The other day I was having a conversation with someone about beer. I mentioned to them that I not only drink it – I collect memorabilia on the subject. They then asked me if I ever wrote a column about beer, since I write a column about everything else. To my surprise – I never have written a column about beer – so I decided to sit down today and write one.

Once I was able to legally drink alcohol, I tried everything. From wine to hard liquor to beer. I found that hard liquor is out all together because the only thing I get from hard liquor is sick. As for wine, I will not drink white or zinfandel, but do enjoy a glass of Carlo Rossi Paisano once in a while. So that leaves beer – which I very much enjoy enjoying.

From hearty ales to rich pilsners to powerful lagers – to Bud – I enjoy them all – except for stouts and ciders because stouts are like pancake syrup and ciders are too sour to enjoy. But as for the hundreds of other beers out there – I try my best to enjoy as many of them as I can.

Besides drinking “The Nectar Of The Gods” – I also collect memorabilia based on my favorite consumption. So much in fact – that the home I live in is more then fifty percent devoted to my devotion. And as of late – that collection is starting to resemble what it once was.

In my journalistic days, I even wrote a column called, What’s On Tap? that was published in many papers including The Ale Street News. And besides the column – I tried my best to review as many beers, bars and breweries as I could to both proclaim my love for beer – and to get some free stuff.

My favorite “free beer stuff” related story was when I covered the 1993 BeerFest that took place under The Brooklyn Bridge. My “job” – if you want to call it that – was to interview every beer company at the Fest – which numbered close to fifty. Besides getting the interviews – and enough free bottles of beer for my wall – I got to drink the beer of each company I spoke with on camera. By the time we made it to the end of the show – I was slurring my lines. All in a day’s work.

Even when I go on vacation – I turn a portion of my time away from home into a beer-related quest. At least once during each of my vacations to both Colorado and Alaska – I tried the local brew – and snagged a few “hometown” goodies to add to my ever growing collection of beer schwag – which to me are the perfect souvenirs.

I have been told that I should be proud of my beer collection. I have been told that I am “The Man” for turning my apartment into a homebar – and I have been told to grow up – but no matter what people think of my “hobby” if you will – I will continue to collect, write about – and drink beer. As far as I am concerned, there will always be a piece of beer memorabilia that I don’t have – a bar I have not been to – or a beer I have not tried. So whatever my friends, my fellow beer aficionados – or my critics think – my days of enjoying a nice cold one have only just begun.

And I’ll drink to that.