Beer & Me

I don’t know very much about breweriana. It’s one of the few areas of beer about which I know little. Consequently, the breweriana section of my beer.about.com site is rather thin.

By the way, breweriana is collectible beer memorabilia. If you find an old Schlitz can in the walls of your house and want to know if it’s worth something you’d check with a breweriana expert.

Anyway, I recently received information that a breweriana show/trade fair is soon taking place nearby. I was put in touch with a local member of the group that hosts the event. He emailed me information about the event with an “invitation” to attend. He attached a flier that said the entrance fee was $10. All good.

Because it wasn’t clear, I asked him if a press pass was implied for me and my photographer in that “invitation” or if I should be prepared to pay the $20. Simple question, right? I get a lot of free stuff doing what I do and rarely have to pay admittance fees to events like this. It’s nice but has no affect on my coverage.

He replied with an obviously hastily written email that attacked me for asking. He said…well he said a lot of things implying that I was looking for free admittance, free beer, free food and free lodging. I was not; I will only be there a couple of hours and will likely not eat and definitely not drink as I’ll be working. Then he went on to criticize my website and my short-sightedness for not belonging to his club.

You’ll notice that I haven’t identified the club. I don’t want to castigate a whole organization – it is nationwide - because one jackass happened to join. And, to be fair, when I replied and explained that I was simply needed to know if I should bring $20 or not since I never carry cash and then told him that I’m not used to being treated by other beer organizations in such an unprofessional manner he quickly switched gears and apologized.

Even so, chances are slim that I’ll be having a beer with him anytime soon.