Analysis of data from NIQ showed the average price of a pint of stout in UK pubs as of February 2026 stood at £5.06.
However, separate data from digital marketing agency Tank estimated the average cost of a pint of Guinness, based on figures from 138 pubs across the country, is £5.41.
The 31% rise in price took place between 2023 and 2026. Meanwhile, the figure for the increase during that period for the wider stout category was 19.1%, analysis of the data revealed.
Despite Guinness being 9p per pint cheaper than rival stouts in 2023, it has outpaced the market each year since.
Increased prices
In 2023, Tank estimated a pint of Guinness cost £4.15 on average, compared with NIQ data showing a pint of stout generally cost £4.24 during this time.
The following year, Guinness came in 2p more expensive than the average cost of other stouts at £4.48 per pint.
Last year, NIQ calculated the average cost of a pint of stout was £4.63, while Tank’s data showed Guinness had soared to £5.41 per pint.
This comes after Diageo announced it would be increasing the price of Guinness Draught by 5.2% for on-trade customers from April this year, as exclusively reported by The Morning Advertiser (The MA).
Last year, the global drinks giant upped the price of Guinness by 4.2%.
A spokesperson for Diageo told The MA the business was not immune to the rising cost of doing business, adding the uptick would allow the company to invest more in the brand and that price hikes had been kept to a minimum.
Operators are also continuing to struggle when it comes to ordering Guinness, with many telling The MA Guinness Draught orders have been delayed or restricted for months now. Guinness 0.0 in cans have also proved difficult to get hold of.
Business as usual
Some have opted to switch to other brands, including Heineken-owned Murphy’s Irish Stout, in recent months, while Molson Coors threw its hat in the ring in January this year with the on-trade launch of Caffrey’s stout.
However, a Diageo spokesperson assured The MA it was business as usual and that there were no supply issues for Guinness Draught or Guinness 0.0 cans.
It’s not just the price of stout that has increased. Last month, The MA reported one fifth of UK beer drinkers were unwilling to pay more than £2.99 for a pint 10 years ago. The average draught pint of lager now sits at £5.17 with premium lines regularly exceeding £6.
As the price gap between Guinness and others stouts continues to widen, particularly with April’s increases fast approaching, the question for many pubs will be how far brand loyalty can stretch at the bar before price-sensitive consumers consider switching allegiances.
