Charged at a bottle share?

Never had this happen to me before.

 

I can't say that a host charging is wrong per se but it should be made clear beforehand.

 

I've never heard of that before.

Cheers!

 

Never experienced or really heard of this but it is pretty much expected that each attendee bring bottles of their own to share - and ideally they are roughly equivalent to those of the host and others. A newbie can be excused if their bottles aren't on par in terms of desirability or exclusivity or whatever, but it's a share - if one turns up empty handed it's not a share, it's a "take"!

 

Did you bring bottles to share? I've never heard of someone charging but it doesn't surprise me that it did.

 

The only thing I can think of is either what he offered was so above the rest he just wanted to even out things, or someone did not bring anything? I never saw this happen but just thinking out loud of possible reasons for it to.

 

I have heard of it. I say it's six of one half a dozen of the other if you are told in advance like @Squire123 said. If you are invited to dinner as a guest, you usually do not pay any money nor are you asked to do any of the cooking, cleaning etc. That is uncouth. However to bring a polite thank you is always the right thing to do. It does not have to be beyond your means either.

I'll tell you a story. Julia child would carry her chef's knife when she went to other people's houses as a guest because they would inevitably ask her to cook. No one ever invites me because I won't do it. If I am a guest, that is one thing. I f we are at a SHARE I would expect to bring something to share.

 

I've thought about hosting a "share" of sorts with friends, but just charge them about $10 each and bring up a couple boxes and let them pick out a bottle or two they want to try and host a tasting that way.

Otherwise, I've never visited a share, although the whole premise sounds like everyone's $$$ contribution is paid out in beer.

 

Meh. Sounds tacky to me.

 

Sharing is one thing. A paid tasting is another.

Although the English language is fluid/flexible, words still have precise meanings. I was an English major, but my eyes were opened one evening in a summer school Algebra class when the prof laid on us that math is also a precise language, with its symbols & such each having a particular meaning. It then occurred to me that the same precision can be applied to our language. Without said precision, it becomes a case of Alice down the rabbit hole in which case, words only mean something when I want them to mean something. Gibberish ensues. Word salad.

 

I haven't seen anything like that.
Most shares I've been to everyone brings a couple bottles of interesting beer. The closest was a couple times we've been asked to chip in for food - which I have no problem with. A couple pizzas or whatever takes the edge off the beers.
I can almost see it if the host is providing all the beer, but it's still pretty tacky.

 

Sounds like you went to a "Beer Expo/Beer Show" and not a "Share." Hopefully the host had the booth tastefully appointed.

 

I also notice the supply comes from the host's cellar, which means it's old, and not every brew approaches old age gracefully. Is he sharing or dumping.

 

If you're asked to pay in addition to your contribution that sounds sorta lopsided.

 

Exactly. And illegal. Charging money for alcohol without an appropriate license or permit is not allowed in any state.

 

Technically correct but that would be hard to prosecute unless he makes a habit of it. Even by charging guests he still might not break even.

I'm just uncomfortable with the idea of money changing hands in a social setting.

 

If someone asked me to pay when I arrived, I would literally laugh and leave. Maybe the host should have saved those whalez for a share with better friends than I would be.

Unless the host bought those bottles on the secondary market, there is no world in which charging is even comprehensible. But even then it is an absolutely ridiculous request.

 

There's a name for those. Ones I walk out on.