A Thai man has received a six months suspended jail sentence and been fined 150,000 THB (4,360 USD) at the criminal court (pictured) for reviewing craft beers on social media.

Drinks lover Arthit Siwahansaphan was accused of violating Thailand's rigid Alcoholic Beverage Control Act after posting a craft beer evaluation on his Facebook page.

The law - which critics claim protects the country's corporate behemoths from competition - states that 'no person shall advertise or display, directly or indirectly, the name or trademark of any alcoholic beverage in a manner showing the properties thereof or inducing another person to drink'.

A court in Nonthaburi province convicted Arthit on April 21 for the review, which was posted in 2020.

The beer enthusiast was initially handed an eight-month prison sentence and a 200,000-THB (5,815 USD) fine, which was later reduced to a six months suspended sentence and 150,000 THB (4,360 USD).

Speaking to local media, Arthit said: 'It's ironic that while I was paying bail at the station, there were people arrested for drunk driving who paid just 60,000 THB in fines. All I did was write a beer review, and I was fined 150,000 THB.

'Back in 2020, I wrote about a craft beer brand. I bought the drink with my own money and explained what it tasted like, which is a normal thing to do around the world.

'During the pandemic, many craft beer groups and beer review pages were being prosecuted. The Office of the Alcohol Control Committee also visited my home and questioned me about the post.'

Arthit said he was ordered to appear at the prosecutor's office every month for the litigation process that lasted for more than a year, before a verdict was handed in April 2021.

He is determined to continue appealing his case as he said the regulation was unfair to beer consumers and small manufacturers.

He said: 'I didn't advertise it. I didn't encourage people to drink it. I didn't advocate for driving drunk. I only talked about the aesthetic aspect of it.

'Thailand is a country where it's illegal for people to drink a beer and say it's delicious.'