Beer & Brewer Best Beer Venue People's Choice Awards

Entries have now closed. We received over 700 entries, thank you to all that nominated your favourite beer venue(s). All nominations will now be counted to short list the finalists per category, for the Judges to then visit the finalists' venues and decide on each category winner and thereby award the overall winner. Results will be published in the summer issue of Beer & Brewer magazine, on sale November 17.

If you know a great beer bar, bottle shop or home brew shop, and want to ensure they are recognised for their greatness, then here is your chance to nominate them, as Beer & Brewer wants to join you in recognising Australia and New Zealand’s best beer venues.

You can email, post or enter online your favourite beer venues, based on the categories we have included, giving points for each of the criteria listed below. Make sure you enter the correct details for the venue, along with your point score, as Beer & Brewer’s esteemed judging panel will tally the votes to short list the finalists and then announce the winners in our upcoming summer issue, on sale November 10.

Categories

• Best Large Bar/Pub (over 150 patrons)
• Best Small Bar/Pub (under 150 patrons)
• Best Brew Bar/Pub
• Best Restaurant/Cafe
• Best Themed Beer Venue (European, Bavarian, Belgian, Other - must have ‘beer’ in name of venue)
• Best Bottle Shop (300+ beers)
• Best Bottle Shop (Less than 300 beers)
• Best Home Brew Shop
• Best Beer Venue (overall winner, decided by the Judges from the category finalists)

Criteria and points for Judging (Pubs, bars, restaurants, cafes):

20 pts Beer list based on local and imported and number of beers (local and imported, obvious/good seasonal selection, doesn’t have to be the longest list, while certainly extensive, or does well supporting location and style of venue, looking at freshness and weight of tap vs bottle selection)

10 pts Ambience – The theming of the venue, the use of merchandise and beer paraphernalia around the venue) – this really lets people know how serious the venue is about beer

10 pts Staff knowledge and Service (ability to serve the beer sought, or find a beer to match the customers taste and budget, general beer knowledge, standard hospitality service expected)

Total 40 points

Bonus points (20 points)
5 pts each for beer glassware (clean glassware and good range of glassware per style of beer), beer and food matching on menu (with beer listed/matched to each dish, entrees, mains, desserts, etc. and a good beer and food matching philosophy), events/promotions (consistent number of events during the month promoting beer tasting), Fresh beer and clean lines Other (no points) – any comments from the readers

Total entry marked out of 60

Criteria and points for Judging (Home brew shops)

10 pts Store Presentation - must look professional and inviting – must be well laid out.

10 pts Product Ranging - customers should have access to a wide range of products so they do not feel the need to shop elsewhere.

10 pts Knowledgeable Staff – ALL staff must be well presented & well trained in product knowledge and customer service.

10 pts After Sales Service – a customer must feel comfortable coming back to ask questions if their brew isn’t going as planned.

Total 40 points

Bonus points (5 points):
Stock Beer & Brewer magazine
Other (no points) – any comments from the readers

Total entry marked out of 45

Criteria and points for Judging (Bottle shops)

20 pts Beer list based on local and imported and number of beers (obvious/good seasonal selection, doesn’t have to be the longest list, while certainly extensive, or does well supporting location and style of shop, fresh beer is important too)

10 pts Ambience – the theming of the shop, the use of merchandise and beer paraphernalia around the shop)

10 pts Staff knowledge and Service (ability to offer the beer sought, or find a beer to match the customers taste and budget, general beer knowledge, standard hospitality service expected)

10 pts In-store tastings

Total 50 points

Bonus points (15 points)
5 pts each for beer paraphernalia/merchandise offered for sale (Beer & Brewer magazine, glassware, bottle openers etc), events/promotions (consistent number of events during the month promoting beer tasting), Stock Beer & Brewer magazine
Other (no points) – any comments from the readers

Total entry marked out of 65

How to Enter:

Please ensure if emailing or posting your nomination(s) that you include a points tally for each of the criteria and bonus points, with a final points score. This is how we work out the finalists.

EMAIL editor@beerandbrewer.com

POST PO Box 474 Balgowlah, NSW 2093

WEB (enter online - below)

Online Entry Form:

Please select the category your venue fits under.
(please note: you will be taken to a separate entry form depending on your selection)

• Best Large Bar/Pub (over 150 patrons)
• Best Small Bar/Pub (under 150 patrons)
• Best Brew Bar/Pub
• Best Restaurant/Cafe
• Best Themed Beer Venue (European, Bavarian, Belgian, Other - must have ‘beer’ in name of venue)
• Best Bottle Shop (300+ beers)
• Best Bottle Shop (Less than 300 beers)
• Best Home Brew Shop
• Best Beer Venue (overall winner, decided by the Judges from the category finalists)