Beer exchange meeting in Luxembourg

Traditionally alternate years in Luxembourg there were held the largest European beer exchange meeting. Organizers of this popular meeting among collectors which will usually happened on the basis of some brewery, was famous European clubs - SvBL (Luxembourg), FvB (Germany), Gambrinus (France), Gambrinusclub van Belgie (Belgium), BAV (Netherlands) and Klub Sberatelu Brno (Czech). This year the exchange meeting was on September, 28 in small town Bascharage in territory of brewery Bofferding.

I has visited on this meeting and about what I want to tell. I reached there difficultly enough. On the eve of the meeting I has arrived to Frankfurt, and therefrom with change in Koblenz up to capital of Luxembourg went by train. However I at all about it have not regretted as the road passes in very picturesque mountain places along the rivers Rhein and Mosel. From capital of Luxembourg, having bought in station buffet of beer (strangely it was Portuguese beer - another I didn’t found), by local train I have gone in Bascharage where was in 20 minutes. Despite of early evening, I has arrived  about 7 p.m., and a Saturday, on the way from station up to the centre of the town (about two kilometers) I has not met any person. Even cars was a seldom. But passing a brewery I have found out number of collectors which already have begun an active exchange on a parking. There were it basically collectors of beer cans and coasters. Thus it is necessary to note, that officially the stock exchange should begin only on the next day.

According to initial plan in the evening on the eve of the meeting to collectors was offered to meet in new microbrewery Beierhaascht. But, unfortunately, at owners microbrewery something there was wrong, and they wasn’t able to open brewery. Therefore a welcome party have transferred to a pub of hotel Gulliver where the majority of collectors had accomodation. Having lodged in other hotel, I have gone in Gulliver to loaf about and communicate. Here again, it is direct on sidewalk, cans collectors have spread out the exchange stock, having occupied practically all territory in front of hotel. Coasters collectors did not lag behind them. They bore and bore multiple boxes with coasters from autos. At this time in the pub beer flew like water. Apparently, the majority of the going collectors were familiar for a long time. However, nothing prevented them to get acquainted with new persons. By my impression the majority gathered was from the nearest to the Luxembourgs countries: Belgium, France, Germany and Holland. Having a drink beer, collectors shared the latest news and were praised by last purchases in a collection, and some even managed to exchange labels. By 9 p.m. appeared, that cold beer was finished. But nobody was afflicted and a sit-round gathering proceeded till the late evening.

On the next day at 7.30 a.m. I have gone to the court of Bofferding brewery. In the official invitation the start of an meeting was appointed on 9 a.m., but to my occurrence the brewery court were raged already. As it was then found out  borrowing tables have started from 6 a.m.. All convenient places were occupied already, but I quickly enough have found a free table in a distant corner under one of awning and have spread out the exchange stock. However lets go under the order. As I already mentioned, the stock exchange had held in a court yard of brewery Bofferding. At an entrance stood pavilion where was a registration and distribution of souvenirs. Here it was possible to grade about participation in the membership card. The set of 9 labels and 6 coaters with Luxembourg outlooks and meeting logo on the back was given out as souvenirs. On the rack of registration desk it was possible to get crown caps and the same coasters, but without logo on the back.

Beside the tent where were on sale beer Bofferding on euro for a small glass and easy snack settled down. On it, short of a free-of-charge toilet in a court yard, participation of the brewery came to an end. On the site of a brewery court yard limited to a fence from boxes with empty bottles, three awnings with tables under them, and also lines of tables directly open-air were established. Each collector was authorized to occupy on one meter of a table, but some of them, it is especial collectors of glasses, borrowed much more places. Despite of it, anybody without a place has not remained. All the matter is that on meeting one thousand person was expected. According to organizers information only about 600 collectors has arrived. Basically from the central Europe. There were some collectors from Poland and Lithuanian colleagues led by Valentinas Ukolovas. They have arrived by cars.

Though the Club from Brno also was declared as the organizer of a meeting, I have not met the Czech friends. There were also collectors from America and even from Brazil. Collectors Clubs had booths where it was possible to get acquainted with activity of club, to by information and promotional materials, badges, openers and other subjects of a collecting. It is necessary to note the stand of French club Gambrinus on which the smart collection of models of lorries with breweries trade marks was submitted. It was very interesting to examine an exchange material of beer jars collectors. They have arrived on the meeting by  motor vans or motor homes entirely jam-packed with cans. These friends did not use tables or any place in the court yard and disposed directly on sidewalk along road nearby to a brewery. Their show-benches were 10 meters length and even more.

I would name this meeting as "coaster paradise”. I never saw earlier so many coaster collectors and coasters at one moment. Coasters exposed in huge boxes. Collectors changed and sold by bunches of coasters. I saw how one guy bought a box with coaters even without examine contents. Caps collectors was not less amount. As it seemed to me, Dutchs and Germans prevailed among caps collectors. The last preferred purchase caps to an exchange. It is necessary to mention, that sale of goods here is considered as normal phenomenon. Also can be, sale here was even more, than changed. There were people which have arrived with an empty bags as in shop to buy something. It was exposed a lot of glasses mainly for sale.

К моему появлению обмен уже был в разгаре. Я, как коллекционер этикеток, привез с собой в первую очередь этикетки из России, Украины, Белоруссии и немного экзотики. Прихватил я собой также пробки и подставки. К моему удивлению этикетками из стран СНГ практически никто не интересовался. Впрочем, коллекционеров этикеток было не так уж и много. Я пробовал сначала постоять у своего стола – никто этикетки не спрашивает. Затем бродил между столами и предлагал меняться. Упоминание этикеток из России вызывало скорее недоумение, чем интерес. Как я понял, большинство из приехавших этикеточников собирает какую-либо одну страну или группу стран, но очень тщательно и подробно. Наибольший интерес представляют этикетки, выпущенные 50 и более лет назад. Наблюдал я такую сцену, как один коллекционер

из Германии просматривал обменный фонд коллеги из Литвы в течении получаса и в конце концов отобрал одну-единственную старую немецкую этикетку. Поменять российские этикетки на этикетки впрямую мне удалось лишь с коллекционерами из Польши и Литвы. Стоило ехать так далеко? Поменять же экзотические этикетки на равноценные мне не составило особого труда.

С самого начала мне было предложено продать пробки, что я с не очень большой охотой сделал. Затем стали поступать предложения продать и российские подставки. Постепенно я втянулся в это дело и торговал очень бойко. На вырученные же деньги я накупил этикеток. Многие коллекционеры заранее подготовили наборы этикеток своих стран и охотно их продавали. Такие же наборы предлагались и на стендах клубов. Удалось мне также поменять пробки на этикетки у немецкого коллекционера. Этикетки находились у него в полном беспорядке, но мне удалось найти у него пару сотен интересных этикеток. И под конец, чтобы не везти пробки обратно, я поменял оставшиеся на хороший набор литовских новинок. До полудня активность коллекционеров не спадала. Было шумно и в общем-то весело. Обстановка

на бирже царила очень дружественная. Люди менялись, общались  и  обменивались  адресами и

сувенирами, не забывая при этом, пить пиво. Пили Bofferding и угощали друг друга привезенным с собой пивом. В программе биржи было объявлено о торжественном открытии церемонии, продаже лотерейных билетов и вручении особого подарка коллекционеру, проделавшему самый долгий путь до Люксембурга. Ничего я этого так и не увидел. Может быть не было, а может быть увлекшись процессом и не заметил. После полудня народ подустал и уже больше времени уделял пиву и разговорам, чем предмету увлечения, и к двум часам дня многие стали собираться. По плану биржа должна была продолжаться до 16 часов. Но в начале четвертого организаторы стали складывать столы и скамейки, недвусмысленно намекая, что пора и честь знать. К этому времени я уже собрался и, немного пообщавшись  с  друзьями,  отправился  в  гостиницу.

Погуляв немного по городку, на обратном пути зашел в супермаркет и набрал пива люксембургских пивоварен. Остаток дня я провел за дегустацией пива и рассматриванием дневного «улова».

На следующий день, осмотрев достопримечательности столицы Люксембурга, я отправился в Мюнхен на осенний фестиваль пива Октоберфест. Но это уже другая история.