A Statement from Peter Crombecq,
the Founder and Liquidator of Belgium's Premier Beer Consumers' Organisation:
OBP
The original spelling has been preserved, for example,
American English "organization", instead of English "organisation",
etc.
Belgian consumers'
organization ends activities
What will the future bring?
A
notice from founder and liquidator Peter Crombecq The
Objective Beer Tasters end activities
It is very
hard for me, as co founder and first chairman of the Objective Beer Tasters, to
make this announcement. On December 10th 2002 the General Assembly decided to
end the activities of our organization. As a consequence number 70 of "The
Beer Taster" is the last number that comes off the printing press. I was
appointed as liquidator and I have to make sure that the assets of the Objective
Beer Tasters find a good use. The fact that according to the
General Assembly it was no longer possible to run the organization solidly was
the most important reason for the dissolution. There were multiple signs: the
treasurer who runs off with a large amount of money, the fact that we could not
find a chairman, public arguing of the committee in "The Beer Taster",
resigning managers of whom the resignation is not executed. For the Belgian state
I am for example still chairman, in spite of my resignation in January 1997. The
deciding factor for the General Assembly was the fact that the organization is
not able to guarantee its legal statute of non-profit institution. With events
as the 24 hours and the other beer parties it is absolutely necessary to be able
to fall back on the legal non-profit structure in order not to be held personally
liable for such an event. The General Assembly saw no other solution and chose
to take the honourable way out by dissolving the organization. Rather that than
an inglorious end and the risk of personal tragedy. The
Objective Beer Tasters existed for 18 years
Ironically
the decision to dissolve was made almost to the day 18 years after the formation.
On December 15th 1984 the Objective Beer Tasters were founded in beer house "Kulminator"
by 42 beer lovers who reacted on the first Beer flavour pocket-book that was first
issued in October of that same year. The context was more distressing at that
time. Breweries disappeared continuously, our special beers were hardly known
and in addition the most traditional beers were becoming sweet copies of one another.
Because the breweries were so unknown and there was absolutely no regulation on
the labelling, the nasty phenomenon of label beers emerged. In short, an excellent
breeding ground for an idealistic consumers' organization that did not exist at
that time, but followed the example of The Netherlands (PINT) and Great Britain
(CAMRA). The present cooperating organizations did not exist at the time: "Who
does not drink dies" was the first to be founded in 1986, followed by "The
nose of Limburg" and "Covered by froth". The foundation of local
beer organizations was actively supported by the Objective Beer Tasters and the
results speak for themselves: more than 20 organizations are active on a local
level in Belgium and they represent 2000 of the 2800 members. Maybe this is the
most important achievement of the Objective Beer Tasters. Other important Objective
Beer Tasters milestones were:
o The production of the first "The Beer Taster"
(on the day of the Heysel tragedy).
o Clearer labels with the compulsory mention of the bottling date in
1986!
o The funeral of the bottling date (lifted by Europe) a few years later
in Bruges.
o The 24 hours, but also its forerunners: the beer party at Frank Boon's
in 1986 and on
the Flandria boat in 1987.
o The beer demonstrations in front of the Geuze brewery De Neve that
was closed by
Interbrew in 1992 and malt-house De Wolf-Cosyns 10 years later in 2002.
o The "Bierbommel" at the 10th anniversary of the Objective
Beer Tasters.
o The presentation of the beer trophy which stimulated brewers such
as Armand De Belder to keep on brewing the traditional geuze.
o The continuous attention for the traditional Belgian beer specialities
such as table
beers, geuze and the old brown beers.
o The foundation of the European Beer Consumers Union (EBCU) [www.ebcu.org].
o The continuous actions concerning label beers, supported by for example
the
consumer magazine "Test Aankoop".
The Objective Beer Tasters have realized a number of important things
that have inspired not only the legislator, but also the breweries,
the beer shops and the consumers.
The settlement
and the future
The aims of the Objective Beer Tasters
have not been achieved yet.
As liquidator I would like to make an appeal to
the local Belgian organizations to found a
new organization. This umbrella
organization should become the heir of the Objective
Beer Tasters.
I have
good hopes and I know that they already meet a first time in January.
A necessary
condition is that the heir organization is a non-profit institution with similar
aims as the Objective Beer Tasters.
If this umbrella organization is not founded
in time or does not meet the requirements,
the assets will be placed in an
other structure.
We shall also consider the possibilities if initiators wish
to organize the 24 hours by
means of an other new organization outside the
umbrella organization.
Candidates have to send the statutes of the new organization
before May 1st 2003 to the
liquidator (Peter Crombecq, P.O. box 32, 2600 Berchem
5, Belgium).
The last General Assembly will take place not later than June
2003 and will decide on the
allocation of the assets.
The thought that I as founder of the Objective Beer Tasters
may also decide on the heir, 18 years and 70 numbers of "The Beer
Taster" later, puts my heart somehow at ease. I shall do everything
I possibly can to give this organization a flying start so that this
organization can defend the interests of the Belgian beer consumers
with a new enthusiasm.
For
the members...
The national Belgian members who have already transferred the fee for
the membership year 2003 on a Belgian account, will be refunded not
later than February 28th 2003. The foreign members should contact Dirk
Van Dyck (+32 3 232 45 38) to organize the refunding. Those members
who are member via a local organization should contact their organization
for further information.
Word
of thanks
I would like to thank all members and sympathizers for
the many years of loyal support, for the immense dedication and for the contributions
to "The Beer Taster", for the activities and actions, for supporting
our aims. During two decades the Objective Beer Tasters have, thanks to you, left
their indelible stamp on the Belgian beer world.
Friends, I
wish you all the best in Belgium, the beer country. Peter Crombecq
This appeared, in Dutch, in issue 70 of OBP's
Den Bierproever magazine that came out in February, 2003. This
English version was included with the magazine.
John White (1945-),  .
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