Real ale prices ‘must’ rise as input costs soar

Rising cereal and glass costs mean beer prices will continue to surge in the months ahead, the brewer of real ales Spitfire and Bishops Finger has warned.

Shepherd Neame said yesterday that inflationary pressures had intensified in recent months, with cereals such as barley up to 30 per cent more expensive than a year ago, while the price of glass has also increased, pushing up the cost of beer bottles and pint jars. Chief executive Jonathan Neame said: “The price of a pint in the coming year is definitely going to have to go up.”

The warning came as it delivered upbeat results for the full year, with sales up 5 per cent to £121.3 million and operating profits up 3 per cent at £12.3m.