Phil: If you look at this picture you will be thinking that it shows a barman handing over a pint of beer to a waiting customer. That would be correct, but it is better than that. If you carefully examine the photograph you will in fact see that it is the barman from the Green Man pub in Long Itchington handing over a freshly poured pint of “Flying Dutchman”, a nice light golden summery beer, and that no money has changed hands.
So how do I manage to get people to give me free beer ?
Simple, among my other writings, I run a blog amusingly (I think) called The Travelling Philbury. On it I write notes about trips out I have had. While I might not be a Bill Bryson, it’s fun to have a go and you never know, someone might be interested.
Well, they were. The landlord of the Green Man also runs the Long Itchington Beer festival and enjoyed my write-up a couple of years ago. At the time my visit we’d missed his pub out of the tour. If I came back the next year, a free drink was promised. I did, described the pub and especially the toilet facilities and thanks to the crowds, missed out on the drink. This year I was not to be defeated.
So, the trick is simple. Write about places to drink. Hope the owners spot your words and that they like them enough to offer free refreshment. Enjoy.
So far, in 4 years I’ve managed 1 pint. Beat that Bryson.
Update: Beer blogging is so popular, there is a conference about it !
nolanparker 