Beer Guide General Articles

Top Rated Beers - Change

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:27:38 +0000

As the description says I've modified the ordering on the Top Rated (eg: Top 100) beers page to use the weighted average now to reflect a truer representation of the beers rating in the database.

I've just uploaded the new code base for it then, so you may need to refresh if your browser has cached the old version.

Cheers!
Nathan

Petition For Excise Relief - Australian Beer

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 21:09:36 +0000

Background

The Government announced in its 04/05 Budget that all wine producers would become entitled to a rebate equal to the WET liability on the first $1m worth of sales subject to WET, (or $290,000 of WET) and payable by the producer. The rebate will effectively result in 90% of Australian wineries not having a WET burden [1].

The rebate has been introduced as a direct result of lobbying from the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia (WFA), in the interests of supporting rural and regional wine operators, their communities and supporting industries such as growers, tourist operators, etc.

The rebate extends to the entire industry, however, the rebate is payable only to a producer, and where that producer is part of a group of companies, the $290,000 capped rebate will only be payable once to the group.

The issue of whether the rebate is a tax concession or subsidy has not been resolved, and it is possible that the Government may have to extend the same concession to wine imported from New Zealand, and possibly all other WTO member states.

As part of the New Tax System, micro-brewers (as defined by a production size of less than 30,000 litres per annum) were given an excise break through a refund of excise up to a maximum of $10,000 per annum. The move was to restore some price competitiveness with larger brewers after the loss of a “small business” sales tax exemption that disappeared with the end of the wholesale sales tax regime [2].

Equivalence in brewing

Translation of the principles and administration of the proposed concession into the brewing industry in a pure sense would mean:

The creation of a production threshold, where effective excise rates were “nil” for brewers and the first $1m worth of beer they sell each financial year (or $290,000 of excise they pay);
The threshold would apply to all brewers at the individual brewery level, or where a group entity operated several breweries, the threshold applies to all beer produced within the group;
Microbrewers who sell less than 30,000 litres per annum may be able to reduce their effective excise rate to zero for a greater volume of sales. Although the suggested means of achieving this would see the term “microbrewer” becoming redundant for excise purposes.

Issues to resolve in equivalence

Given the fundamental difference in taxation between beer and wine i.e. volume based versus value based, there may need to be a conversion from $1m of sales to a volume based equivalent in setting the production threshold.

The second issue is the “mechanism”. The current methods of beer taxation (and rebates) are administered in the Excise Tariff Act, Excise Act and Excise Regulations, whereas wine tax is administered through the WET.

The Taxation Laws Amendment (Wine Producer Rebate and other Measures) Act was passed by Parliament on August 30th and was signed into law on August 31st 2004 – the same day Parliament was prorogued for the election. The bill before Parliament was a general Tax Law Amending Bill and there is no reason why a new Schedule could not be inserted into this law on a future occasion containing proposed amendments to the relevant excise law.

However, this may be unnecessary as a “rebate” for beer already exists in the Excise Regulations, for the purposes of meeting the Government’s decision to protect price competitiveness for micro-brewers [3].

The Excise Act has fully delegated all excise duty rebate, refund and remission circumstances and administration to the Excise Regulations [4].

Significantly, Statutory Rules such as the Excise Regulations are amended by Executive Council (EXCO), and not by the Parliamentary process. EXCO comprises two relevant Government Ministers (e.g. the Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, Minister for Industry, etc) and the Governor-General. The necessary amendment to the Excise Regulations will need Prime Ministerial approval to proceed to EXCO, and the amending Statutory Rule would be tabled in the Senate for review.

How to create a WET Rebate equivalent system in the excise system for beer

To create an industry wide rebate such as that applying to wine, the following amendments would be required to the Excise Regulations:

Regulation 2AB – repeal;
Sub-paragraph 50(1)(k) and 50(1)(zzd) – repeal and replace with
“excise duty has been paid on beer manufactured in a licenced premise during a financial year, and the amount of refund during the financial year does not exceed $290,000, or where beer is manufactured in a licenced premise after the start of the financial year an amount not exceeding $290,000 multiplied by the number of days of being licenced, divided by 365”;
Or to ensure the threshold keeps pace with the indexation of excise rates
“excise duty has been paid on beer manufactured in a licenced premise during a financial year, and the amount of refund during the financial year does not exceed the excise duty payable on 250,000 litres of beer [4], or where beer is manufactured in a licenced premise after the start of the financial year an amount of excise duty not exceeding the excise duty payable on 250,000 litres of beer multiplied by the number of days of being licenced, divided by 365” [5].

Sign This Petition

Please Note: This entire post is directly sourced from the online petition - Beer Guide simply endorses the concept and would like to see as much exposure given to this as possible.

Gluten Free Homebrew - Now Available!

Sun, 02 Mar 2008 20:49:16 +0000

For Coeliacs, (people who are gluten intolerant), beer is a no-go zone. Imagine how they suffer watching their mates enjoy a nice cold beer on a hot summer afternoon. Imagine longing for a beer, but knowing that every mouthful will cause you pain later on. These problems are faced by every gluten-intolerant person. That is, until now.

David Kitchen, Director at Brewers Choice Home Brew Stores, said his company had started on the long road to gluten-free beer two years ago after attending a party with a person who could not enjoy a simple beer with their friends. As a beer lover, David strongly sympathized and set out to find a solution. Research suggested as many as one person in a hundred was gluten-intolerant. In the end, the search had to go international and Brewers Choice was able to find a suitable product overseas. After extensive testing, two new beers are now available – a Honey Cascade Beer, with a subtle honey flavour, and an OZ Pale Ale, with crisp, citrusy undertones - both great beers for our hot summer weather. Making 23litres of beer, at a cost of less than $20 a carton, the Gluten-free beer kits make beer drinking a possibility for Coeliacs.

The Gluten-free beers were trialed at a recent Coeliac Expo (late 2007) and were extremely well received. “A visitor to the Expo even proposed marriage to one of our staff if this would secure him a long term supply of the beer” said David. Since then, Brewers Choice has been working round the clock to get these beers onto the market.

The beer kits will be available from any of the seven Brewers Choice Home Brew stores around Brisbane or via their new Gluten-free home brewing website - www.gfhomebrewing.com.au.

Award Winning Gluten Free Beer

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 23:59:12 +0000

As further proof that not only is Gluten Free Beer just as tasty as 'normal' beer, term used loosely, Billabong Brewing's Australias Pale Ale has take out third place in CLASS: 8 Other / Specialty Beers Sydney Royal Fine Food & Drink Show.

Australias Pale Ale which is an American Pale Ale has only been on the market for a few weeks and has already won an award. Things are looking up not only for the craft brewing market - but also Billabong Brewing.

Congratulations are in order, and I can't wait until they start shipping to the Eastern States.

Update: I actually posted an error - I misread the initial results and have been emailed the correct results. They are even better in favour of Billabong Brewing.

Their Pale Ale took Bronze in Class 3, whilst their Gluten Free Pale Ale (Australia's Pale Ale) took Bronze in Class 8.
Additional to this Billabong also won the following awards:
Porter got a Bronze in Class 5: Stouts and Porters whilst their 4 Hop Ale also received a Bronze in
Class 4: Amber Ales

My apologies for the error.

Meantime Brewing & Innspire Team Up

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 07:43:17 +0000

Innspire is an Australian owned and operated importer/distributor of beers from around the world. Formed last year (2007) for the sole reason of addressing the imbalance of imported beer within the Australian market - including hotels and restaurants.

Many Australian's are now evolving as beer drinkers, like our European counterparts and have a desire to savor a diverse selection of beers however the beer list has often read very poorly beyond the usual uninspiring offering of local beers. This is the reason I initially started this website, so that as a beer drinker I can ascertain what is on the market increase the publics exposure of those quality beers I do find.

On many levels I guess Innspire and Beer Guide have similar goals - as do many of the indepedant/boutique breweries that contact us quite reguarly. This is a very refreshing thing to see in the market and one which excites me.

Unless you've travelled overseas you'll probably not heard a lot about the following beers I'll mention. This is where Innspire will help fill this void in the future by importing and distributing nine quality beers from the English brewer Meantime Brewing.

Now available on the Australian market are:
India Pale Ale
London Porter
Organic Pilsner
Pale Ale
Wheat Beer
Coffee Porter
Chocolate
Raspberry
Union

I currently have a sample pack of these excellently produced beers I'm working my way through to provide everyone my tasting notes - but in the meantime (pun intended) I encourage everyone to grab a selection of the above and taste them today for those that I have reviewed so far have been of the upmost quality and are outstanding beers!

If you are having trouble sourcing them, please either contact Beer Guide or Dave from Innspire and we'll point you in the right direction.

Beer Serving Temperature Guide

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 22:26:41 +0000

Beer is a strange beast, as too are us as drinkers. In the world of beer there are many different styles and associated with the confusion between styles is the question of 'what is the correct serving temperature'.

There is no one answer to this question - but there are rules of thumb that one can apply in order to experience the best out of a particular beer (or style). Of course individual drinkers will have their own preference, and you'll also have people who will scoff at you for suggesting a beer should be anything other than ice-cold so please do not take this as a hard and fast rule, but rather our suggestion on what we believe will provide the best results.

There are two things you must understand first before we get to the temperature recommendations, and they are:

1. Beer does not need to be served very cold (or ice-cold). Many macro-brewers will want you to believe otherwise and indeed their own advertising cements this fact. The reason for this is that at colder temperatures your tongues taste receptors are inhibited. Once 'numbed' many flavours in the beer are neutralised and any complexitity within the beer is lost. This isn't a problem with most macro beers as they are relatively simple beers, hence the reason the idea of an ice-cold beer came about.

2. Serving beer at room temperature is not a good thing, unless you happen to live in a colder country where room temperature is between 4-12 degrees. In Australia this is rare and you need to think outside the square should a drinker mention anything about room temps.

Guidelines:

The best results are when you serve your beer between ice-cold and cellaring temp (note, the replacement of room with cellar to avoid confusion). Two quick checks will help prevent the need to whip out a temperature chart when drinking and they are:

- If the colour is light you typically serve these at the cooler range of temperatures;
- If the colour is dark and the body of the beer heavy allow the beer to warm up a little before drinking;
- In between sit things like Pale Ales, Pilsners, Fruit driven Beers etc.

Very cold (0-4C): Pale Lager, Malt Liquor, Golden Ale, Cream Ale, Low Alcohol, Cider.

Cold (4-7C): Hefe weizen, Kristal weizen, Kolsch, Premium Lager, Pilsner, Classic German Pilsner, Fruit Beer, brewpub-style Golden Ale, European Strong Lager, Berliner Weisse, Belgian White, American Dark Lager, Fruit Lambics and Gueuzes, Duvel-types

Cool (8-12C): American & Australian Pale Ale, Amber Ale, Dunkelweizen, Sweet Stout, Stout, Dry Stout, Porter, English-style Golden Ale, unsweetened Fruit Lambics and Gueuzes, Faro, Belgian Ale, Bohemian Pilsner, Dunkel, Dortmunder/Helles, Vienna, Schwarzbier, Smoked, Altbier, Tripel, Irish Ale, French or Spanish-style Cider

Cellar (12-14C): Bitter, Premium Bitter, Brown Ale, India Pale Ale, English Pale Ale, English Strong Ale, Old Ale, Saison, Unblended Lambic, Flemish Sour Ale, Biere de Garde, Baltic Porter, Abbey Dubbel, Belgian Strong Ale, Weizen Bock, Bock, Foreign Stout, Zwickel/Keller/Landbier, Scottish Ale, Scotch Ale, Strong Ale, Mild, English-style Cider

Warm (14-16C): Barley Wine, Abt/Quadrupel, Imperial Stout, Imperial/Double IPA, Doppelbock, Eisbock, Mead

Hot (70C): Dark, spiced winter ales. *Very Rare in Australia

Like yourselves I really enjoy a nice cold beer on a hot summers day. This guide isn't here to tell you to stop such a practice, heaven forbid, but rather plan your beer based on when, how and why you are drinking.

If you plan on having a 'coldie' or two after mowing the lawn (for example) then throw a few Pale Lagers, or Low Alcohol beers in the fridge or esky ready for when you're done. This way you'll have all the enjoyment of a cold beer without masking or numbing out the complexity of a more complex beer - and in the process wondering why you paid twice the price for a stubbie of similar tasting beer.
However if you want to drink a nice complex Beglian Strong Dark Ale perhaps wait till dinner or even after dinner when you are willing to allow the beer to warm a little to release the complex aromas and flavours.

Beer is like Wine, Cheese or any form of cuisine. In order to experience the flavours and experience the creator originally intended you may have to adjust your way of thinking slightly. Hopefully this article has dispelled a few mis-conceptions regarding Beer serving temperatures as well as perhaps educating you a little. Of course as always we'd love to hear your thoughts should you agree, disagree or just have questions about the whys and hows.

Bluetongue Brewery bought out by Coca-Cola Amatil

Wed, 05 Dec 2007 20:28:04 +0000

COCA-COLA Amatil has continued its expansion into the alcoholic beverages market with the purchase of John Singleton's Bluetongue Brewery, while giving shareholders an early Christmas present in the form of a $170 million share buyback and strong earnings guidance. *

CCA's managing director, Terry Davis, said the acquisition added a "fast-growing and uniquely Australian" premium beer brand to Pacific's existing portfolio of imported beers.

"It fits perfectly with our strategy of developing our presence in the Australian premium beer market," he said.

Pacific Beverages, which holds Peroni Azzuro and Miller Genuine Draft in its stable, has also entered into a long-term agreement with Mr Singleton to further develop the Bluetongue brands.

* Source: Sydney Morning Herald

Beer: Eyewitness Companion [New Book]

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 00:22:59 +0000

Although sadly Michael has passed on, his latest book can and should be enjoyed by all lovers of beer! Having just recently been released in Australia and also mentioned in the latest edition of Beer & Brewer magazine (in the Michael Jackson tribute section), now is the perfect time to purchase this great book before Christmas.

Quote

Learn all about your favourite beer with expert advice and information from a team of specialists, introduced by the world's best-selling beer writer Michael Jackson.

Uncover drinks from every significant brewing region as well as less well-known areas. Find out why beers taste the way they do, how to appreciate flavour, aroma, texture and finish, and identify your own favourite style. Meet the producers and explore their origins, history and particular brewing processes. Plus, get to the bottom of bottles, barrels and breweries and discover how to identify the labels, choose the correct glasses and locate the breweries.

QBD Books currently has this great book in stock and it is definately one that I've placed on my Christmas wishlist. My suggestion would be you do the same too!

2 Brothers Brewery Opening Very Soon

Sun, 02 Dec 2007 21:12:59 +0000

I have just received an update from the new Melbourne Brewery (2 Brothers Brewery) who recently moved all the way from New York, United States of America by literally packing everything on a truck then shipping it to Australia. See this previous post for more information.

In this update they have informed Beer Guide that at 2am on the 6th of November they began an 18 hour day to brew their first batch of Beer which was then quickly passed through to their fermenting tanks for a good pitch of yeast.

Assuming nothing goes wrong with this batch and it tastes good and meets their quality standards 2 Brothers Brewery will be open to the public in mid December - given it is now the 3rd of December the more impatient amongst us can be enjoying one of their beers very soon.

Thanks to 2 Brothers for the update, and those of you in the Moorabbin area should definately drop by, say hi to the team and sample one or more of their brews.

Cheers!

2 Brothers Brewery: www.2brothers.com.au

BWS - Beer Lovers Xmas Pack

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 03:19:12 +0000

BWS (Beer Wine Spirits) is having a christmas sale and I spied in their catalog the following offering.

For $35 you get 12 Mixed European Beers, which appear to be: Budweiser, Sol, Corona, Heineken, Stella Artois, Becks, Lowenbrau, Bitburger, Peroni, Carlsberg, Amsterdam Mariner & Pilsner Urquell all stored in a 12 bottle holder cooler bag (BWS Branded) and a copy of Willie Simpson's Beer Bible.

All in all it sounds like a good deal to me and even better if you are looking for a mixed selection of european style beers to sample over the 'silly season'.

See BWS catalog for more information and other great specials: http://www.beerwinespirits.com.au/media/2278.pdf

Cheers!

Beersmith - Homebrewing Utility

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 04:31:13 +0000

What is Beersmith?

BeerSmith takes the guesswork out of beer brewing by quickly estimating color, gravity, bitterness and even printing step by step instructions for your brewing session. More than a brewing tool - a complete brewing system designed to make brewing easy.

I have just begun using this program and I thought I'd share the success I am having with this program - I am finding it that useful I have bought a full licence for it.

This fantastic program not only helps you formulate your own recipes but it takes the guess work out of many things including the more complex procedures like mashing and sparging.

Check it out if you are at all interested in home brewing, this program will really help you and your results.

Homepage: http://www.beersmith.com/