Taoiseach Micheál Martin has confirmed that the Government does not plan to bring down the price of a pint by cutting excise duty.
Heineken Ireland confirmed that a price increase on all of its draught products will be introduced to "enable us to more closely reflect the cost of producing and supplying our products."
It will affect a number of different drinks in Irish pubs, sending the prices of pints upwards in the process, including Heineken, Birra Moretti, Orchard Thieves, Coors, Fosters, Beamish and Murphys.
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While Heineken confirmed that the price of a keg will increase by 17c some pubs have suggested that they will have to increase prices by up to 40c to compensate.
Speaking in Blackpool on Friday, Mr Martin declined to say whether he thought pubs were price gouging.
However, he confirmed that the Government is not planning to bring prices down by cutting excise duty.
“The market [is] taking its course in terms of alcohol,” the Taoiseach said.
“There is a lot of pressure all around because of the economy. We all know there's a cost of living issue arising out of the war in Ukraine. A lot of energy price increases, I don't have the full facts in relation to the factors that have governed Heineken's decision. That's a matter for Heineken.
“At one level, they have to be acutely aware of the consumers' capacity to absorb such price increases, I would have thought.
“So do the publicans have to be very mindful of what the consumer can absorb.
“But the Government doesn't have any plans at this stage to change excise duties.”
A Heineken Ireland spokesman told the Irish Mirror that due to increases in the cost of energy, packaging, and raw materials, it had “been left with no choice but to amend its pricing in the Irish on-trade market”.
“As a result, we have written to our on-trade customers to advise them of a 9% increase in wholesale draught prices to more closely reflect the current cost of producing and supplying our products.
"Heineken is not passing on the full impact of cost rises for its Irish business.
"Heineken sets the wholesale price that is charged for its products but has no role in relation to the price paid by the consumer, as this is set by individual operators within the on-trade sector.”
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