BEER drinkers are facing a 50p a pint rise – as pubs risk going bust, industry insiders have warned.
Boozers are seeing rocketing costs for beer, energy, food and labour as they battle soaring inflation and supply chain problems.
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It means some punters may have to pay over £7 for a pint in London.
The average cost of a pint in the UK is £4.07, according to the British Beer and Pub Association.
It estimates that Londoners pay £4.84 on average – but some pubs in the capital already charge over £6.
The Bunch of Grapes in Borough already charges £6.75 for a pint of Amstel, while a Staropramen in The World’s End in Camden costs £6.70.
UKHospitality said pubs were facing “unprecedented” price rises.
Kate Nicholls, chief executive, said: “This is weighing very heavily on these businesses, which have had nothing but a torrid time, and the price of a pint and a meal out will have to rise.”
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James Calder, chief executive of Society of Independent Brewers said: “Independent brewers are not immune to rises in input costs.
“We have seen huge spikes in people costs, transport, raw ingredients and energy.
“With most brewers running very tight ships already, our sector unfortunately needs to be able to pass on these price rises to customers including the pubs in between.
“Otherwise they will go bust. No business likes to raise its prices but right now it is a necessity to survive.”
Dave Mountford, co-founder of the Forum of British Pubs and manager at The Boat Inn, in Cromford, Derbyshire, warned that drinkers are facing rises of more than 50p.
He said: “We’re putting prices up now and soon we’ll break the £4 a pint on cask ale for the first time ever.
“Our most expensive pint is a premium lager and it’s £4.80 – it was £3.75 two years ago.”
Nik Antona, CAMRA’s National Chairman: “While disheartening, it is not surprising that the price of a pint is expected to rise steeply as the beer and pubs sector continues to deal with employment, supply chain and cost of good crises.
“This could spell disaster at the pump for small brewers and publicans if consumers make the decision to stay at home to cut corners.”
Earlier this week the chairman of the City Pub Company Clive Watson said that ‘pub inflation’ was running at about 10%, and the price of a pint was going up by 40p to 50p.
Industry experts urged the government to scrap the 12.5% VAT rate on pubs, restaurants and hotels, and scrap the scheduled rise back up to 20%, which is planned for April to ease pressure on the industry.
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