Recent Violence Smears Newcastle Hoteliers 4 Jun 2008, 2:48 pm

Source: Internal News (Beer Guide)

A series of pub brawls may have dashed the hopes of a group of Newcastle licensees trying to win an appeal against a 1:00am curfew that went into effect in the NSW city on March 20.

A spokesperson for the NSW Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing said the Licensing Court would not comment on the case while it was under deliberation. He said the licensees’ appeal has been adjourned for mention on June 25. A second appeal to stay the curfew until the case is heard has also been set aside for June 16.

Police officers and residents’ groups supporting the lockout said the weekend brawls that resulted in several police officers receiving minor injuries validated the lockout.

But licensees said individuals must take the onus for responsible drinking and that police were ill-equipped to deal with rapidly changing lifestyle and entertainment patterns.

Shadow Police Minister, Mike Gallacher, concurred, saying the brawls highlighted the necessity for Newcastle Police resource to be bolstered in this week’s State Budget.

“It is unacceptable that there were not enough officers available in the Newcastle region to take care of the incident,” he said. “[Premier] Morris Iemma and [Police Minister] David Campbell ‘talk tough’ on this issue but the reality is new laws and harshe ... read more ...

Singapore Beer Festival 29 May 2008, 12:47 pm

Source: Internal News (Beer Guide)

Great entertainment, great music and great food, plus hundreds of the worlds best beers. Welcome to the Singapore Beer Festival 2008, Asia's first ever truly global beer festival.

Between the 2nd and 5th of October at Fort Canning Park, thousands of fun lovers and beer enthusiasts will raise a glass to celebrate their love of beer while enjoying great entertainment from international music artistes and stand-up comedians, plus a wide range of other entertainment.

The trade afternoons at the Singapore Beer Festival represent a significant opportunity for participants to meet and interact with industry professionals and key decision makers from the Asia Pacific region, China and beyond.

Set within the lush tropical landscape of Fort Canning Park and boasting a world-class showcase of beer brands, this truly international event will become a regular entry in every beer lover's social diary for years to come.

Visit www.singaporebeerfestival.com now or email keryn@singaporebeerfestival.com for more details.

Beer Guide Editorial:
Having spoken with Keryn regarding this there are already a number of Australian Breweries on board including Little Creatu ... read more ...

300% Beer Tax Threatens Micro Breweries 14 May 2008, 11:12 am

Source: Internal News (Beer Guide)

In the wake of the 70% tax increase on ‘ready to drink’ alcoholic beverages (RTD’s) which has shocked consumers and industry professionals alike, the Rudd government is also set to levy a higher tax on beer and wine. Such an action threatens the future of the local micro brewing industry, according to Snowy Mountains Brewery director Kevin O’Neill.

“This tax comes on top of 50% excise already paid per carton and makes it almost impossible to survive for most in the micro industry. This figure is too high. The bigger breweries may be able to sustain these costs but most small operators will struggle. We should have a form of tax relief whereby the more product made, the more excise paid. That is not the current reality, and to have a 300% increase in tax proposed defies belief”, said Mr O’Neill, who founded the award winning boutique label.

“We already pay CPI excise twice a year so to raise taxes even more so is just asinine” he added.

“If the reason they have proposed this tax is to stem binge drinking, then why forecast a figure of $2billion in revenue raised in 4 years at current drinking levels? It is transparent that the real reason for this proposal is as a revenue raising exercise. This will kill th ... read more ...

New Look To Forum 13 May 2008, 6:12 pm

Source: Internal News (Beer Guide)

For those with a keen eye and reguarly check the boards you will have noticed a very different look to what you are probably used to seeing. I uploaded and integrated the new skin today and pushed everyone across to it at the same time.

There may be a few little bugs here and there and I'd appreciate it if you could forward these to me.

There also may be a few minor changes over the next few days to colours etc as I get feedback from people regarding readability etc..

I hope you enjoy it, and for those who frequent the site often this is a little prelude as to what to expect with the next version of Beer Guide.

Cheers!

Server Migration 3 May 2008, 4:28 pm

Source: Internal News (Beer Guide)

We migrated servers yesterday to a new server and as a result of DNS updates some date was published on the old server and not this new server. I will be manually migrated those few records across which are stored on the wrong server over the weeekend.

There was a single review but about a dozen new beers and a few breweries added which aren't on this new server.

I apologise for the issue, however the server migration had to be completed. I had just hoped DNS would updated quicker.