The average cost of a pint of beer has soared to above £5 as the most expensive lager sold in British pubs has been revealed.
Pub-goers can expect to shell out £5.08 for a pint of lager, more than £1 more than it would have cost three years ago, according to trade magazine The Morning Advertiser.
This is also up from the £4.82 average figure reported by the Office of National Statistics in December 2024.
Beavertown Neck Oil has overtaken Asahi to be the highest-priced pint, coming in at an average of £6.36.
It is the most expensive in London, where it costs a whopping £6.92. The North East serves the cheapest Neck Oil at £5.70.
The cheapest pint in the country was Scotland’s Tennent’s lager, coming in at £4.02 in Britain’s pubs.
Pint price percentages rose in Wales by 3.5 per cent, the North West by 2.76 per cent, the South East by 2.54 per cent, London by 2.26 per cent and the South West by 0.8 per cent.
London pubs were the only ones charging more than £6 for a pint of any variant, with the average costing £6.16.
The cheapest pubs were in the Midlands, where the average pint costs just £4.47.
Ten of 33 beers surveyed by the publication showed a drop in price, however. Greene King IPA, Abbot Ale, Wainwright and Camden Hells were all cheaper.
BrewDog Punk IPA, Carling, Carlsberg, Pravha, Madri and Asahi were also cheaper across the UK compared to November.
The Morning Advertiser carried out the new research for its MA Pint Price Survey in January 2025. It notes average prices can fluctuate so provide a snapshot in time.
A prominent London pub recently sparked anger by implementing a £2 surcharge on pints ordered after 10pm as part of a surge pricing policy, without listing the price change on the menu.
The O’Neills branch on Wardour Street, Soho has been raising its drink prices every evening, resulting in customers paying up to £9.40 for a pint.
This policy has drawn accusations from consumer experts who claim the chain is exploiting customers by not properly advertising the price hike.
It charged £7.40 for a pint of Brewdog IPA during the day and early evening. But after 10pm, the price jumps to £9.40.
The only warning of the change was written on an A4 notice at the end of the bar, which reads: “We operate a variable price list in this venue.”
A spokesperson previously told The Independent: “Most hospitality businesses and retailers deploy a form of dynamic pricing, but this means that prices can both rise as well as fall through tactical discounts being offered in the form of time-limited promotions and fixed price menus.
“Dynamic pricing varies on a site-by-site basis as it reflects the local market conditions, but temporary price increases tend to reflect the need to offset additional costs such as at times when door security is required.”
