We encourage applications from all those who can demonstrate a desire to meet the Guild’s aims of “improving standards of communication about beer and pubs and to extend the public knowledge of, interest in, and support for, beer and pubs.”
The Guild has three classes of membership:
- Full membership
For individuals who are communicating about beer and/or pubs on a regular basis. Full members include, journalists, authors, producers, photographers, illustrators, marketeers and PRs. To apply for full membership, complete the form below. Annual membership costs £57.50. - Associate membership
If you are new to beer writing, it is likely you will initially be offered associate membership, with a view to moving up to full membership once you have built your experience and body of work about beer and pubs. Associate members enjoy all the benefits of full membership, other than not being able to vote at the AGM or any other meetings. To apply for associate membership, complete the form below. Annual membership costs £57.50. - Corporate membership
The Guild is supported by brewers, pub companies, trade associations and suppliers to the industry who value the relationship with beer writers and other benefits that membership offers them. To apply for corporate membership, contact secretary@beerguild.co.uk. Annual membership costs between £250 and £500 depending on the size of your organisation. To find out more, read our corporate membership brochure
Benefits: Full and Associate Membership
Becoming a Full or Associate member of the Guild affords opportunities to engage with brewers, licensees, industry leaders and media organisations. It also gives access to events, training and seminars.
Benefits
The Beer Writers Yearbook
As a member of the Guild your name, contact details and areas of expertise will be included in the listings of our very fine (although we say it ourselves!) Year Book.
All individual members receive a copy of the Yearbook which is an invaluable reference guide for connecting with other members. It is also distributed widely to media organisations, publishers, trade bodies and our corporate members
Your details will also be available on the Guild website, which you are able to edit and update throughout the year.
Daily Alerts
Every weekday we send out news alerts to our members.
The content includes invitations to events, industry news, and submissions from both corporate and individual members. Clearly your offerings have to be relevant and engaging to be included – but if you’re a beer communicator, you’ll know that!
These daily newsletters are well received, widely read and offer unique and exclusive opportunities and offers for individual members.
Seminars, Talks and Tastings
We organise a number of seminars throughout the year supplying our members with a wealth of information and knowledge from leading industry experts.
Take advantage of the opportunities to be updated on current trends; to gain insights into the markets; to learn more about different aspects of brewing, beers and pubs.
These events are exclusive to Guild members, and offer a rich variety of topics. Previous and future events include seminars on ‘no and low’ alcohol beer trends, the malting process, beer packaging and design concepts, and the role of the British pub in society.
The aim is to provide members with a rich seam of material to communicate to a wider audience.
(Please note: all 2020 programming is now offered virtually.)
Training
As a member of the Guild, you will have access to specially selected training sessions throughout the year, hosted by experts in their field.
We canvass our members, find out what their training requirements are, and plan a schedule based on these needs. Previous and future training courses include skills such as podcasting, writing a successful blog, mobile journalism, how to pitch stories to editors, photography skills, and a digital marketing masterclass.
We also include technical training such as ‘off’ flavour identification in beer, and how to judge beer.
The aim is to arm our members with the skills to improve standards of communication about beer and pubs and to extend the public knowledge of, interest in, and support for, beer and pubs.
(Please note: all 2020 programming is now offered virtually.)
Mentoring Programme
Associate members may require the support and guidance from an experienced Guild member. Our mentoring programme is designed to connect associate members with a Guild member with relevant skills and experience.
As a full member, you may wish to be considered as a mentor and offer your expertise to an associate member, with a view to getting them accepted as a full member.
The aim is to provide support for new members and help develop their skills.
AGM
The Guild AGM is held every summer and is an opportunity for members to see what the Guild has achieved over the previous twelve months, and hear about future strategy and activity.
Full members have voting rights.
Annual Awards & Dinner
The annual Awards ceremony and dinner is our most popular event of the year.
We celebrate the best beer communicators of the year in style with an Awards ceremony and a dinner served with expertly matched beers.
You may want to submit your own work for an award and reap the benefits of being a winner yourself. Entry to the Awards is free for Guild members. (Non-members must pay £50 to enter.)
This is an excellent opportunity to rub shoulders with other Guild members as well as our corporate members and industry leaders.
The 2020 Annual Awards presentation will take place virtually on 10th December 2020 from 7 – 8pm GMT
Summer Party
Held on the evening before the Great British Beer Festival, this is another highlight of our calendar. Join the Guild and put the date in the diary. Look forward to seeing you there!
Pin Badge
All Guild members are sent a smartly designed pin badge of the Guild’s logo as ‘badge of recognition’ for their membership.