Volunteer Handbook
How to be a Responsible & Knowledgeable Beer Server
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Table of Contents
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Page 2
Introduction
Page 3
Beer 101 - Basics of Beer
Page 6
Healthy Beer
Page 7
Beer Glassware
Page 9
Strong Beer
Page 10
On Volunteering
Page 11
Rules of Conduct
Page 12
Festival Job Descriptions
Page 18
Stopping Beer Abuse
Page 21
Prevention Tactics
Page 23
Conclusion
World Beer Festival Volunteer Handbook
Š 2009
Introduction Welcome to All About Beer Magazine's World Beer Festival Volunteer Handbook. For more than a quarter of a century, All About Beer Magazine has kept the public up-to-speed on the exotic world of great beer. Since moving the magazine from California to North Carolina, the staff of All About Beer Magazine has hosted festivals for the Triangle community. Our goals have been the creation of an opportunity for beer lovers to meet with brewers and brewery representatives members and create some excitement around the world of beer and beer appreciation. However, at the end of the day, it is you, the volunteer, that our customers will meet and get to know. You are the face and voice of the World Beer Festival. We have compiled information to help you become an "instant beer expert." Read it over, study it and help the people you meet at the World Beer Festival come to enjoy beer like we do at All About Beer Magazine. Thank you, Daniel Bradford, Producer Ola Nilbrink, Manager
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World Beer Festival Volunteer Handbook
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BEER 101 - The Basics of Beer Beer is the simplest and most complex of beverages, all at once. Simple enough that the first beer was probably an accident. Grain, water and wild yeast from the air combined by chance, and fermented. Some brave passer-by tasted the foamy result, and was no doubt amazed at its intoxicating effect (See also: The Dawn of Religion). By 4,000 BC, the Sumerians had perfected ways to replicate that miraculous process. Simple, because it is made from as few as four ingredients: grain, water, hops and yeast. But beer is also complex. Given those few ingredients, brewers have crafted as many as sixty or seventy distinct beer styles and thousands of individual interpretations. By varying the amounts or characteristics of the four ingredients, or by altering even a little the timing or temperature of the brewing process, master brewers create today's astounding variety in the beers you drink.
What's in Beer?
Barley is the preferred grain for brewing beer (although wheat, rye, oats, millet, sorghum, rice and corn have all been used). The brewer uses malted barley-barley that has been germinated then roasted. The depth of the roasting will influence the beer's flavor and determine its color. The brewer mills the malt, cracking the grains between rollers to expose more surface area. Then, just as coffee grounds are steeped in water to extract their flavors, the malt is heated with water in a large kettle called a "mash tun." The hot water pulls the sugars from the malt into a solution known as "sweet liquor." The brewer rinses the malt ("sparging") and strains it to get the last of the sugars into solution. The malt is now "spent grain," useless for beer, but still good for baking, or for animal feed. 3
The sweet liquor is piped into the next large tank in the brewery, the brew kettle. Here, hops (green, cone-like flowers) are added and boiled with the liquor. Without hops, beer would be sickly sweet. Hops added early in the process preserve the beer and add welcome bitterness to balance the sweetness of malt; a dose of hops at the very end adds the lovely floral aroma you detect in some freshly poured beers. The new stew of malt sugars, hop flavors and water is called "wort." Cooled to the right temperature and chock full of sugar, wort is the perfect diet for yeast, the uni-cellular organisms that do the work of fermentation. Long ago, the action of yeast was such a blessing, yet so incomprehensible, that English brewers called it "Godisgood."
World Beer Festival Volunteer Handbook
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The yeast is pitched in and goes about doing what yeast do-ingesting sugar and releasing carbon dioxide and alcohol, as well as the interesting extra fruity or spicy flavors we associate with beer. Different yeast strains behave very differently, some throwing off flavors and aromas as varied as banana, apple, clove, pepper or apricot.
drinkers won't understand the distinctions between English pale ale and India pale ales; English beer drinkers won't have to discriminate between Belgian dubbel and tripel ales; Belgians won't face a choice between a German kĂślsch and a helles. American shoppers can face all of these choices-and more-at a single (very good) retailer's store.
After a while, the food runs low, and the increasingly alcoholic atmosphere becomes unfriendly: the yeast slow down, or even die. Fermentation is complete. The "green" beer is transferred to conditioning tanks to age, a process that can go from a few days to several weeks (or, occasionally, years) depending on the style and the brewer's passion. When the brewer deems his beer ready, the public gets to enjoy the art.
First, let's divide the world of beer according to the yeast. The sixty or more defined beer styles in the world can almost all be divided by their yeast into two broad families: the ale family and the lager family.
The Styles of Beer
American beer drinkers can feel a little bewildered by the array of beers on the shelves, and for good reason. Brewers in this country have invigorated American beer by drawing from the brewing traditions of many countriesthen blending and bending the styles for American audiences. As a result, there are probably more beers and a greater range of styles available here in the Triangle than there are in any European capital. But that means that American beer lovers also have to make sense of a greater variety than drinkers in any other country. German beer
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Beers in the ale family are produced at warm temperatures by a group of yeasts termed "top fermenting." These yeasts are active towards the top of the fermenting vessel. Ales are ready to drink in days rather than weeks, and the yeasts produce extra flavors in addition to creating alcohol: fruity, spicy, or earthy flavors are not unusual. Ales are the traditional beers of England and of Belgium. Beers in the lager family are fermented at cooler temperatures by yeasts that are "bottom fermenting." As you might guess, these yeasts are most active at the bottom of the brewing vessel. These beers need to be conditioned or cellared ("lager" in German) for several weeks or more to reach peak drinkability. The lager beers are the traditional beers of Germany, the Czech Republic and central Europe.
World Beer Festival Volunteer Handbook
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The Importance of Malt
Next, beers can be divided according to how lightly or deeply roasted is the malted barleythe grain base of the beer. A lightly roasted barley will produce a very pale beer. Deeply roasted, charred or smoked malts produce dark or black beers. So, take lightly roasted malt and make a beer from it. Use an ale yeast, and the result will be a pale ale, the classic English pub beer, or a bitter or golden ale. Use a lager yeast, and the result will be a style such as pilsner. Roast the malt a little more, and the ale variant will be an amber ale or a Scottish ale; if a lager, perhaps it will be a maerzen, a festbier or an Oktoberfest beer. Give the malt a little more heat, and the beers become darker, the color of root beer. Brown ales-Newcastle Brown is a classic-are the ale variant. In the lagers, the cleaner tasting German dunkels-dark lagers-like Beck's Dark are the counterparts.
More roasting. The next darker beers are porters (which are ales) and the rather rare schwartzbiers (which are lagers). In keeping with the differences between the two families, porters will have a lot more spin-off flavorsfruity, even coffee and chocolatey notes-than the schwartzbiers, which will be malty (sweet) but still very clean. Like any classification system, this one ignores a lot of inconvenient diversity in order to fit examples into a neat model. We omit the beers made with grains other than barley, such as wheat; the hybrid beers that are fermented at warm ale-like temperatures, then are conditioned at cool temperatures like lagers; or the overlap between style categories, where a robust porter looks very much like a stout. But it is handy to know that lagers and ales both come in a full range of colors, strengths, and characters.
The popular wisdom is that these dark beers are stronger than light beers. On the contrary, the roasting may have the effect of "locking up" some of the starches in the beer so they cannot be fermented. There is less food for the yeast to turn to alcohol; the beers may be lower in alcohol, and the unfermentable material stays in the beer, giving it a thicker texture in your mouth. The beers can feel rich, but actually may be less intoxicating than a Coors. 5
World Beer Festival Volunteer Handbook
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Healthy Beer When we toast one another, it never strikes us as strange to associate alcohol with good health. After all, as far back as we have records, there are accounts of revelers raising their tankards to their leaders, their gods, and each other's well being. Beer, being based on grain, was traditionally a wholesome household product, like bread. Beer was the healthful mealtime beverage for young and old alike and a source of valuable nutrients. It was certainly safer than drinking plain water. Brewers didn't realize they'd stumbled on the most fundamental of public health measures, but by boiling the water during brewing, they killed off some very nasty bugs that could otherwise have killed the drinker. Over the past two decades, a growing list of medical studies have demonstrated that moderate drinkers tend to enjoy better health and lower mortality than either heavy drinkers or total abstainers. Beer has no fat, no cholesterol, no caffeine, no nitrates, and very little sodium. It is full of vitamins, as anyone knows who has purchased brewer's yeast as a source of B vitamins. Depending on the style and the brand, it is also packed with iron, potassium, magnesium, and phosphorus. Dark beer is an excellent source of heart-protecting flavinoids.
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The hops in beer have antibacterial properties. Brewers have exploited this property for over five centuries, relying on hops not only for the balance they contribute to a beer's flavor, but for the hops' power to preserve. Hops also contain phyto- (plant) estrogens, and compounds that aid sleep. But aren't these health benefits cancelled out by the weight a beer drinker gains? After all, that prominent overhang isn't called a "beer gut" for nothing, is it? Well, beer may be getting the blame for the company it keeps: we might as well call that a "nacho gut" or a "buffalo wings gut." Given that alcohol does stimulate the appetite, making a peanut binge more likely, a filling beer might be a better choice of drink than wine or spirits. In terms of calories, a 12 ounce serving of most commercial beers contains around 150 calories, about the same number as one of those dinky pots of fruit yogurt. "Light" beer will save you another 50 calories, a trade-off many beer lovers are unwilling to make for the loss of flavor. The key here is, of course, moderation. In the US, moderate intake is generally defined as one standard drink a day for women; two for men. (In Europe, three to four drinks a day is considered moderate, an interesting difference.) At these reasonable levels, beer is a wholesome component of your diet, as well as a welcome accompaniment for meals, recreation and social occasions.
World Beer Festival Volunteer Handbook
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Beer Glassware There aren't a lot of rights and wrongs in the world of beer, fortunately. If you enjoy the beer you're drinking, you've found the right beer for you, whether it's a domestic or an import; a light lager or a sturdy stout.
consider sending the glass back and asking for one at room temperature. This is a living beer, not a frozen margarita. As soon as beer hits a frosted glass, the temperature of the beer plunges, and cold is as effective a killer of taste as holding your nose.
But there are ways to make the right beer taste better, and one way is to choose a
Guideline three is cleanliness. Any residue from grease or detergent will kill the head on a beer. A glass that is "beer clean" is one that is being refilled with beer: the first pour clears the last traces of anything unwanted, and the next beer should be perfect. Hang onto that glass!
glass that lets you appreciate all the elements of the brewer's work. The first guideline in selecting a glass is the simplest and will do more to bring out the best in your beer than anything else: do select a glass. Only glug a beer directly from a bottle if you don't really like beer: the only sensations you'll have to experience will be wetness and gas. Anyone who has had a terrible cold knows that, without smell, there is very little flavor to enjoy. A glass-any glassallows the carbonation to lift the beer's
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Beyond these basics, what does a glass really do, besides distinguishing your drinking style from your dog's?
aromas to your nose, and the aroma is half the pleasure.
Beer and glassware have evolved together. Once, murky beer was hidden in opaque clay mugs. The first affordable glass drinking vessels arrived on the scene around the same time as the first bright, pretty beers. For the first time, a beer could appeal to the eye-as well as the nose and the tongue.
Guideline two of glass selection is almost as easy and will contribute nearly as much to your enjoyment. If someone serves you a beer and a frosted glass,
The shape and thickness of the glass affect the temperature of the beer and the size and retention of the head, and these influence the flavor you perceive.
World Beer Festival Volunteer Handbook
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Temperature first. A thick-walled glass will maintain the temperature of beer longer. (So will a glass with a handle, which protects the beer from the warmth of your hand.) In cultures that prize cold beer, glasses are either thick, as in the case of many wheat beer glasses, or, if thin, the glasses and portions are small and frequently replenished. The relationship between glass shape, foam, aroma and flavor is trickier. A glass that is deep in relation to its width will allow the formation of a thicker head; it can focus the fragrance of more delicate, aromatic beers. A shallower glass with a wide mouth limits the depth of the head; more of the beer is exposed to the air. These chalice-like shapes are traditionally associated with stronger, more vinous ales. Between these two extreme profiles-long, narrow and straight-sided; and shallow, wide and cupped- lie a great variety of designs: tulip-, thistle-, flute-, and barrel-shaped. Do you really need a different glass for every beer? Research
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from the University of Leuven in Belgium says no. Trained tasters determined that lightflavored lagers did indeed taste best in the familiar narrow glasses. Likewise, rich ales fared well in glasses with a wide brim that allowed a head of only a couple of centimeters. However, the dense heads promoted by some glasses-particularly those like the thistle that narrow near the top-seemed to trap some flavor components in the foam, to the detriment of taste. So, should you ignore the best promotional efforts of your favorite brewers? Of course not. Certainly, stock up on a couple of basic shapes, and be confident that these will take good care of your beer. But don't ignore the appeal a beautiful glass has for the other senses. The fragility of the thinnest possible pilsner glass; the architectural solidity of an Art Deco chalice-these are the perfect marriage of taste, character and design, and glasses worth having.
World Beer Festival Volunteer Handbook
Š 2009
Strong Beer In August 2005, two and a half years of very hard work brought about a major change to North Carolina laws. Thanks to efforts by NC beer enthusiasts, distributors and retailers, and the organization Pop The Cap, the maximum alcohol content permitted in beer was raised from 6% to 15% ABV (alcohol by volume). We joined the 45 states that permit the full range of beer styles.
The bad news-if we can put it that way-is that these are beers that demand greater knowledge and responsibility on the part of both consumers and servers. Most of us enjoy beer because we love sitting around with a couple of pints at social occasion. Not so with these big guys. Treat a Belgian triple in the same way you treat a mainstream beer and you'll miss the better part of tomorrow.
Since then, hundreds of new beers have appeared on our shelves. They represent styles we were not permitted to enjoy: Imperial stouts, doppelbocks, and a host of Belgian specialty styles. The new beers have expanded the beer market, and-most importantly-they have raised the visibility of good beers of all styles and strengths.
Handle these beers with respect. They should be consumed in smaller quantities. They can be wonderful with food. In the evening, they're perfect after-dinner beers, either with dessert or as dessert.
The good news is that these new beers represent some of the most distinctive and unusual profiles in the world of brewing. Higher alcohol content comes from the addition of more malt, which in turn requires the use of more hops to balance the flavor. Some of these beers are fermented with multiple yeast strains; others can be laid down like wine and aged. The results are beers of complexity and depth unknown in lower alcohol beers.
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A beer festival is a great opportunity to try these new beers, since they tend to be expensive and can be hard to find. A festival also offers an occasion to talk to a brewery representative or a server about the traditions, food pairings, and brewing techniques and flavor profiles of these unique brews. These are true sipping beers, so treat them accordingly.
World Beer Festival Volunteer Handbook
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On Volunteering for the Festival Again, thank you for being part of our festival. Being a Volunteer has a couple very simple fundamentals. First and foremost, this is about having fun. You will meet some of the finest brewers and brewery reps, plus the most dedicated beer lovers from here and out of state. You will be their principal festival contact. You will influence how they remember the beer festival. So have fun. Second, our event is built around responsibly enjoying beer. We've given you a lot of information about beer and its enjoyment. Use that to your advantage and make sure everyone has a pleasant time. Finally, be professional. You are representing the oldest and largest beer magazine, and two people with deep roots in the specialty beer culture. We hope you will represent us well by being prompt, taking care of your space, executing your role; the sort of things that make a huge difference in the overall experience of our event.
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World Beer Festival Volunteer Handbook
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Rules of Conduct 1. Ensure that our customers avoid excessive consumption of alcohol. A. Only provide one two-ounce sample of your beer per customer. Only one sample. Only two ounces. If your product is over 6% ABV, feel free to pour a one-ounce sample. B. Educate our customers: talk about your beer with patrons as you pour samples. C. Only pour into official festival tasting glasses, only pour to two-ounce pour line. Do not pour samples into other glassware. D. Encourage patrons to take a break from beer: several restaurant booths sell affordable food; we provide free nonalcoholic beverages; and the music and merchandise areas offer a change of pace.
4. Take care of yourself. A. Dress comfortably, but neatly, and wear good shoes for long hours on your feet. B. Drink plenty of water and be sure to take advantage of the free food provided by the festival. 5. Talk beer. A. Read the Volunteer Handbook. B. Read the Festival Program. C. Read All About Beer Magazine. D. Talk beer, talk beer, talk beer.
2. Establish a positive atmosphere. A. Always be helpful and informative. B. Avoid confrontations. C. Keep your booth space clean and organized. Appearance is important: an attractive space encourages responsible behavior. 3. Take care of your colleagues. A. Be a good neighbor and help out other Brewers and Volunteers when needed. B. Be alert to any potential safety issues and notify a staff person immediately.
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World Beer Festival Volunteer Handbook
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Festival Job Descriptions We've outlined the tasks for each category of volunteer. However, the important aspect of volunteering is that you are a member of a team of volunteers, all collaborating to deliver the right sort of atmosphere, the right sort of experience.
Pourer
1. Enjoy the festival while educating your customers. 2. Check-in at Volunteer Check-in and get your assignment. 3. Go straight to your booth. Familiarize yourself with the area and what needs to be done prior to opening to the public. For bottled product, fill beer tub with beer (tubs accommodate 3 to 4 styles of beer) and ice (delivered by the brew crew). For kegs, make sure keg is iced down and tapped and pouring properly. If there is any problem with the setup please notify your captain immediately or flag down a brew crew member. 4. Redeem food coupon, grab a bottle of water prior to the start of your shift. 5. Explore the beers that you will serve. This very small tasting sample is the only beer that you can consume while working the festival. Bartenders are not permitted to drink and neither are you. It is against the law to drink alcohol and serve. Captains will come around prior to the start of the festival to collect your sampling glass. 6. A rep from the All About Beer Magazine may request beers to be used in a beer tasting presentation. Please give them their beers after seeing his/her list.
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7. Pour patrons 2 ounces of beer only. Pour into festival glass only. If you see patrons drinking in other glassware ask them to dump it out in front of you it is against festival rules. 8. Pour only to patrons who have a wristband or badge labeled STAFF, BREWERY STAFF, PRESS, or BREW CREW. If there is a patron without a wristband or badge labeled incorrectly, contact your captain. 9. Bottles should be placed in recycling bins near table. If bin is full, contact your Captain and request that they empty it into large recycling container. 10. If beer runs out at your booth contact your Captain for another assignment. 11. If you need a break, contact the Volunteer Captain for a back up Volunteer. Please be respectful of their time, other Volunteers may need bathroom breaks. 12. At end of session, take all beer out of tub and away from patrons. Do not leave table until all festival patrons have left. Do not give any person, including Volunteers, a bottle of beer to take home. The beer is the property of the World Beer Festival and taking it is considered theft. Even if a brewer gives you beer, you are not to accept it. You will have a chance to sample beers at the Volunteer party.
World Beer Festival Volunteer Handbook
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13. At the close of the session, check in with Volunteer Coordinator to receive your All About Beer Magazine form. This must be completed and returned to the Coordinator at this time to receive this benefit. If you do not check out, you will not receive an invitation to the Volunteer Party. 14. For evening session pourers only: at the close of the event, please bring the dump buckets, beer bins, table cloth and bar towel to the brew crew area located by the back gate prior to exiting the ballpark.
Volunteer Captains
1. Enjoy the atmosphere and take good care of your Volunteers. 2. Learn how to use the communications system. 3. Captains are assigned regions to assist the Pourers. Make sure you have an updated list of the names and booth numbers for the Volunteer crew that you are in charge of managing. 4. Assist Volunteer Coordinator if help is needed checking in the Volunteer crew. 5. Go meet your Volunteers, introduce yourself and remind them of your role as their captain. Remind Pourers that they must not consume beer or you will need to escort them from the festival. Bartenders are not permitted to drink and neither are you. It is against the law to drink alcohol and serve. 6. Redeem food coupon and get a bottle of water prior to opening gates.
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7. Collect beer glasses from Pourers prior to the start of the session and return all glassware to Volunteer Coordinator. 8. If a Volunteer needs a bathroom break, contact the Coordinator for a backup. 9. If recycling bin is full of bottles, empty into large recycling container. 10. Monitor your Volunteers. Large pours are prohibited. This is the number one priority for the Pourers. 11. Pourers, and brewery representatives, are to only pour into festival glass only. This will work against the 2-ounce pour, a cornerstone of the Festival. Also, if you see patrons drinking in other glassware ask them to dump it. 12. If the Pourer runs out of beer, contact the Volunteer Coordinator to find another assignment for them. 13. Last call is 15 minutes prior to close of session. Go around your section and remind all Pourers and Brewers that all pouring is to cease in 15 minutes, reminding them it is last call. Make sure all pourers remove their bottles of beer from the table and stash them in their case boxes behind their booths. 14. Make sure your Pourers and brewery reps clean up their station. At the end of the afternoon session it needs to be presentable with beer back in the cases, all trash removed, and the appearance straightened up. At the end of the evening session the trash and recycling goes in front of the booth and the unopened beer stacked behind the table.
World Beer Festival Volunteer Handbook
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15. Inform Volunteer Coordinator of anyone you had problems with so proper action can be made. 16. Return radios to Volunteer Coordinator. 17. Check out with Volunteer Coordinator to receive your All About Beer Magazine form. This must be completed and returned to the Coordinator at this time to receive this benefit.
Brewers Hospitality Host
1. Be a great host. These are the people that made the beer possible! 2. Find out what needs to go to the hospitality area at the time of check-in and start moving items to the tent and setting it up to open. Your job is to make sure the food and beverages are stocked and the area remains clean and presentable. 3. Redeem food coupon and get a bottle of water prior to opening gates. 4. You are not allowed to drink. If caught drinking you will be escorted out of the festival and never allowed to volunteer again. 5. Also, at least one person in this group is responsible for greeting and guarding the entrance and making sure only Brewers enter this area. Brewers will have a badge that says brewer on them. No vendors, No bands, No Volunteers, No brew crew allowed. Only festival staff and brewers only. Ask to see Brewer's identification. Festival patrons are not allowed in the tent. 6. Keep area clean. Place empty bottles in the recycling bin. Stay at the tent until the Police have cleared the festival. 14
7. Make sure bathrooms stay clean. 8. Return to the Volunteer Coordinator to pick up your sampling glass and fill out your All About Beer Magazine form. If you do not check out you will not get an invitation to the Volunteer party.
VIP Host
1. These are our special guests. Treat them well. 2. Find out what needs to go to the VIP area at the time of check-in and start moving items to the tent and setting it up to open at 12 noon. Your job is to make sure the beverages are stocked and the area remains clean and presentable. This area is catered so the only food you are responsible for is the cheese and cracker station. Make sure this stays stocked for patrons. 3. Also, at least one person in this group is responsible for greeting and guarding the entrance and making sure only VIPs enter this area. VIPs will have a wristband. No vendors, no bands, no Volunteers allowed. Only festival staff and VIP labeled only and Brew Crew if they are delivering product for the tent. 4. The person at the gate is to make sure no one leaves this area with a full glass of beer. Only a 2 oz pour in the festival tasting cup is allowed to leave the VIP area. 5. There are three beer stations setup at the VIP area. One Volunteer per station. You are allowed to pour a full cup in the VIP. 6. Redeem food coupon and get a bottle of water prior to opening gates.
World Beer Festival Volunteer Handbook
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7. You are not allowed to drink. If caught drinking you will be escorted out of the festival and never allowed to volunteer again. 8. Keep area clean. Place empty bottles in the recycling bin. Stay at the tent until the Police have cleared the festival. 9. Make sure bathrooms stay clean. 10. Return to the Volunteer Coordinator to pick up your sampling glass and fill out your All About Beer Magazine form. If you do not check out you will not be invited to the Volunteer party.
Beer Presentation Area
1. Arrive an hour and a half prior to start of session and check in with the Volunteer Coordinator. 2. Move to the area and introduce yourself to All About Beer Magazine staff. Get list of beers from AABM staff. Check your program to find the beers. Go to the Pourer table, show them the list and ask for the beer. 3. Make sure you have plenty of pitchers. Pitchers can be found at the brew crew station. Draft beer will be gathered in pitchers. 4. Return to the area and chill the beer in a tub. 5. Redeem food coupon and get a bottle of water prior to opening gates. 6. Bartenders are not permitted to drink and neither are you. It is against the law to drink alcohol and serve. 7. At the end of the shift(s), return to the Volunteer Coordinator and pick up your glass and complete your All About Beer Magazine form. 15
Entrance Gate Volunteer
1. Greet the patrons! Set the atmosphere for them. 2. Redeem your food voucher and grab a water prior to arriving at the gate assignment 3. Go to gate you have been assigned. See map for identifying gates. Be at your gate no later than 45 minutes prior to the start of the session. 4. As soon as you arrive check your inventory. There will be an inventory sheet posted at the gate. Please check the list with what is available at your gate. If there is a discrepancy please contact your Captain or a festival staff member and they will resolve the issue. 5. Familiarize yourself with your job. If you are wristband person, please practice. It is important that we get these people in as quickly as possible and we need these to go on quick. They don't have to be perfect just on the person. Please only give programs to patrons who want them. Otherwise they will end up on the ground. Don't place programs in tasting cup. Ticket scanner staff will be trained. Make sure all tickets are scanned and valid. 6. Remain at your gate until Gate Manager, comes to give you further instruction. Some gates will shut down after the first rush has passed through. The Volunteers working these gates will be sent on another assignment.
World Beer Festival Volunteer Handbook
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7. If you are reassigned to another task, at 30 minutes prior to the end of the session please return to your assigned gate to check bags to make sure no one is stealing beer or stealing signs. No one can leave with beer in their glass. 8. For evening session Volunteers only. Once the public has left, please remove signs from fencing and place under the table at your gate. Also, take dump buckets and empty in gray water holding tank located by food vendors. Do not dump beer in streets this is against the law. 9. Once the public has finished exiting, lock your gate and return to the Volunteer check-in to receive your festival tasting cup and form to All About Beer Magazine.
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Brewers & Vendors Check-in Description: This is the location the brewers, food and merchandise vendors receive their badges for entry into the festival. They also receive tshirts, cups, programs, and other important information. Check-in Process: The brewer/vendor/media is greeted and given their badge for entry. Issuing a Badge • The badges will be located in envelopes alphabetized by the company they are representing, for example Big Boss Brewing, based out of Raleigh will have an envelope with the number of badges correlating to the number of staff they signed up. The outside of the envelope will have the staff names, the badges themselves will not have the name of the person, only "Big Boss Brewing". The first person to check in under a certain company name, for example the first person to check in under Big Boss Brewing will receive the one and only VIP badge per company and a VIP food voucher. This only applies to Brewers other vendors do not get VIP status. • Ask to see the person's id to verify they are on the list and that they are 21 years of age or older. • After issuing the badge, mark off or highlight the name of the person who checked-in.
World Beer Festival Volunteer Handbook
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Wristband Vendors Next, the person will be wrist-banded. All vendors must have wristband and badge to enter through the gates. • (1) sample glass per person. For brewers give them one with a menu and schedule of food that will be available in the brewers' hospitality tent. For merchandise, restaurants and other vendors just give them a sample glass. • Program • T-shirts: these are for brewers only, no exceptions. The first person to check-in for a brewery is given all the shirts that have been ordered for that brewery. The shirt sizes will be located on the outside of the envelope. No switching sizes.
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Volunteer Job Duties (you will be asked to do one of the following): • Handing out badges accordingly • Wrist-banding • Handing out goodies Important Info to give Merchandise & Restaurant Vendors • Unloading Merchandise/Equipment according to instructions. • If asked, they do not get a t-shirt. • If they have a problem with their electricity or water source call the Electrician programmed in the Nextel phone and request he go to their booth. • They do not get any VIP badges. Problem Solving It is possible that you will have someone come to the Check-in with a problem/question that you do not know the answer. Please direct all of these inquiries to the Beer Coordinator.
World Beer Festival Volunteer Handbook
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Stopping Abuse of Beer What are our tactics for preventing inebriation? Our number one objective is fostering enjoyment, not abuse. We have gathered together a series of strategies to ensure that. We provide Pourers with the following information about beer and alcohol to prepare them for the Festival. We also provide the Volunteer training on preventing abuse and dealing with intoxication issues. Educate Volunteers We provide Pourers/Volunteers with information about beer and alcohol to prepare them for the festival. All servers attend a mandatory training program on preventing abuse and dealing with intoxication. ID check At the gate, we only admit people with a valid picture ID, and we turn away people who are already intoxicated. Free educational materials We provide educational material to support the full enjoyment of beer, including All About Beer Magazine. We also host educational presentations and tastings at the All About Beer Magazine booth. Enforce two-ounce servings All people involved with pouring beer to patrons are required to stick to the two-ounce pour rule.
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Promote eating while drinking We provide food from different restaurants at a full range of prices, each restaurant including one item at a low price. Free non-alcoholic beverages Water is provided throughout the festival. Different zones Beer, food and entertainment are located in different zones, making it difficult, with twoounce servings, to continue drinking while in either of the other zones. Enforce the rules Police officers with experience in handling crowds, fire marshals, and security staff are on site to enforce the law and the festival rules of conduct.
World Beer Festival Volunteer Handbook
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How Much is Too Much to Drink if You're Driving
Drinking any amount of alcohol can impair your ability to drive. Chemical tests can determine your Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC). For example, five parts of alcohol in 10,000 parts of blood is shown as 0.05 percent BAC. A driver with a BAC between 0.05 and 0.07 percent is presumed to be driving while his ability to drive is impaired (DWI). A driver with a BAC of 0.08 percent or more is presumed to be driving under the influence (DUI). Both DWI and DUI convictions mean penalties including jail term, fine, public service and possibly surrender of driving license. What does this mean for you? We will have plastic cards that translate rates of consumption by gender and body weight into BAC. For example, an average adult male (about 150 lb.) can consume two bottles a beer in the first hour, then one bottle of beer each hour thereafter and stay at .05 BAC. That's 12 two-ounce servings in the first hour and 6 an hour thereafter.
The Responsibility of Beer
There is a world of difference between appreciating beer and guzzling beer. The brewer's art is a fine, subtle process seeking to create a distinct beer. With very few exceptions, brewers do not seek to augment the alcohol content of their products. To do so, they would run the risk of brewing a rough, unpalatable product. As with wine, beers have numerous qualities that are designed to enhance their enjoyment. Understanding these qualities increases your awareness and the possibility for truly enjoying the fullness of beer. Alcohol content is only one of these many qualities. The alcohol content of beer ranges from 3 percent to about 15 percent by volume, with most beers being around 4 percent to 5 percent. As with the other four principal ingredients in beer, alcohol also has its characteristics. Whether it's taking the edge off a day at the office, adding to a perfect afternoon or contributing to pleasant company, alcohol can positively affect one's life. However, an excess amount of alcohol has its destructive effects. For some individuals who abusively consume alcoholic beverages, the results can negatively affect their life, ranging from painful hangovers to anti-social behavior and personality disorders. For society it can result in extensive damage to people and property.
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World Beer Festival Volunteer Handbook
Š 2009
This country once turned to the courts to restrict the destruction of alcohol-related negligence. Negligence means that you have been irresponsible as a member of society and have breached your duty to protect fellow citizens from your own excesses, either in consumption by yourself or in what you have served to others. This is the heart of individual responsibility, the social contract. Every state has detailed what it considers to be endangering levels of alcohol consumption, measured in the amount of alcohol found in your blood or Blood Alcohol Concentration. While the BAC is definitely measurable, the rate at which alcohol enters your bloodstream
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varies according to a wide range of other considerations. The amount of food in your stomach will slow the absorption rate down. High body weight and low fat ratios will also slow the rate down. Taking drugs, legal (cold medicine, for example) or illegal, can reduce ones tolerance adversely. The spacing of drinks, taking time out or drinking alternative beverages, will also slow the rate of absorption and keep the BAC down. In addition, little is known about individual tolerances. Know Your Limit. Your life, and the lives of others, depends on it.
World Beer Festival Volunteer Handbook
Š 2009
Prevention Tactics Recognizing a potential problem comes from behavioral cues that you are probably already familiar with. Consider the things that you know: • Inappropriate social and physical behavior. • Obvious physical cues are swaying, bad hand/eye coordination (watch how the glass moves to the mouth), and staggering. • Inappropriate social cues are violations of social space (leaning in), of gender norms (unsolicited intimacy) and verbal conventions (volume problems, unfunny jokes, etc.). These are well known, easily recognized and universal. Care needs to be taken that idiosyncratic or culturally driven behavior is not misconstrued as alcohol caused. Alcohol will create a collection of behavioral cues not just one.
How do you evaluate a situation?
We use a 1-2-3 system where 1 is perfectly normal, 2 is showing some behavior change but below .05 BAC and 3 represents illegal levels of intoxication. You can enjoy the 1s, watch out for the 2s and report the 3s.
How do you deal with people who have chosen to abuse alcohol?
First and foremost, don't be accusatory for example using YOU ("You're drunk!" for example). Explain the reason you can't serve the person has to do with the risk of losing the right to hold a beer festival, should anything happen as a result of their behavior. Fall back to education and use the program we've providedtalk about your beer and recommend a beer at 21
the other end of the festival. Buy time to slow down the rate of absorption through recommending non-alcoholic beverages (we will have free sodas, and water), or perhaps buy some food or sit down and enjoy the music. If trouble should arise, call for backup. We have a chain of command from server to police or staff member, making it quite easy to have an authority on the spot quickly. If the person is confrontational, simply step back from the table, putting at least six feet between you and the individual, and reach out to your fellow servers on either side. Throughout 50 plus beer festivals, some attended by as many as 19,000 people, we have never experienced a serious problem and rarely experienced minor problems. And those are very easy to handle. Simple, safe and secure.
World Beer Festival Volunteer Handbook
© 2009
Festival Security & Safety
Of paramount concern is the festival security. Whether alcohol is involved or not, any event produces its own questions of security and safety. Safety 1. Controlled area: We completely seal off the area, with fencing and gates, allowing no one inside without a picture ID. 2. Complete services : We provide for all the needs of the attendees during their stay at the event-toilets, food, entertainment, relaxing areas, free alternative beverages. Festival Tactics 1. Serving size: 2-ounce pours only. This is an effective deterrent to inebriation. 2. Booth spacing: By crowding booths together it actually slows individual's ability to accelerate consumption. Buying Time 1. Zones: Beer and food are located in different zones, making it difficult with 2-ounce servings, to continue drinking while in either of the other zones. 2. Alternatives: Inexpensive food and free alternative beverages are supplied to slow down the rate of absorption. 3. Education: The Festival programs and Volunteer training encourage discussing beer in lieu of excessive consumption.
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Problem Solving Strategies 1. Police: Police officers, experienced in handling crowds and drunks, are on duty throughout the festival. 2. Volunteer Captains: A number of people are assigned the duty of Volunteer captain each session. Shirts that are labeled "Volunteer Captain" distinguish them. All Volunteer captains have two-way radios to connect to festival staff, brew crew, police officers, fire marshals, etc. They are responsible for monitoring a designated section, making sure each Volunteer booth is stocked with everything necessary to effectively do their job i.e. ice, beer in addition to non-alcoholic beverages and food for the Volunteers. If you need to take a bathroom break and no one else is there to man your booth, flag down your Volunteer Captain. If you are experiencing difficulties with festival-goers, please also flag down your Captain, so they can call for help. 3. Rapid Response: Communication equipment with two-way radio capabilities for a quick response link between all senior staff people, the police and the captains who directly oversee the Volunteers.
World Beer Festival Volunteer Handbook
Š 2009
Conclusion This handbook is the guide to having a wonderful beer festival and becoming a serious beer lover. We thank you for helping us put on such a positive, educational event and helping raise money for local organizations. Thanks.
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World Beer Festival Volunteer Handbook
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