Pint of beer to rise 15p in weeks as costs soar

Published on Sunday 18 January 2009 21:04

BRITAIN'S beer lovers could face a 15p hike in the price of their favourite pint within weeks, a report has warned.

The country's millions of beer and lager drinkers have been told to brace themselves for the big increase on 2 February in the wake of an array of soaring costs hitting big brewers.

The increased cost will also be a massive blow for hundreds of pubs battling for survival as their profit margins fall because of the combined impact of the credit crunch, the smoking ban and cut-price supermarket alcohol.

The brewing giant InBev UK has put an average 7p increase on the wholesale price of a pint from the start of next month.

The Stella Artois brewer blamed difficult market conditions and the increasing cost of raw materials, such as hops and barley, for the current rise.

Brewing industry analysts said yesterday that a hike of between 12-15p a pint in pubs across the UK was likely.

Stuart MacFarlane, president of InBev UK and Ireland, said: "We have absorbed cost increases where at all possible, but unfortunately we have to pass some of these on to our customers."

Beer sales at pubs are now at their lowest level since the 1930s and 35 pubs a week are closing their doors for good.