donderdag 22 augustus 2013

Hello there beer-lovers, What are my goals & Why AM I doing this?

Afbeelding

Hello there beer-lovers,

What are my goals & Why AM I doing this? 


I am doing this because I love BEER. Craft, Real Ales & Belgian Beerand I want other people to learn about Belgian beer and the centuries of craftsmanship it took to come to the variation of all different beers, all made in that little country called Belgium. A country where people love to live the good life in food and drink and now, probably & ironically when the further existence of that  country itself is not sure at all , I try to give it a day where the whole country and the rest of the world can celebrate solidarity and camaraderie between beer-bar-brew people worldwide. I also want to bring the International Craft beer scene To Belgiumand show my fellow country peoples the styles and brews enjoyed worldwide.

But there’s more 

1)      I want to set up local Belgian beer days & weekends (with educational tastings and cooking) in the whole world starting in the USA. Events that are a tribute to the Burgundy way of life in Belgium and that will bring this drinking and eating culture to the attention and appreciation of the people of the world. Me, I just want to be closer to my best friends whom I met 10 Years ago at the burning Man Festival in Nevada, in the USA. I visited this festival and tried to spend as much of my free time with my friends during the rest of the year. Until two years ago when I was misled in an 8 month start up scam by two professionals. I didn’t only lose all my savings but after I was discriminated by a corporate  brewery (that owned the place) for personal reasons I had a  less fortunate period in my life, Two annoying surgeries made it impossible to work and i just wanted to go and see my friends and start a new career. 

And so I came to the migration story of the Red Star Line: A migration museum is going to open here in my home town Antwerp about the migration of 55 million Europeans to The New World (USA & Canada). I felt really connected to their stories because I was feeling something of the same. Then I filed an idea (to find onbelgianbeerweekend.com) with the City here, but because it was an election year, the credits had to go to somebody in office and running for another 6 year of snobby-culture-political-policy.

I couldn’t part with my idea of toasting over the ocean and was thinking, “What do you bring to a country you emigrate too?” The good things of your home country was the logical answer. Combining that with my love for beer and the burgundy way of life, the idea for a Belgian beer-day was born.

So last year after a whole winter behind the computer to get some computer skills and a couple of tries in the “normal” job world (were being social, which was my job for 25 years, is “differently” appreciated) I decided to go back to the plan and go for it. And now using Social
Media. So, on august 29 2012(my birthday I started tweeting under @belgianbeerday and
@captaincheers , now (today  22 August 2013) the two accounts  have reached more than 15.239 UNIQUE FOLLOWERS in more than 119 Countries and are still growing strong . The website’s traffic also goes up every day and by adding new content almost daily, the statistics encourage me to continue with  my project even more.

2)                 To set up a HUGE International Craft beer festival here in Antwerp. With seeing and feeling your passion on the twitter accounts that are connected to me, I am so curious about other Craft Beers and I know a lot of Belgians are curious as well. So I want to check out how to get a the craft breweries here to give us a taste of the international evolution in brewing. Belgians are beer lovers so I think they will certainly share the interest of tasting and drinking your local beers to.

3)                 Because I want to set up a global community to organize events & charities in a cooperation with bars,(home/Craft-beer )breweries, restaurants or other local Small or Medium Businesses. The intention is to offer the business owner or manager the opportunity to bring goodhearted or life enjoying people together on an event or charity. The first of the charities is the worldwide Thanks 4 Giving charity, because I believe it must be possible to avoid people being cold in wintertime or even worse that people die of the cold. If we bring our old or not used warm clothes to our local bars, restaurants or other Small businesses in the thanksgiving weekend and pick them up there (last year in Antwerp I had a friendly taxi company that picked up the bags and brought them to the help organization), there must be a way to get them to the people that need them in your city or to the organization’s that do that already but are always short in winter time.    

So why am doing this? To start a new life? To show corporates that for some of us, it’s NOT all about the money and that there is something like a HUMAN factor in doing business. Or maybe to change the world and show that fun and charity go along together if you bring the right people together. And maybe to show all people, but especially the young ones, that it IS Ok to have crazy dreams and chase them. That it is ok to reach out and ask for some help? That if you ask, somebody out there will listen and that TOGETHER, EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE. (Even crazy dreams)

I know Now that it’s probably a good mix of all this and in the end the (almost) perfect plan is almost complete . 

Thank you and keep in touch or sign up to our monthly newsletter

donderdag 1 augustus 2013

SO ????? and WHATS Happening Now ?????
“I Just keep on dreaming” The captain said
Well first of ALL Thanks again, ALL of You, for your participation in Belgianbeerday #1.
(if you didn’t, try it out this year :THE Atmosphere & the BEER IS really  GOOD)
I love you ALL for it, from the Festivals, late night bars to the cozy back yards .Cheers!!!! This was not a perfect version(far from),YET ! But as you know I did or tried to do everything on my own and myself this year. For next year I am surrounding myself with good folks all motivated to work on this with me and all experts in their craft , also a bit of support from my Home-Town-crew and some extra means can only make it better. 
(& the site will become a meeting point of international people, their options and views

Still To come this year In 2013

In September you will be able to follow the oldest beer fest in Belgium Live on Belgian beer weekend .com It will be a media channel with semi-professional video’s live coverage and background information stories about the festival. With extra attention for the Nice Breweries and a huge survey on Craft beer in Belgium and an International Craft Beer Festival
In November I will try set up the Thanks 4 Giving Charity. During the T4GC weekend, people can bring their old and unused clothing to their local bar or restaurant, where it will be picked up and shared with local charity organization whose will bring & distribute it to the needing fellow man in your own town.
And THEN for IN 2014
The Captain Beerheart Foundation is Dreaming & Working hard on Organizing
  A)   The Belgian Beer day # 2 In April  2014 
I dream of a beer festival in Antwerp offering and creating a REAL Fair Trade Market place for beer People. Going from (very) small and other nice Belgian breweries to suppliers of basic products for brewing (ingredients –installations- services ) To show the whole craft to the public and to meet each other on the market .I would also like to work with Buddy -cities around the world. So, if you were a BB-Day participant last year and you think you can find some  people in your town to set something up, and to Toast with us in April LET ME KNOW so I can send an official invitation to your local community, organization or city leaders.
B) The Belgianbeerweekend Live (optional)
 In the First Weekend of September you will be able to follow the oldest beer fest in Belgium Live on Belgian beer weekend .com It will be a media channel with more than semi-professional video’s live coverage and background information stories about the festival.

C)  An International Craft Beer Festival In Antwerp, BELGIUM
 I hereby Invite You all, Good Folks, to come to Antwerp to show, share or sell some (or loads) of YOUR beers. The International Craft Beers, the Real Ales, other local specialties (beer or cider) the beer related Crafts or products or people that want to share their Beer cult with us are welcome to Antwerp on this First Fest.
(Probably held in the beginning or middle of September after the Belgian Beer Weekend in Brussels, so international TRAVELLERS can do them both in good Ten Days)
The Intention in those to festivals is to create REAL Fair Trade MARKETS on the “Great Market” place in Antwerp. To check out the Location, :
Google it yourself or or CLICK BEAUTY to check it OUT
So real outdoor or indoor Fair Trade MARKETs with a presence of all involved in the Brewing of BEER, from the Basic Ingredients (hops etc..), the home brewers , small and middle crafters. All Breweries, organizations, beer minded or beer practical SMB’s are welcome. Also the beer lovers, consumers and (inter)national beer bar/clubs are welcome to participate (Belgian on Belgian beer day WORLDWIDE and International at the International Craft Beer Festival).
(If all goes well I even would like to make this a Monthly or Two Monthly even weekly Market or event starting in March 2014 and ending end November -Thanksgiving)
(And then monthly work around theme’s, regions, Countries or seasonal beers.)

D) the Thanks 4 Giving Charity 2014
the same concept but bigger, so warmer and more international
AND THEN WE DO IT ALL AGAIN IN 2015 ,……..
I talked to several authorities here in Antwerp and they are very interested in my plans so I am bringing in my plan & dreams by JUNE 1th. All Your Ideas are needed and welcome on Vic@belgianbeerday.com
It would be fun to invite some of you here in my HOME town. 
So that is the News for now Please give us FEEDBACK and let us  know how you or your organization-bar –restaurant -club-family  can join in these Celebrations and gatherings of Beer Lovers Worldwide . 
IT Is GREAT TO HAVE a couple of cities joining us.
A lot of love & cheers
Vic &
@captaincheers          @belgianbeerday        www.belgianbeerweekend.com
you can stil visit the old site                                                                                                                 www.belgianbeerday.com
 Keep Informed monthly  Click here

Extra
Loose thoughts and more dreams:
The city of Antwerp has a rich history on beer brewing and Craft beer, Situated on a 40 minute drive from Brussels, and an hour from Bruges and Ghent its perfect for visiting the art cities in Belgium. Knowing that it only takes two hours by train to Amsterdam and three to Paris You can already feel that you are in for a treat.
Several parties could be willing to cooperate on this project so I take my Dream very seriously and I hope & believe that with their logistic & financial support, in combination with the motivation & efforts from the Beer community, we even can find other companies to contribute to make these festivals a success.
Cheers & enjoy your life 
Belgian Vic
Victor Zaidi       viczaidi@hotmail.com        vic@belgianbeerday.com    http://about.me/victorzaidi
Vzw Captain Beerheart Foundation
Groenplaats 15
B-2000 Antwerp
Belgium
+32 492 198 303
The DREAM INCLUDES
A hop, malt, grain shop with variations & crossings as crazy as you can make them up.
An International Beer Bar that serves Crafts from all Over the Globe.
Me visiting all your festivals to hand you over the proper invitations.
Two or three Guest breweries on locations In Antwerp city, so crafters can come over and make their own Real Belgian Beer.
A Monthly gathering of Beer passionate people, sellers or buyers, brewers or boozers, sharing and comparing, Teaching and learning, I will drink to that , and hopefully with you , CHEERS
Interested in any way, comment or feedback: please Contact us us@belgianbeerday.com