Agreed, Martin. I joined my club a year ago this past August. Best move I ever made. It allowed me connections to take a BJCP prep class, and the BJCP tasting exam last June. Even more, it gave me access to some incredibly talented brewers from whom I have learned a lot. Prior to joining, I felt pretty much on my own to search out answers to my brewing (8 years or so of that) - but it all changed with the NHC in Grand Rapids where so many of the "Big Hitters" said that they were members of a local club and got so much out of it. As an AHA member, you get a lot, but with a club membership, you get some great face to face discussions and more importantly - sampling!