Interview: Kevin, San Francisco Homebrewers Guild
We’ve all probably dabbled in cooking, but have you ever tried to make your own beer? Organizer Kevin of the San Francisco Homebrewers Guild shared some of the ins and outs of homebrewing.
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Why was this group created?
We created the San Francisco Homebrewers Guild (SFHG) presence on Meetup to serve as an organizing force for the local homebrewing community in the city. Our membership on Meetup has grown from 287 when I took over as Organizer in October 2012 to more than 400 today.
What do you think inspires members to join?
I believe members have been inspired to join by our ability to truly bring the homebrewing community together. We offer a space for brewers to Meetup, share their knowledge and passion of homebrewing, and, of course, share their creations!
What does a typical Meetup consist of?
Our regular Meetup is our Monthly Meeting that we hold at a local brewery. Each month we profile a specific style of beer and discuss how to brew it at home, and then have additional presentations about tips and techniques our brewers are using.
Several of our Meetups revolve around homebrew competitions and the subsequent awards events. In addition to winning our club-internal awards, some of our brewers have taken home First, Second, and Third Place ribbons in competitions in San Diego, cities around the Bay Area, and one took home a first place in Wisconsin!
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Is there something you’ve always wanted to learn how to do? You could try to learn by yourself from a book or a podcast…or maybe you could join an awesome Meetup near you!
Lisa Marie is on Meetup’s Community team.
Dumpling mini-workshop - The Hong Kong Partners Meetup Group, Hong Kong, China
Cocktails & Cupcakes - Girls Night Out - Zurich Meetup Group, Zürich, Switzerland
Crabs again, anyone? - Frenz Meetup Group
Good news! Meetup members still love to eat! More than that, they love to get together with other food-loving folks to chow down.
There are tons of groups that have hit the 1,000 mark this time, but there could be so many more! If you want to see your Meetup Group in lights someday, take note of these tips from 1k club groups:
- Build a team. The Triangle Ethnic Food Meetup Group has quite the Leadership Team with 14 people (including the Organizer). Perfect for groups eating “off the beaten path”, so that tons of foodies can contribute their underground dining knowledge.
- Pick a meal. Funny how narrowing your group’s focus can really increase its popularity! The Orlando Brunch (Lunch) Group serves up some really popular Meetups this way.
1,000 Members
- New York Wine Lovers - 1027
- Internationals Meet for Food (IMF) - 1015
- Lake Norman Wine Enthusiasts - 1011
- Cleveland Wine Club - 1003
- Triangle Ethnic Food (Thai, Indian etc.) Meetup - 1002
- The Madison Area Vegetarian Meetup Group - 1002
- San Diego County Raw Vegans - 1001
1,000 RSVPs
- The Oahu Vegan Meetup - 1044
- The Inland Empire Raw Foods Meetup Group - 1001
- Centreville Dining Out 50+ - 1021
- Orlando Brunch (Lunch) Group - 1031
- Cooking Minnesota - 1011
- Western Maryland Veg Life MeetUp - 1015
- Central Coast Food & Wine Group - 1008
- The Parramatta social group - 1010
- The Eastside Raw Food Meetup Group - 1037
- San Diego Vegans - 1110
- Suburban Chicago Vegetarian Meetup - 1025
- Mid-30s to 50s Peninsula Friends Group - 1010
- Vegan Foodies - 1050
- Taste of VEGAN Chicagoland - 1058
- Wilmington Dining Adventurists - 1010
- Sacramento Vegetarian Society - 1039
- The Clever Wine Group of Pittsburgh - 1064
If you’re the Organizer of a Food & Drink Meetup Group, be sure to schedule a Meetup!
And if you’re looking to get involved with all the fun as a member, be sure to RSVP for a Food & Drink Meetup near you.
Hollynn dishes on dining out as Meetup’s Food & Drink Community Specialist. Get the full scoop on Food & Drink Meetups here.
It’s that time again! The top Food & Drink Meetups from the past 30 days are here to show us what they’re made of. Before we get to the main course, take note of these great food-friendly ideas we found among the cream of the crop:
- Food is always photogenic. If your Meetup Group does cool things with food, like learn how to make cheese or limoncello, be sure to document the experience and share it like the L.A. Foodies Meetup Group.
- Get off the beaten culinary path. If there’s one thing foodies love, it’s eating new cuisines at undiscovered places. Consider making a point of avoiding mainstream chain restaurants like Seattle True Foodies—your Meetup may become the hottest ticket in town.
- Get the gang together. Forget the reservations, the waiting lists, the limited seating. Try throwing an event that all of your Members can attend, like the NYC Vegetarian/Vegan’s Picnic in Central Park.
Top Food & Drink Meetups by RSVP, July 2012:
- L.A. Foodies - Los Angeles - 544
- Seattle True Foodies - Seattle - 456
- London Vegan Meetup - London - 421
- Dallas Ethnic Restaurants - Irving - 406
- Las Vegas Raw Food Meetup - Las Vegas - 395
- VEGphoenix! - Phoenix - 368
- “Denver and Beyond” Vegan Meetup - Denver - 354
- Charlotte Wine Club - Charlotte - 345
- L.A. Asian Foodies - Los Angeles - 326
- The New York City Vegetarian & Vegan Meetup - New York - 307
You can see where your Food & Drink Meetup Group ranks on the full list here.
If you’re the Organizer of a Food & Drink Meetup Group, why don’t you schedule a Meetup?
And if you’re looking to get involved with all the fun as a member, be sure to RSVP for an Food & Drink Meetup near you.
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Hollynn dishes on dining out as Meetup’s Food & Drink Community Specialist.
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Get the full scoop on Food & Drink Meetups here.
