Good news, bad news, interesting news

First, the good news. The results of the Winter Beer tasting at Cellar Vate are now up here:

Also good news (in an evil kind of way) is the news that "Scottish & Newcastle (S&N) – brewer of beers including Foster's, John Smith's, Kronenbourg and San Miguel – has warned that its profits for the first half of its current financial year will be lower than last year's."

In bad news, "brewing giant Miller has entered into an agreement with Australia’s Foster's Group to brew the Foster's Lager brand in the United States. Miller said it will make the beer according to the brand's original recipe, including a proprietary yeast strain."

You just know that arrangement can not end up producing a good beer...

And in news that may be of interest to those in the hospitality industry, Stuff is reporing:

A survey by research group Opinion Research Corp. found 25 per cent of respondents cited bad service as having the most negative impact on both their dining experience and on a restaurant's reputation.

Following rude waiting staffs were hosts and maitre d's who underestimated the waiting time for a table, with 20 per cent of respondents listing this as their biggest complaint with a restaurant, while 15 per cent cited slow service.

Issues related to the food, however, were considered much less bothersome, with only 12 per cent of respondents listing ill-prepared meals and 10 per cent identifying cold food as their greatest dining out dissatisfaction.