3 years in a row. 4 consecutive festival days. 250 beers from 20 countries. All from $3 a pop.

These are just some numbers to tease you with but the one that’s had us at hello is the opportunity to sample more than 250 beers in a single seating. In a repeat of the past 2 years, Beerfest Asia 2011 makes a re-appearance at the Marina Promenade behind the Singapore Flyer from 16 to 19 June 2011.

Beers and ciders from Armenia to Sweden to the Czech Republic will be available for sale on the festival grounds. If you love your India Pale Ale(IPA), check out the booth by Beerstyle Distribution who will be carrying brews from American favourites like Rogue and Stone. Commercial brewers like Carlsberg will also be showcasing their portfolio of brands with the inclusion of the Russian Baltika and crowd favourite Somersby Cider. And Singapore’s newest mircobrewer AdstraGold will also be quenching thirsts at the festival.

The U2 Show - Achtung Baby

Beerfest Asia 2011 will also see the debut of the All Star Showstoppers along with three tribute experiences of The Beatles, The Blues Brothers and The Rolling Stones. Tribute bands “The Killer Queen” and “The U2 Show – Achtung Baby” who performed last year are back by popular demand to belt out classic hits.

Asia Beer Awards will be staged again this year and for the first time, the Asia Brewers’ Conference will be held on the trade day (16 June 2011) of Beerfest Asia 2011.

Tickets are on sale at www.sistic.com.sg from $15 onwards including two free beers for selected tiers. For more information on Beerfest Asia 2011, visit the official website at www.beerfestasia.com.

But given it’s a long weekend in Singapore, the writing (and drinking) begins!

Couple of weeks ago, I made an evening visit to Jones The Grocer, over at Dempsey. They’ve always carried some good foreign beers like Little Creatures and St Arnou. And when I do go there, I head straight for the beer fridge to checkout what’s being chilled. On this visit, I had an awesome surprise. One of America’s finest microbrews had found it’s way to Singapore.

Why would you want to put anything else in the fridge?

Based in Newport, Rouge Ales has one of the largest selection of microbrews, almost to the point of becoming overly commercial. Within Asia, I’ve found  their bottles in selected bars in Shanghai and Tokyo. And now, it’s in Singapore! They pride themselves as beer revolutionaries and have a series of Japanese-styled beers like the Morimoto Imperial Pilsner served in 750ml ceramic bottles. Check out their site and see if you belong to the Rogue Nation.

If you’re in Singapore, swing by Jones and sample it yourself. But be warned, there’s a $4 bottle charge for every bottle consumed on premise. I began this post with complaints and I’m ending it with one. $4 bottle charge for beer? The mate I was with kicked up a fuss with the duty manager who explained this was for license purposes. Whatever… Thanks Nat, you scored one for all drinkers out there. This post is for you, you’ll be sorely missed around the office.