Beer Duty down by 1p

[calumscott]

Thanks George!

 

[mattyhall22]

Almost guarantee that does not get passed on to the drinker lol

 

[calumscott]

Almost guarantee that does not get passed on to the drinker lol

If it's retained by the pub or small brewer then that's fine by me...

 

[kev]

Almost guarantee that does not get passed on to the drinker lol

In fairness, whenever it went up by 1p that wasn't passed on either.

K

 

[graysalchemy]

Don't thank that TW*T Osbourne for anything. :whistle: :whistle:

 

[calumscott]

Can't say I'm disappointed with my tax cuts...

 

[graysalchemy]

I don't think I will be affected by the 40% tax rate threshold increase :lol: :lol:

 

[mattyhall22]

Don't thank that TW*T Osbourne for anything. :whistle: :whistle:

Now that is sound advice :thumb:

 

[evanvine]

In fairness, whenever it went up by 1p that wasn't passed on either.

I'm not so sure about that, seem to remember 1p going on and resulting in a 5p increase over the bar! :shock:

 

[calumscott]

In fairness, whenever it went up by 1p that wasn't passed on either.

I'm not so sure about that, seem to remember 1p going on and resulting in a 5p increase over the bar! :shock:

Is your local still trading?

 

[stuart180]

Beer prices seem out of control in my town at the moment...

I play in a darts league so normally end up visiting a good few pubs over the season.

It's a real eye opener now I've started brewing my own (for around 40p a pint)... it's a real stinger when I order a pint and the guy behind the bar wants £3.90 for it!!

I wouldn't mind if these pubs where some of the finest drinking establishments known to man..... but these certainly aren't anything special.

 

[graysalchemy]

I wouldn't mind if these pubs where some of the finest drinking establishments known to man..... but these certainly aren't anything special.

And the beer probably isn't either :whistle:

 

[evanvine]

You keep going Als, only 2227 posts to go!

 

[Jeltz]

In fairness, whenever it went up by 1p that wasn't passed on either.

I'm not so sure about that, seem to remember 1p going on and resulting in a 5p increase over the bar! :shock:

But the cost of a pint in a pub doesn't just reflect the production costs and duty, it reflects the cost electricity to keep the lights on, the wages of the staff who serve you, many on minimum wage have just had a pay rise, business rates and all sorts of other sundry costs which keep on going up even when the disposable income of the pub goers reduces.

 

[calumscott]

Beer prices seem out of control in my town at the moment...

I play in a darts league so normally end up visiting a good few pubs over the season.

It's a real eye opener now I've started brewing my own (for around 40p a pint)... it's a real stinger when I order a pint and the guy behind the bar wants £3.90 for it!!

I wouldn't mind if these pubs where some of the finest drinking establishments known to man..... but these certainly aren't anything special.

<devils_advocate>

Welcome to the market economy.

Your town is clearly populated by the sort of person who doesn't mind paying (or actively likes to pay) silly money for mediocre beer in mediocre pubs.

They are like that because there isn't enough market to make a different establishment serving great beer in nice surroundings.

If there weren't enough people wanting mediocre then they wouldn't survive. (Remember that an awful lot of people think that what we call mediocre, crap, plastic etc. is actually the best thing since sliced ostrich)

Additionally if there were more people who weren't prepared to put up with mediocre but still wanted pub there would be a gap which would be filled by one of the cool new pubcos who do great beer, food and service (like the awesome Peach Pub Co for example).

You clearly fall into the "prepared to put up with mediocre" band as you clearly love your darts and and social and competitive aspect it brings. The mediocre pub is offering you that which is balancing out to an acceptable degree the **** beer and scary prices.

Take a look at who owns pubs and you'll see patterns.

The big breweries turned pubcos on the whole have "acceptable" establishments that aren't trying to be "cool" and tend to have a bit of character (with the exception, oddly, of Marstons who are big on the new build estate pub scene, flying in the face of their "better than Greene King" beer credentials). You are going to get "magic oven" food and curry nights... Prices will be average for beer, cheap for food. Massive economies of scale mean efficient buying and supply chain which keeps costs down.

The regionals have more traditional, rural and town pubs, usually with decent beer and "home cooked" food, individual menus of wildly varying range, style and quality but most importantly a "proper pub" feel with a plumber propping up the bar... Beer prices will be reasonable, food prices will vary lots. Some supply chain efficiencies exist but the brewer wants sales of their beer leaving the landlord to figure out where else to make their money.

The PLC pubcos - f**king awful places for persons much younger than I. Expect either stupid promotions or stupidly expensive "designer" drinks. Food will be awful if it exists and will be very, very cheap. Massive supply chain efficiencies, race to the bottom stuff...

The "new" pubcos are competing in their own space, restaurant quality food, craft beer, service ethics. They tend to be, or at least aspire to be, the sort of place you leave thinking, "well it wasn't a *real* pub but wasn't it nice?" Expect to pay a big premium on both beer and food. These pubs make their money not from efficiencies but from selling to a higher market, when you want something a bit special, well, you pay for it. They are always going to be a safe bet because their business is based entirely on making people leave happy.

The long and short is that market, at least at the front of house, is balanced, the wrong pubs in the wrong places are closing, the right pubs in the right places are doing quite alright, the wrong ones in the right places need to get their sh*t together or fail and the right ones in the wrong place, well, they'll be nice houses soon - there's not that many of those left though. Who actually makes the profit in the chain is badly f**ked up, the poor souls who do the work, cook the food, run the pub and pour the pints really don't seem to do well out of the arrangement, where the big brewers and pubcos tend to do quite well.

The rest works and provides what the population want. Not what you want? Congratulations. You're officially a minority...

</devils_advocate>

 

[oz11]

Better news than a rise in duty, will it stop prices rising in pubs...probably not. Remember that a small brewery benefitting from the reduced rate of duty will only see 50% of the cut, so 36p saved on a firkin.

 

[stuart180]

Beer prices seem out of control in my town at the moment...

I play in a darts league so normally end up visiting a good few pubs over the season.

It's a real eye opener now I've started brewing my own (for around 40p a pint)... it's a real stinger when I order a pint and the guy behind the bar wants £3.90 for it!!

I wouldn't mind if these pubs where some of the finest drinking establishments known to man..... but these certainly aren't anything special.

<devils_advocate>

Welcome to the market economy.

Your town is clearly populated by the sort of person who doesn't mind paying (or actively likes to pay) silly money for mediocre beer in mediocre pubs.

They are like that because there isn't enough market to make a different establishment serving great beer in nice surroundings.

If there weren't enough people wanting mediocre then they wouldn't survive. (Remember that an awful lot of people think that what we call mediocre, crap, plastic etc. is actually the best thing since sliced ostrich)

Additionally if there were more people who weren't prepared to put up with mediocre but still wanted pub there would be a gap which would be filled by one of the cool new pubcos who do great beer, food and service (like the awesome Peach Pub Co for example).

You clearly fall into the "prepared to put up with mediocre" band as you clearly love your darts and and social and competitive aspect it brings. The mediocre pub is offering you that which is balancing out to an acceptable degree the **** beer and scary prices.

Take a look at who owns pubs and you'll see patterns.

The big breweries turned pubcos on the whole have "acceptable" establishments that aren't trying to be "cool" and tend to have a bit of character (with the exception, oddly, of Marstons who are big on the new build estate pub scene, flying in the face of their "better than Greene King" beer credentials). You are going to get "magic oven" food and curry nights... Prices will be average for beer, cheap for food. Massive economies of scale mean efficient buying and supply chain which keeps costs down.

The regionals have more traditional, rural and town pubs, usually with decent beer and "home cooked" food, individual menus of wildly varying range, style and quality but most importantly a "proper pub" feel with a plumber propping up the bar... Beer prices will be reasonable, food prices will vary lots. Some supply chain efficiencies exist but the brewer wants sales of their beer leaving the landlord to figure out where else to make their money.

The PLC pubcos - f**king awful places for persons much younger than I. Expect either stupid promotions or stupidly expensive "designer" drinks. Food will be awful if it exists and will be very, very cheap. Massive supply chain efficiencies, race to the bottom stuff...

The "new" pubcos are competing in their own space, restaurant quality food, craft beer, service ethics. They tend to be, or at least aspire to be, the sort of place you leave thinking, "well it wasn't a *real* pub but wasn't it nice?" Expect to pay a big premium on both beer and food. These pubs make their money not from efficiencies but from selling to a higher market, when you want something a bit special, well, you pay for it. They are always going to be a safe bet because their business is based entirely on making people leave happy.

The long and short is that market, at least at the front of house, is balanced, the wrong pubs in the wrong places are closing, the right pubs in the right places are doing quite alright, the wrong ones in the right places need to get their sh*t together or fail and the right ones in the wrong place, well, they'll be nice houses soon - there's not that many of those left though. Who actually makes the profit in the chain is badly f**ked up, the poor souls who do the work, cook the food, run the pub and pour the pints really don't seem to do well out of the arrangement, where the big brewers and pubcos tend to do quite well.

The rest works and provides what the population want. Not what you want? Congratulations. You're officially a minority...

</devils_advocate>

I'm happy with that! :lol:

Personally, I try and avoid these places if I can help it (except for league nights).

Living in a town, there aren't very (if any) traditional pubs so myself and the missus tend to take a 15 mins drive out into the country side and visit an old school pub that serves real food and real ale.

I'm more than happy to pay a premium in these places as you can see where the money is going.
however, It's a bitter pill to swallow when your standing in a 1960's looking dump being charged nearly £4 a pint whilst ducking pool cues!

I know these places need to make a profit, but I just think they get stuck in a rut and refuse to invest in the business and instead just keep whacking up the cost of the drinks to compensate for the dwindling business.

 

[joe1002]

Beer prices seem out of control in my town at the moment...
the guy behind the bar wants £3.90 for it!!

Don't go to Lomdon then. 2 pints of some water like fo***rs and you will be lucky to get a few piece of copper from a £10 note.

 

[calumscott]

It's a bitter pill to swallow when your standing in a 1960's looking dump being charged nearly £4 a pint whilst ducking pool cues!

Oh I've been there before! I'm an old fart before my time, I don't "go drinking" anymore (or rather, I didn't until I moved to the village and found that my local is just terrific, I like going for a few beers now!) and I'm only vaguely ashamed to admit that I've made my excuses in the past just because I knew "the sort of place" that a particular invitation would entail...

I know these places need to make a profit, but I just think they get stuck in a rut and refuse to invest in the business and instead just keep whacking up the cost of the drinks to compensate for the dwindling business.

And that's the up-side to the market economy. If the offering gets worse and the cost gets higher then more and more people will not justify parting with their cash and it goes to the wall, meanwhile somewhere offering something better has a market to grow into...

...trouble is that because of a number of factors, drinking has been on the slide. These places, the crap commodity "beer" they sell and the people who like them are IMO one of the biggest factors! They have a negative rub on ALL of drinking. We've got to be near the bottom of that curve now and so long as the standards are dragged up then the sector will do well again, the crap should get weeded out and we can get back to responsible supping of fine foaming ale and putting the world to rights...

I feel very lucky to have not one but 4 pubs in the village, all with their merits and none "bad". I really do feel for the people, like you, stuck in the "good beer deserts" that exist in large parts of the country.

 

[johnnyboy1965]

1p per pint...don't even get me started on this little, ridiculous decrease. What`s the point, who is going to benefit. It works out that for every 200 pint I buy in a pub I get one free. Good job I don't drink in pubs.
It must have cost more to come up with this bull...t than it will save the consumer.
Now, if your Government dropped the tax on alcohol by 20% maybe I would go into pubs and spend my "hard earned"

No, Ive changed my mind...I will vote for the Con/Lib Coalition Government because they have just dropped the price of a beer by 1p. I haven't looked at the budget yet, but is it 1p per pint or 1p per pound