| Weakened beer…. 14:54 - Jun 19 with 15516 views | colinallcars |
Much talk in the papers today about brewers lowering the gravity of their beers to save on excise duty and defray their costs.
Beers mentioned included Fosters, John Smith and Marstons.
No sweat for me as these beers don't find their way down my neck.
Worth observing though - I'm paying £6 plus for a pint of ale. |  | | |  |
| Weakened beer…. on 10:18 - Jun 21 with 2989 views | cyprusmel |
| Weakened beer…. on 01:27 - Jun 20 by SydneyRs |
I don't know about brewers as such, but there's widespread rampant price gouging by big businesses going on because of inflation expectations and its disgusting. Inflation is already an expectation so lets just add some extra fat for ourselves. It isn't called out enough.
The two main supermarket chains here are a perfect example. Crying poor because of increased supply costs (which there are to be fair and you expect some price increases as a result), but have increased their profits by 15% in the last year. It isn't hard to work out what's going on. [Post edited 20 Jun 2023 1:27]
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Not beer related but to back up SydneyRs story re supermarkets profits, many years ago I had some shops in Bognor Regis and one of them was a 99p shop, now across the road was a Tesco Express, we both sold McCoys multipack crisps now my price of course was 99p Tesco charged for the same packets with the same code 1.75 the same as their out of town outlet.
We also sold Colgate toothpaste at 99p, across the road at Morrisons it was over 2 pounds a tube, I was a hole in the wall operation these were multinationals they would surely be able to buy better than me.
There were many other instances but I can't remember them now.
In my opinion supermarkets have been robbing the public for years. |  | | |
| Weakened beer…. on 11:27 - Jun 21 with 2901 views | Konk |
| Weakened beer…. on 00:10 - Jun 20 by 100percent |
So here is my take on this for what it's worth.
As some of you may know, I own a few bars and also have a company that puts bars into Festivals (lots of them)
The massive challenge this year has been the struggle to present a sub seven quid pint. All brewers have raised their pricing - some like Heineken to the extent of 20% - it's shocking and difficult to swallow. What the brewers don't understand is that your normal 4 pint man is now drinking 2/3 and then switching to spirits because it has a perceived greater value. There is a glass ceiling to how much most people will pay for a pint - as some of you have mentioned inthis thread, paying a premium for 'craft products' has a greater value, but what we are finding is that that is also being applied to the pricing of products like Fosters and Carlsberg, which frankly cannot justify the same pricing tier.
The changing of the ABV is an effort to have the cost pricing reduced - the tax changes on August the 1st based on drink strengths, therefore reducing the ABV is an attempt to maintain a slightly cheaper wholesale price.
The days of simply passing the price increase on to the customer is just not going to work because there is only so much people willpay for a pint - therefore they are attempting a smarter approach.
Only time will tell if it works. Until they start controlling the major supermarkets using dynamic pricing to encourage families to do their weekly shopping in their establishment, we will slowly see the death of ontrade premises..... |
People I know in the pub and restaurant trade are having an absolute ‘mare trying to keep costs down because as you say, there’s a limit to what people will pay, either because they don’t have the money or because they think someone’s taking the pi ss.
I was in a pub in Clifton, the other day, where I would expect to pay about £5.40-60 for a pint of local craft beer. £7.50 a pint - which I actually queried because I was so shocked - and the bloke shrugged his shoulders and said he was having to charge that to stay afloat. I like the pub, and I sympathise with him, but I wasn’t going to sit around spending that much on a pint I could get for £2 less in an equally nice pub somewhere else. I love going to pubs but I don’t tend to drink in any of the £6.50+ a pint pubs even if I like them, because I can’t justify it. Coming home to London seems like visiting Oslo/Zurich/Stockholm to me now, when it comes to the boozers.
Incredibly difficult time at the moment - my wife works in food manufacturing and with energy bills, the cost of ingredients, increased wages, and increased transportation costs, they are having to force through fairly regular price increases to the supermarkets, when it’s usually a case of supermarkets squeezing their suppliers. |  |
| Fulham FC: It's the taking part that counts |
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| Weakened beer…. on 12:22 - Jun 21 with 2854 views | Match82 |
| Weakened beer…. on 11:27 - Jun 21 by Konk |
People I know in the pub and restaurant trade are having an absolute ‘mare trying to keep costs down because as you say, there’s a limit to what people will pay, either because they don’t have the money or because they think someone’s taking the pi ss.
I was in a pub in Clifton, the other day, where I would expect to pay about £5.40-60 for a pint of local craft beer. £7.50 a pint - which I actually queried because I was so shocked - and the bloke shrugged his shoulders and said he was having to charge that to stay afloat. I like the pub, and I sympathise with him, but I wasn’t going to sit around spending that much on a pint I could get for £2 less in an equally nice pub somewhere else. I love going to pubs but I don’t tend to drink in any of the £6.50+ a pint pubs even if I like them, because I can’t justify it. Coming home to London seems like visiting Oslo/Zurich/Stockholm to me now, when it comes to the boozers.
Incredibly difficult time at the moment - my wife works in food manufacturing and with energy bills, the cost of ingredients, increased wages, and increased transportation costs, they are having to force through fairly regular price increases to the supermarkets, when it’s usually a case of supermarkets squeezing their suppliers. |
I'm not an expert but it seems cyclical to me in nature. Starting at the most basic level the farmers have increased their prices to for manufacturers because they have to pay more these days for their supplies etc. And of course, when they increase price they may as well round up a bit.
So food manufacturers are paying more and majority work on a margin basis - we need to make x% on all our products, so that price gets passed on to the retailers. May as well round up while you're doing it though.
Retailers also work on a margin %, so the price gets passed through to the consumer. May as well round up a bit though when you do that.
Farmer looks at the price of what he pays for his supplies now and says blimey that's gone up, I'm going to have to start charging more.... |  | | |
| Weakened beer…. on 12:47 - Jun 21 with 2821 views | Metallica_Hoop |
In the Black Friar last year a neck oil tap was about £7 but a Camden Pale cask was £5 something.
Since then I've tried to go for the Cask.
If they try to charge me me £7 for a pissy waterry tasting lager at GNR in a few weeks I shall go on the JD Slash stylee. |  |
| Beer and Beef has made us what we are - The Prince Regent |
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| Weakened beer…. on 14:51 - Jun 21 with 2748 views | colinallcars |
I went to Kew Gardens today, they had cans of Kew Gardens Pale @ £5.50 - for about a half pint !
Went back to the sanity of the Tap on the Line by the station. Better value obviously. There was a Peroni ad on the table so I tried a pint thinking of Clive. I quite liked it but prefer my ale. | | | |
| Weakened beer…. on 15:21 - Jun 21 with 2696 views | Hayesender |
| Weakened beer…. on 10:18 - Jun 21 by cyprusmel |
Not beer related but to back up SydneyRs story re supermarkets profits, many years ago I had some shops in Bognor Regis and one of them was a 99p shop, now across the road was a Tesco Express, we both sold McCoys multipack crisps now my price of course was 99p Tesco charged for the same packets with the same code 1.75 the same as their out of town outlet.
We also sold Colgate toothpaste at 99p, across the road at Morrisons it was over 2 pounds a tube, I was a hole in the wall operation these were multinationals they would surely be able to buy better than me.
There were many other instances but I can't remember them now.
In my opinion supermarkets have been robbing the public for years. |
I stopped buying toiletries, washing liquid etc in the big supermarkets years ago now.
I've also recently started getting my fresh fruit and veg at a local green grocers in Rustington. Cheaper, fresher, and not in great big bags that is never gonna get eaten.
Shop local as much as I can now |  |
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| Weakened beer…. on 15:53 - Jun 21 with 2667 views | bollockchops |
Pubs just selling booze are a rarity these days , my local dosnt like drinkers congregating at the bar and as there is only two tiny tables just for drinkers you are encouraged to drink outside and be waiter/ress served so ive become a member of the local cricket/sports club (£2.50) where Morrieti is £4.20 Timothy Taylor 4.3% Wadworth x6 4% are £3.10 ,theyve jus
t got Cruzcampo in but thats £4.90 and all crisps n nuts are 80p .
Wall to wall sport Footie on one screen horse racing on another ,cricket on another , happy days.... |  | | |
| Weakened beer…. on 16:07 - Jun 21 with 2630 views | Hayesender |
| Weakened beer…. on 15:53 - Jun 21 by bollockchops |
Pubs just selling booze are a rarity these days , my local dosnt like drinkers congregating at the bar and as there is only two tiny tables just for drinkers you are encouraged to drink outside and be waiter/ress served so ive become a member of the local cricket/sports club (£2.50) where Morrieti is £4.20 Timothy Taylor 4.3% Wadworth x6 4% are £3.10 ,theyve jus
t got Cruzcampo in but thats £4.90 and all crisps n nuts are 80p .
Wall to wall sport Footie on one screen horse racing on another ,cricket on another , happy days.... |
Likewise. I've recently joined the local trades and labour club down my way (Baz will be please 😉).
Beers range from £3.20 for a carlsberg up to £4 for a Guinness. Pools tables, dart boards, sky and bt sports, and if you're hungry crisps and nuts | |
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| Weakened beer…. on 17:34 - Jun 21 with 2573 views | SK_hoops |
| Weakened beer…. on 16:07 - Jun 21 by Hayesender |
Likewise. I've recently joined the local trades and labour club down my way (Baz will be please 😉).
Beers range from £3.20 for a carlsberg up to £4 for a Guinness. Pools tables, dart boards, sky and bt sports, and if you're hungry crisps and nuts |
Yeah, around £3.50 for a pint at the social club in Perivale. I think these places will get busier once people clock that they exist, are way cheaper and have had enough of spoons. | | | |
| Weakened beer…. on 21:38 - Jun 21 with 2489 views | 100percent |
| Weakened beer…. on 11:27 - Jun 21 by Konk |
People I know in the pub and restaurant trade are having an absolute ‘mare trying to keep costs down because as you say, there’s a limit to what people will pay, either because they don’t have the money or because they think someone’s taking the pi ss.
I was in a pub in Clifton, the other day, where I would expect to pay about £5.40-60 for a pint of local craft beer. £7.50 a pint - which I actually queried because I was so shocked - and the bloke shrugged his shoulders and said he was having to charge that to stay afloat. I like the pub, and I sympathise with him, but I wasn’t going to sit around spending that much on a pint I could get for £2 less in an equally nice pub somewhere else. I love going to pubs but I don’t tend to drink in any of the £6.50+ a pint pubs even if I like them, because I can’t justify it. Coming home to London seems like visiting Oslo/Zurich/Stockholm to me now, when it comes to the boozers.
Incredibly difficult time at the moment - my wife works in food manufacturing and with energy bills, the cost of ingredients, increased wages, and increased transportation costs, they are having to force through fairly regular price increases to the supermarkets, when it’s usually a case of supermarkets squeezing their suppliers. |
My general approach this summer has been about ensuring that we can hit the £6.50/70 price on a premium product and sell the session lagers at £6.00. This generally gives your customer the choice of paying the extra if they choose to. It is also psychologically a better fit - effectively Joe Public will spend £20 if he can get three pints, but only £15 if its 7.50 per pint.
Cynically, a lot of my competitor bar companies have been switching away from draught products this year and selling 330ml cans at £6.00/50 a pop - which is eye wateringly steep for what is effectively a cheaper product to serve without the need for a draught tech installation.
I also find that the corporate Festival groups such as Live Nation and AEG tend to treat their customers with disdain and don't really care. The problem is of course, people will drink local to the event, enter the site 20 mins before the main artiste and then leave directly afterwards.
I always like to pride ourselves in the ability to keep people in the event and drinking as much as possible - people aren't fools....
It's been incredibly tough this year though.... |  | | |
| Weakened beer…. on 16:53 - Jun 24 with 2302 views | bollockchops |
soz Cruzcampo is £3.90 not £4.90 ive been watching Rhodesia v West Indies | | | |
| Weakened beer…. on 19:11 - Jun 24 with 2232 views | Sonofpugwash |
It's enough to make you go seriously bonkers.
But I'd rather have a beer in front of me than a frontal lobotomy. |  |
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| Weakened beer…. on 09:06 - Jun 25 with 2167 views | Yorkshirehoop |
Going slightly off topic but I went to the tennis in Nottingham last week and all that was on offer was pimms and 300ml skinny cans of Peroni at 6 quid a pop.
F uckin pi5s take.
On day two I just took in a load of gin in a gym flask. | | | |
| Weakened beer…. on 09:15 - Jun 25 with 2160 views | Yorkshirehoop |
The trip was a nightmare.
I got to see Andy Murray play and Maria Sakkari play which was a bonus but on the Tuesday morning I had to wait over an hour for a cab as the trams were suspended because of that nutcase that murdered 3 people.
The atmosphere in the city centre in the evening was horrible and couldn't wait to get back home. | | | |
| Weakened beer…. on 09:41 - Sep 23 with 1676 views | Toast_R |
Anyone tried this new Cruzcampo Spanish beer from Seville that arrived on the UK market?
Bought a case the other week from Tesco and have to say, I quite liked it.
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| Weakened beer…. on 10:32 - Sep 23 with 1600 views | Drewster |
| Weakened beer…. on 09:41 - Sep 23 by Toast_R |
Anyone tried this new Cruzcampo Spanish beer from Seville that arrived on the UK market?
Bought a case the other week from Tesco and have to say, I quite liked it.
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They started selling that in my local, The Flower Pot in Lower Sunbury. £6.50 a pint but it’s not bad.
Doubt it’s Spanish though, but like Madri that is marketed as from Madrid but it’s actually brewed and packaged in Tadcaster!
Went to a pub in Notting Hill the other week pre Rangers and we were paying 7:50 a pint, but they only were selling lesser known craft stuff. £15 a round of 2 drinks is hard to take. |  | | |
| Weakened beer…. on 10:40 - Sep 23 with 1586 views | Toast_R |
| Weakened beer…. on 10:32 - Sep 23 by Drewster |
They started selling that in my local, The Flower Pot in Lower Sunbury. £6.50 a pint but it’s not bad.
Doubt it’s Spanish though, but like Madri that is marketed as from Madrid but it’s actually brewed and packaged in Tadcaster!
Went to a pub in Notting Hill the other week pre Rangers and we were paying 7:50 a pint, but they only were selling lesser known craft stuff. £15 a round of 2 drinks is hard to take. |
Its harsh when they start walloping you with those prices. You need to cross the river mate to my neck of the Woods here in Molesey. Will shave a bit off the beer price!
I went up London Bridge last Sunday for the England v Japan Rugby World Cup match at the Fan Park vinegar Yard thing. £6.50 a pint of Madri but I was expecting at least £8 in there so pleasantly surprised. (Daft when £6.50 a pint of lager is now a good price). [Post edited 23 Sep 2023 10:43]
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| Weakened beer…. on 10:48 - Sep 23 with 1574 views | loftboy |
| Weakened beer…. on 09:41 - Sep 23 by Toast_R |
Anyone tried this new Cruzcampo Spanish beer from Seville that arrived on the UK market?
Bought a case the other week from Tesco and have to say, I quite liked it.
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£4.80 in my local. |  |
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| Weakened beer…. on 11:48 - Sep 23 with 1490 views | johncharles |
Fed up with all these foreign beers which are actually brewed under license in this country. Many of them are very good in there country of origin but the stuff made here is weak pish. Bought a 4pack of Holstein Pils the other day and it was absolute dross. |  |
| Strong and stable my arse. |
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| Weakened beer…. on 11:56 - Sep 23 with 1463 views | loftboy |
| Weakened beer…. on 11:48 - Sep 23 by johncharles |
Fed up with all these foreign beers which are actually brewed under license in this country. Many of them are very good in there country of origin but the stuff made here is weak pish. Bought a 4pack of Holstein Pils the other day and it was absolute dross. |
I order from the “ beers of Europe “ website in kingslyn, actually drove there there a couple of months ago and came home with 92 bottles of various German beers, which included a fair few Dunkels, (dark beer) .
Why our country doesn’t use the same purity laws the Germans do is beyond me.
How anyone can drink Carling, carlsberg, and associated cheap crap full of additives and chemicals. [Post edited 23 Sep 2023 11:57]
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| Weakened beer…. on 11:10 - Oct 2 with 1186 views | CateLeBonR |
Bought some Brewdog ‘Black Heart’ stout from Sainsbury’s Local yesterday. £6 for 4 pack of 440ml cans so good value. If you like their ‘Jet Black Heart’ stout you’ll like this, it’s basically a slightly weaker version (4.1%). Targeting the Guinness market I think.
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| Weakened beer…. on 11:33 - Oct 2 with 1149 views | Toast_R |
| Weakened beer…. on 11:56 - Sep 23 by loftboy |
I order from the “ beers of Europe “ website in kingslyn, actually drove there there a couple of months ago and came home with 92 bottles of various German beers, which included a fair few Dunkels, (dark beer) .
Why our country doesn’t use the same purity laws the Germans do is beyond me.
How anyone can drink Carling, carlsberg, and associated cheap crap full of additives and chemicals. [Post edited 23 Sep 2023 11:57]
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Ive used Beers of Europe a couple of times. Bought once of their Oktoberfest cases. Very nice indeed. They also do Rothaus Pils which is probably one of my favourite beers of all time. The only snag is you have to watch the date on them as I saved a few Rothaus Pils from October for Christmas that year but by December time they'd expired. Obviously hanging around in stock a fair while.
Majestics Wine is also a rather good place to buy some genuine imported beers. Always buy a case of Paulaner Helles from there for Xmas. | | | |
| Weakened beer…. on 13:11 - Oct 2 with 1084 views | Esox_Lucius |
| Weakened beer…. on 19:50 - Jun 20 by eastside_r |
Blimey! I used to drink that back in the day.
I called it a ‘Winter Warmer’ as I tended to drink it in that season.
However, it didn’t really warm you up, just prevented you from feeling the cold or feeling anything else come to think of it. |
You aren't getting it mixed up with this are you?
There was also Stingo which, IIRC, was only available in 1/3 pint bottles.
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| The grass is always greener. |
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| Weakened beer…. on 13:26 - Oct 2 with 1057 views | robith |
| Weakened beer…. on 10:32 - Sep 23 by Drewster |
They started selling that in my local, The Flower Pot in Lower Sunbury. £6.50 a pint but it’s not bad.
Doubt it’s Spanish though, but like Madri that is marketed as from Madrid but it’s actually brewed and packaged in Tadcaster!
Went to a pub in Notting Hill the other week pre Rangers and we were paying 7:50 a pint, but they only were selling lesser known craft stuff. £15 a round of 2 drinks is hard to take. |
If you'd ever been to Seville, you'd know it's Spanish. You'd struggle to drink anything else in the city [Post edited 2 Oct 2023 13:36]
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