Hampton Beach Bar Fined for Alcohol Tampering

A first-year Hampton Beach business recently paid a fine after state Liquor Commission investigators found bar staff had refilled an undisclosed number of bottles of legally purchased liquor.

Bernie's Bar and Grill didn't contest the violation, and paid in full a $250 administrative fine for the offense, according to the commission.

The infraction is dated July 22, 2013. The act of refilling bottles, presumably for sale to patrons, is prohibited in New Hampshire, as outlined in RSA 179:40, II. 

Bernie's, which replaced La Bec Rouge at 73 Ocean Blvd., recently won its bid to secure an outdoor entertainment license after a series of public meetings where local officials expressed concerns about potential noise in the area.

The win did come with a concession, though, that all outdoor entertainment — including the use of TVs and radios if played above a reasonable ambient volume — must cease by 11 p.m.

Owner Al Fleury has said that his TVs and radios won't be played any louder than other beach businesses with outdoor seating, and took offense to what he thought was special treatment against his establishment — which is primarily an outdoor business — due to past issues at another bar he owns. 

That bar, Wally's Pub, has also been fined this year by the liquor commission.