and meaningful our Men’s Club can be while hosting an interesting event.
Our VP of Programming checked with a number of local liquor stores, but we primarily focused on the one we used last time. They were able to bring a variety of beers to taste as well as an employee who does these types of private events and tastings frequently. His experience as a cicerone, like a wine sommelier but for beer, was certain to make the experience fun and educational.
A reasonable event price point of $15/person was set to cover the beverages, the cicerone, and snacks was set. Publicity was sent through our synagogue bulletin, emails, and, what proved to be the most helpful, word of mouth.
This event was held on April 19, 2023 in the evening after a quick Board meeting with a break between for evening Minyan. tried four beers, and our cicerone discussed the breweries, the histories of these types of beers, and some of the science of brewing these beers. He also went over food pairings and how best to taste beers.
We had 40 attendees. There were about 10 attendees age 39 and younger, and 6 were new to Club events. There was great spontaneous effort by the more experienced members and Club leaders to introduce themselves to these new faces and welcome them to the event. We hope that these new faces will represent the present and future of the CBS Men’s Club.
Now that we are able to have events back in person, we wanted to bring this program back in-person. What made this event memorable, beyond the beer, learning about brewing, and the discussion, was the wide range of Club members who attended. This was especially popular amongst our younger members. These members are who we hope to become emerging leaders in the Club. In bringing this program back in an in-person fashion, we hoped to attract a younger crowd. This way, we could show them how fun and meaningful our Men’s Club can be while hosting an interesting event.
Our VP of Programming checked with a number of local liquor stores, but we primarily focused on the one we used last time. They were able to bring a variety of beers to taste as well as an employee who does these types of private events and tastings frequently. His experience as a cicerone, like a wine sommelier but for beer, was certain to make the experience fun and educational.
A reasonable event price point of $15/person was set to cover the beverages, the cicerone, and snacks was set. Publicity was sent through our synagogue bulletin, emails, and, what proved to be the most helpful, word of mouth.
This event was held on April 19, 2023 in the evening after a quick Board meeting with a break between for evening Minyan. tried four beers, and our cicerone discussed the breweries, the histories of these types of beers, and some of the science of brewing these beers. He also went over food pairings and how best to taste beers.
We had 40 attendees. There were about 10 attendees age 39 and younger, and 6 were new to Club events. There was great spontaneous effort by the more experienced members and Club leaders to introduce themselves to these new faces and welcome them to the event. We hope that these new faces will represent the present and future of the CBS Men’s Club.
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Original Program
Silver