Brew-nei

[Throsby]

G'day gentlemen,

Just looking into the prospeect of a bit of time (a year or two) overseas for work reasons and curious if anyone knows the laws and the practicalities of Home Brewing in Brunei (small place on the northern side of Borneo island - bordering Malaysia).

It is a Muslim country and, as such, buying alcohol in Brunei is illegal. They don't mind non-Muslims, particularly foreigners who are working there, hitting the Malaysian border towns, throwing some grog in the boot (12 cans and 2 bottles of liquor is the max I think) and driving back. Due to the high number of foreigners working in Brunei, many restaurants don't mind people bring their own alcohol along but they of course won't sell alcohol.

That's the info I do have. Can't find anything on the legality of Home Brew in Brunei though. Has anyone been there? Or does anyone know someone who is over there at the moment?

Sorry for throwing something up out of left field guys, but I would appreciate any light you could shed on the matter.


Cheers,

Throsby

[Bum]

I can't find anything either way but I did see that the amount you can bring from the border you mention can be brought in up to twice per day.

I found lots of news stories about Muslims being charged for consuming commercial alcohol but none about anything homemade. So it is either legal or so illegal that people don't risk getting caught. Perhaps a quick call/email to a Bruneian consulate/embassy (or even the Australian consulate in Brunei (if we have one)) might yield results.

[svyturys]

buying alcohol in Brunei is illegal.

many restaurants don't mind people bring their own alcohol along but they of course won't sell alcohol.

They don't mind non-Muslims, particularly foreigners who are working there, hitting the Malaysian border towns, throwing some grog in the boot (12 cans and 2 bottles of liquor is the max I think) and driving back.

In some ways I think you have answered your own question here, Throsby.

The presence of alcohol doesn't seem to be the question.

The trading in alcohol seems to be the point of law. As long as you do not trade you can have alcohol. The 12 can/2 bottle limit seems to aim at restricting commercial quantities crossing the border. As Bum mentioned, the crossover can be done twice a day.

I would imagine that when they drafted the laws they had no concept of homebrewing. There would be laws in place to prevent a commercial manufacturing process from existing. The wording of that law would probably provide you with a loophole to homebrew.

Legislators only work with the information that they have at hand, so moonshine would probably be illegal, and maybe wine fermentation.

So I would follow Bum's advice through but add to that a search through the actual government act that deals with alcohol. They have obviously made a concession to foreigners importing from Malaysia and along the same lines they may not actually restrict domestic brewing of low alcohol products. They certainly would not ban sugar and yeast.

Cheers

[Throsby]

Yeah I think an official inquiry is in order. They have a no-nonsense approach to law and justice (death penalty for drug smuggling) so don't want to run afoul of Mohammed Q. Law if I can help it!

Your thoughts are similar to mine. Hopefully we're on the right track. I'm all for career advancement, but at what cost!!??

Thanks for that.

[billybushcook]

(death penalty for drug smuggling) .

Don't get caught with a bag of Hop flowers in your Boogie Board Bag...Hey!!

Mick.

[Tipsy]

(death penalty for drug smuggling) .

Don't get caught with a bag of Hop flowers in your Boogie Board Bag...Hey!!

Mick.

and leave the dextrose home just in case

[Longwood-65]

I have no answers for you but found this

It was a beer run on the high seas
Brunei's customs officers arrested two men who tried to smuggle 1,382 cans of contraband beer by boat into the Muslim-majority country, a news report said Wednesday.

The men entered Brunei's waters from a neighboring nation Tuesday but tried to flee when they realized they had been spotted, the Borneo Bulletin newspaper reported. It did not identify the neighboring country, but Brunei shares borders with two Malaysian states on Borneo island.

Customs authorities foiled the escape after a high-speed chase, making their biggest seizure of alcohol this year, the report added.

Brunei's laws ban the public sale and consumption of alcohol, though non-Muslim visitors are allowed to bring in limited amounts for private consumption.

Representatives of Brunei's Royal Customs Department could not immediately be reached. The men are expected to be charged with alcohol smuggling, which is typically punished by a fine.

So you are not going to get shot for home brewing

[Throsby]

That, my good man, is great news!

Mind you a bloke who was caught smuggling contraband (cigarettes, etc) into Brunei the other day was given a punished that included lashes of the cane. Far out.


The most recent advice form the mob who want me to work over there is that it "looks" a-ok at this stage, though they are looking into it in more detail. They suggested that even if it weren't technically illegal, it would nevertheless be tough to find kits/malt/yeast/etc...

That could be an onion in the ointment.

Thanks again guys.