Beer prices up 5.6% year-on-year
According to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the average cost of a pint of lager as of February this year was £4.70, up by 5.6% from £4.45 in February 2023.
Month-on-month lager prices saw a 0.2% hike, up from £4.69 in January this year.
Comparatively, average pint prices jumped 11.8% during the previous 12-month period, rising from £3.98 in February 2022.
In addition, analysis of the data by The Morning Advertiser showed lager costs had soared by 28.4% against pre-pandemic levels, up from £3.66 in February 2019.
Rocketing prices
Moreover, lager prices have rocketed by 40.7% over the last decade, with a pint estimated to have stood at £3.34 in February 2014.
Draught bitter prices have also seen price increases, with the average cost of a pint of bitter hitting £3.86 in February this year, up by 4.3% from £3.70 in February last year.
However, month-on-month bitter prices saw a 1% decline, down from £3.90 in January 2024.
Looking at the preceding 12-month period, draught bitter costs saw an 8.8% increase, up from £3.40 in February 2022.
Furthermore, the average pint of draught bitter in pubs has soared by 32.6% since February 2014, increasing from £2.91 over the last 10 years.
Economic crises
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced an extension to the freeze on alcohol duty as part of the Spring Budget earlier this month in a bid to “back the great British pub”.
However, voices from across the sector shared their disappointment at the pledge and raised concerns on the impact it would have at the bar.
Meanwhile, previous data from ONS showed draught lager prices increased by 10.8% in the year to January 2024, from £4.23 in 2023 to £4.69, the biggest January upswing since before the pandemic.
Regarding the January figures, the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) chairman Nik Antona said: “Simultaneous economic crises have meant that price increases are no longer unexpected, but instead are now a grim reflection of modern life.”
