First and foremost, I would like to make a couple of items clear to everybody before getting into everything.
- Supporting the local craft brewers is an absolute passion of mine. If you've read my blog in the past, I think I've made it pretty clear how important it is to me. Even if I only reach a few people, this can create a domino effect and soon more and more people will be interested in expanding their palates and enjoying locally crafted beer, which is what my website is all about.
- I didn't earn a single dime from this event, nor did I have anything to do with the planning or organizing. It was a simple cross promotion opportunity that seemed interesting to me in the fact that there was a possibility to promote local Texas beer and craft beer to thousands of people. This website has never been about money or any kind of fame. Instead, it is an opportunity for me to not only write about what I love, but to educate people on the importance of supporting your local brewers.
The fact of the matter is, I'm an optimistic person by nature. I went into this knowing that the organizers of Austin Beer Fest had a loose affiliation with the Houston Beer Fest, which we all know was a disaster. I was reassured and promised that this event would be much more organized and have a heavier focus on the Texas breweries. However, this simply wasn't the case in the final product. I believe they had the best intentions, but somewhere in the planning the main focus of craft beer seemed to have been lost, and I know some of it was out of their control with the G&M contract through the expo center. I had no idea it would turn out this badly.
I would like to formally apologize to anybody that went to the festival under the influence of my website. I want everybody to know that my intention was pure, which was to help promote craft beer (especially Texas craft beer). I know a lot of people who attended the festival feel scammed. Trust me when I say I feel scammed too. This has been a humbling experience for me, and a lesson has been learned.
I hope everybody continues to read my website and more importantly, support their local brewers. Cheers!
