No wonder we brew our own

[terrym]

There are different sorts of drinkers just like there are different sorts of pubs, who will have different attitudes to the cost of a pint.
At one end of the spectrum many people go out to pubs to eat, and they will pay inflated prices for beer because they are unlikely to be drinking all that much and it's part of the eating out 'experience'. These people probably generally don't visit pubs too frequently and so the cost of a pint down the pub is of little interest to them.
At the other end are people who visit a pub primarily to drink. Within this group there are those who just have one or two socially now and again and an extra £2-£3 or so on the occasion is not a big deal. That leaves us with the drinkers who visit pubs regularly and who may consume a lot. Other than young folks out on the razz at the weekends who are probably not too concerned with the cost of what they are drinking (or if they are will drink at home before going out), I would have thought that people going to the pub to drink a lot is slowly becoming a thing of the past, especially when you can go down to your supermarket and buy six bottles of reasonable beer for under £10 instead of £20 upwards down the pub. Latter is evidenced by the abundance of pubs now doing food to be profitable and stay in business, and pubs closing due to lack of turnover.
So in spite of us all getting hot under the collar on here about the price of a pint, most people who buy beer in pubs will usually pay the going rate without being too grumpy, and those who are concerned may find other ways of continuing to fund their interest either by drinking at home, drinking less or finding a cheaper pub.

 

[simon12]

Sadly a lot of the Wetherspoons, especially during the day, resemble a waiting room for the dole office.
I guess that's better than no pub and they do serve good beer.
The one in Kingston has a selection of decent craft beers on tap including a nice well hopped wheat beer. The one in Windsor is a multi level pub with large gardens that is heaving with customers of all ages and is just across the road from the castle.

I know what you mean my local spoons (Redhill Surrey) is right opposite the job centre. A few people I know will just refuse to go there and love the Youngs pub which may as well be a meantime pub where its £4.90-5.20 a pint which keeps any shady characters out but I feel more at home in the weatherspoon.

 

[Saisonator]

Yes that's an important point.
Even though I make my own beer, I don't actually drink vast amounts, a lot less than I used to that's for sure.
So going to the pub once a week is not a big expense for me. Compared to the 5 days a week I used to go.

 

[chub1]

Pub in Epsom,surrey close to our daughters is pretty pricey.They do have a really good selection however,quite often brew dog and those of a similar ilk will be on tap -£5 odd a pint though.
Don't mind paying that sort of dosh now and again for a decent beer in a reasonable boozer if out with family/friends.

 

[Gunge]

Sadly a lot of the Wetherspoons, especially during the day, resemble a waiting room for the dole office.

They're brawling in the streets at 9.30 a.m outside one in our town centre, which also happens to be next to the benefits office / credit union place / charity shops and the like. Go figure. Actually, not sure if it's a 'spoons but apparently the beer is cheap. But still nowhere as cheap and as good as my own. Why should I go there - to feel like an extra in Shameless or summat?

 

[Norfolk79]

Don't smaller micro breweries get a reduced beer duty on what they produce? I'm guessing that's why the report said that pubs that brew their own had an average price of just over £3 a pint.

 

[Leon103]

I don't go out drinking often but if its a nice pub and nice beer I don't mind what I pay.

I have little choice where I live there is a nice hotel that does a lot of real ale but it doesn't really like big drinkers in there because their main business is the hotel and restaurant. There is a new place opened where all the drinkers now go and get smashed, they go there because it's cheaper - by about 20p a pint. The beer there is usually ****e, I can't really see the logic of paying a little less for something that isn't that nice, luckily more people are starting to feel the same.

 

[simon12]

Don't smaller micro breweries get a reduced beer duty on what they produce? I'm guessing that's why the report said that pubs that brew their own had an average price of just over �£3 a pint.

Yes duty is half price up to a certain amount and some discount up to double that but I can't remember the amounts.

 

[Headlands]

One of my former jobs at a brewery was to cost the beer. The INGREDIENTS were dirt cheap per pint (think of a really low number and halve it). The costs were all in depreciation on the plant, labour, distribution, marketing and, of course, beer duty at about 30p a pint. At the end of the day we were making 1p per pint profit, which doubled to 2p per pint by the time I moved on from that role. Brewing is a low margin game!

So at £4.40 a pint in pubs, who is making all the money?

 

[Sadfield]

No one? That's why landlord are jacking it in and pubs are shutting.

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[Dexter101]

So at �£4.40 a pint in pubs, who is making all the money?

The government and property tycoons....

 

[Sadfield]

@headlands what was the retail price of that £4.40 pint? I wonder what was left after retail price deduction and 20% vat (88p).

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[BeerisGOD]

Sadly anywhere apart from a w spoons seems pricey. And they're an ideal meeting place before a night out for pre drinks.
You can't beat the old pubs for atmosphere and food though. Like someone mentioned it's harder to lower prices when ur only getting thirty odd customers a day. A spoons would prob get an average of thirty every two hours.

 

[Ajhutch]

I think the point people have been trying to make is that if everywhere except one chain seems expensive then maybe its the one that isn't expensive that is out of the ordinary. JDW's profit margin is wafer thin but they can still make money overall because of their scale. There's no doubt the distort the market

 

[Slid]

My daughters both loved "Spoons" for nights out as they could get well tanked before going out and then use the place for "top-up" tanking, make-up re-arranging, a bit of a bite to eat and general "chilling" before hitting the night club at the Sugar House (Lancaster) until they got thrown out.

Very popular with the youngsters, is "Spoons"

 

[Clint]

Ours is full of piss heads mostly been there all day with their bags of frozen shopping....