The 2025 General Meeting of the Association of Former VLBer e.V. / Brewers of Berlin took place in Berlin on 4 July 2025, ahead of the VLB Summer Party. As the 1st Chairman, Klaus Niemsch, had to cancel his participation at short notice for health reasons, the 2nd Chairman, Jan Biering, took over as chair of the meeting.

A brief report follows below. The full minutes are available to all members on request:

Association members who have passed away since July 2024: Bauer, Otto (30 April 2025), Gürtler, Franz (16 August 2024), Hammerl, Bernd (17 May 2025), Klostermann, Norbert (2 June 2025), Neumann, Dr., Lothar (13 December 2024), Pott, Rainer (02.02.2025), Rinke, Dr., Wilfried, honorary member (21.03.2025), Rolf Schorn (23.04.2025), Schoknecht, Klaus (05.12.2024), Splett, Erich (13.08.2024), Strunkeit, Joachim (22 July 2024), von Gößnitz, Gerhard (27 July 2024), Wührer, Richard (6 July 2024)

Membership development: During the reporting period, there were 7 new members (4 of whom have been members for 10 years), 3 resignations, 10 expulsions due to long-term non-payment of membership fees, and 13 deaths.

3 international alumni meetings: Bangalore, India (4 September 2024) / Shanghai, China (30 October 2024) / Indianapolis, USA (30 April 2025).

Status of the liquidation of the Berlin Brewers' Guild (Burghard Meyer): The association is no longer active. A tax assessment from the tax office is still required for the necessary closing of the accounts. As soon as this matter has been clarified, the Berliner Brauer-Zunft e.V. can be deleted from the Berlin register of associations.

Status of the guild house (Burghard Meyer): A master's thesis in the field of historical building research and monument preservation at the TU Berlin is to begin shortly to plan the further refurbishment of the guild house. The aim is to survey the building using modern methods and examine it using modern building research techniques. The resulting documents and findings can then serve as a basis for the further renovation of the guild house. This work is free of charge for the VLB and the association.

Cash report with a slight deficit, board discharged: The cash report for the 2024 calendar year was presented and audited by the two cash auditors, Jürgen Solkowski and Manfred Staruß, on 21 May 2025 at the VLB and approved without objection.

Income from membership fees rose slightly to around €6,200. This was offset by expenses for administration and member services amounting to approximately €7,000. These include expenses for district group meetings, hospitality costs for the international alumni gatherings and financial support for the VLB summer party in 2024.

Josef Fontaine moved to discharge the old board.
The general meeting approved this motion without any dissenting votes.

Regular election of the board: The previous first chair, Klaus Niemsch, did not stand for re-election at his own request. The general meeting approved the election proposal published in the agenda with one abstention. The new board is therefore composed as follows:

• First chair: Burghard Meyer (Berlin)
• Second Chair (managing director): Jan Biering (Berlin)
• Treasurer: Financial accounting department of the VLB Berlin
• Auditors: Manfred Staruß (Berlin) and Jürgen Solkowski (Potsdam)

Honorary membership for Klaus Niemsch
In recognition of Klaus Niemsch's continuous service as 1st Chairman of the Association since 1994, the general meeting awarded him honorary membership. As he was unable to attend, he will receive a certificate and a gift at the VLB stand at drinktec in Munich in September 2025.

Membership fee to be increased: After the Association's annual membership fee was last increased in 2001 (!) from DM 20 to €15, the General Meeting, following intensive discussion, approved the proposal to increase this fee to €30 per year from 1 January 2026. Although this represents a nominal increase of 100%, it is still moderate and reasonable in view of the modest amount involved and in direct comparison with the membership fees of similar associations. The contributions will be used in particular for the further renovation of the guild house as an identity-forming meeting place for students and alumni at the Seestraße location of VLB.

Further financial support for the renovation of the guild house: After extensive discussion, the general meeting approved further financial support for the renovation measures of the guild house. The next steps are to reinforce the steel framework of the building and to install the toilet container purchased by the VLB under the house (see illustration below). This work is to be commissioned once the upcoming building inspection and survey have been completed. To ensure that this work can then begin without further delay, the general meeting approved (with one dissenting vote) a budget of €15,000 for urgently needed maintenance work, including the installation of sanitary facilities at the guild house.

The next general meeting is to take place again before the next VLB summer party (provisionally scheduled for 3 July 2026 in Berlin).

The complete minutes of the meeting are available to all members of the Vereinigung ehem. VLBer / Brewers of Berlin (Association of Former VLB Members / Brewers of Berlin) on request.

Participants in the 2025 General Meeting of ehem. VLBer / Brewers of Berlin

The first chair of the ehem. VLBer / Brewers of Berlin: Burghard Meyer (Berlin) and the second chair (managing director): Jan Biering (Berlin)

View of the guild house from the south-west at the beginning of July 2025: The new toilet container is currently located next to the building and is connected to water, sewage and electricity. It will later be moved to the area under the guild house (roughly where the stack of pallets is currently located). This will require work to reinforce the steel support structure and work on the floor slab.