What's your local charging for a pint now?

conor678

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117798564#Comment_117798564

I would say yes and no. For city centre prices I have paid up to 6 pound a pint in London and more at events. Even paid 7 pound a pint at Leeds airport.

However I do think 5.70 for a Guinness in a typical suburban Dublin pub is more then an European equivalent. I have paid 4 euro for a pint in Berlin pubs as a capital comparison. Also been to Bristol too and the beer wasn't Dublin prices.

Don't want to sound tightbut I have noticed beer prices slowly increasing upwards from every trip back home over the past 3 years

poisonated

3.45 for a fosters.

JayRoc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117798814#Comment_117798814

3.45 is what I would pay to not have to drink Fosters.

Black Sheep

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117798808#Comment_117798808

I was in Cheltenham last week and I paid 12 Sterling for two pints of lager. I’m pretty sure I’ve paid more In London but it’s a bit hazy. Admittedly that would have been the city of London, Soho etc. So on the more expensive end.

I don’t disagree prices have risen in Dublin. But are we out of line with London, Paris, Stockholm, Copenhagen..? I’d say we probably aren’t to be honest.

That comparison annoys people, because of course Krakow or Lisbon or wherever is cheaper in comparison… But if you look at incomes in Dublin, it’s not that crazy actually.

To be honest my thought on a lot of price increases is that people don’t really want to account for inflation and the passage of time. I have pals who expect to pay for a pint what they were paying when they were 25… But it’s 15 years later…

Strumms

London is dear... you’ll pay a fiver plus most places.

up north... I think I’ve paid £3.40 - £5 depending.... Manchester is expensive practically everywhere now though it use to not be. Sheffield is great value, a great friendly city with some great welcoming and reasonably priced pubs...

i paid all be it about 4/5 years ago.. 3.40 for a Guinness... pints of their moonshine a really nice fruity refreshing beer.

we are ripped off here by pubs... even one of my locals charges 14.50 for a plate of carvery, must be €10.50 profit minimum.

local here for beers on draught..

Guinness : 5

larger around : 5.70...give or take depending...

Akrasia

5.20 for pint of Heineken in (well, near) a pub in Ennis this weekend

cheap nights out though given that they stop serving at 11 and kick you out not long after

enricoh

Was in Milan around 10 years ago and got 5 longnecks of Heineken - e50 and the hipster barman was miffed with no tip! We said sod this went down the road to the next pub, e50 for 5 nastro azzuro long necks. It was an early night!

E4.90 for Guinness in east meath, same as pre covid.

Akrasia

Food is gone mental though. 16 euros in a 3 star hotel bar in Mayo during the daytime for a burger about 4 chips and some lettuce. Burger was fair to middling

Geuze

Central Paris, 2019, Happy Hour prices

3.50 for 50cl lager in Les Halles, I think in a bar called Club Banana Cafe

Plenty of 50cl lager available across the city for 4.00-4.50, but only until 10pm.

Always remember that when Temple Bar publicans say they are cheaper than Paris.

Strumms

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117799933#Comment_117799933

buying beer in supermarkets in France is for nothing, quality bottled beers too...

i remember a work trip, hotel price for a pint of 1664 was 6.90.

go into a nearby supermarket and a deal for 3 x 660ml bottles of the same beer was 11 euros..

hotel bar was shît too so I’m in my room, netflix, iPad and two or three beers,

beachhead

Some bars in Bristol city centre(and near Cheddar Gorge) can be as dear as central London.In London and Paris you can pay less than Dublin for a full pint(584ml-58.4cl?)if you know where to go.The clientele know how to to drink as well.Try Switzerland if you want a sickener for prices

poisonated

I went to a bar in Dublin that charges 4 euro for a pint of miwadi.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117799422#Comment_117799422

Milan's awful. In every way. But there's some decent bars where you'll "only" pay 6-7 quid for a 330ml craft beer and less again for lagers.

DelmarODonnell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117799963#Comment_117799963

Every city has cheaper pubs than average. This is the same in Dublin. Don't buy your pint of Guinness on Dawson Street or Temple Bar and generally you will be fine.

Geuze

Galway City, July 2021

Garavan's, William street: Guinness = 4.50, Coors Light = 5.50

(I think Garavans was always maybe 20c below typical city centre pubs?)

Freeney's, High street: Guinness = 4.90

PJs, Lower Salthill: Guinness = 4.70, Guinness 0% = 4.70

I note that the Guinness 0% is the same price, so either Diageo or the pub are capturing the 50-55c excise duty as extra margin.

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117799963#Comment_117799963

A pint is 568mL. But in Ireland you won't get a pint of liquid unless you're drinking flat cider, and often not even then. Different in the UK where glasses have a line on the side for a pint of liquid. So yet again we're paying more and getting less...

BENDYBINN

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117785652#Comment_117785652

Well...well good for you.....

Geuze

Monivea, Co. Galway

Kelly's

Guinness = 4.20

Guinness 0.0% served in a can, no device/tap = 2.50

Power's whiskey = 4.20

Hotblack Desiato

The price of a whiskey (or other spirit) in non-Wetherspoon pubs in Ireland is outrageous. A standard 35.5mL measure has only about 60% as much alcohol as a pint.

A bottle has 20 measures so that Powers which can often be bought in a supermarket for €20 would net the publican 84 euro.

L1011

Paid a minumum of £5.50 for a pint in Manchester yesterday/today. There is a Samuel Smiths pub that is likely a fraction of the cost, and I was avoiding 'spoons, Yates et al too - but there's cheap pubs in Dublin too of course.

dobman88

Was home in Kerry last weekend, local was 4.10 and GAA club €4 for Guinness. Where I live in Meath, I've stopped going to the pub I used to frequent, €5.40 for a Guinness, up from €4.80 pre covid 😲😲 so I just stick to the GAA club which is 4.20.

A fiver is plenty to be charging for a pint no matter where you're located. Anything more is just plain robbery.

conor678

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117879148#Comment_117879148

I think that's a good barometer. No more then a fiver for any pub not in a city centre or a posh suburb should be realistic in my opinion.

I can understand an increase in the price with the extra staffing costs with table service etc. My worry is that the price increase won't come down once things are back to normal.

rob316

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117879334#Comment_117879334

There's no extra staffing costs, all publicans are still drawing down wage supports from revenue.

I was out in a few popular spots in cork at the weekend, most 6 euro now unfortunately. Greed

I'd pay it for a nice craft but carlsberg and Guinness? No thanks.

5.40 for a beamish I felt violated

nestegg

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117803490#Comment_117803490

I was just in Milan and had two hours to kill before a flight so went to a craft beer bar. I had 3x 500ml beers which were all decent, some generous samples, a takeaway 330 b.a sour and warm friendly service for 20 euro so Milan aint all bad!

celticbest

Cheapest in Swords,

Lagers: Carlsberg €3.25, Coors €3.25 & Heineken €3.95 (Pints)

Ciders : Pint Bottle of Bulmers €3.95, 500ml Bottle of Kopparberg €3.45

Low/Zero Alcohol : Pint of Heineken 0.0 €2.25, Kopparberg 500ml bottle €2.25

the beer revolu

I find it amusing that a figure of €5 for a pint of beer has generally been accepted as "reasonable". Anything over this figure is, generally, seen as gouging.

No we will all have a general opinion of what is or isn't reasonable but why this is this €5 figure seemingly so universal ?

One can't help feel that this figure is so agreed upon because it's a nice round number that we have a note for and actually has nothing to do with costs and overheads.

This €5 "ceiling" has been around for a decade, now, and despite most pubs having breeched it at this stage, it seems that it is still very much alive in people's heads.

In a few years, I guess, the €10 red line limit will come into play - just like many people swore that they'd never pay more than £1 for a pint!

head82

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117899154#Comment_117899154

I suppose it's all relative at the end of the day. If someone has deep enough pockets and doesn't raise an eyebrow to an extra 50~60c on a pint.. so be it! But for the ordinary punter, common sense must prevail at some stage. Forking out in excess of €5 for a 'meh!' pint of Guinness in less than favourable surroundings (particularly in the current climate), it's only natural that punter is going to re-assess the whole 'value for money' thing.

Price gouging is 'gouging', no matter which way you dress it up. And as has been mentioned above, these establishments continue to be in receipt of grants/wage subsidy schemes so it's difficult to justify these increases. Nobody wants to be taken advantage of.. not if they've any sense.

the beer revolu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117899276#Comment_117899276

You have proposed no argument why this, apparently acceptable price is €5.

Why wasn't €4 a deal breaker?

Why do so many people feel <€5 is reasonable but >€5 is gouging? This also seems to apply to all pints and all pubs equally.

I really do understand why some people feel that pub prices are too expensive (especially in a society where drinking 8 pints in an evening is considered pretty normal). I just don't understand why this price limit is identical for so, so many people for so long.

rob316

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117899304#Comment_117899304

Its just psychological, a fiver for a pint. Go out with 50 euro thats 10 pints you can get, its nice and simple. €5.90,€5.80 or €6 are odd numbers, it just sounds like a lot.

easygoing39

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117898570#Comment_117898570

Must have been in the local 'spoons??

celticbest

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117899394#Comment_117899394

100% correct, cheapest pints outside it iwould be in one of the GAA Clubs, bars in the town are a rip-off...

head82

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117899304#Comment_117899304

What rob316 said! It's psychological! Once you have to break a €10 note for a single pint of beer and end up with a load of 'shrapnel' in your pocket.. it feels like you'e paid €10 for that pint.

Which will ultimately lead one to consider the value for money aspect. That €5 breaking point could make all the difference to how frequently someone visits their local or to how long they stay. Potentially detrimental to the pub owner in the long run.

jakiah

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117899353#Comment_117899353

It was the same thing when I used to be able to go out and get five pints and a bag of chips from a £10 note. And yet here we are.

BeerNut

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117899462#Comment_117899462

Or you could look at the same way from the publicans' point of view: a few years back, one group of pubs in Dublin rasied the price of their low-bracket pints from €4.90 to €5.10. When I asked the manager why not go for a round fiver he said they would then have a problem going up further: punters don't notice so much when €5.10 becomes €5.30 but would be outraged for a €5 pint to become €5.10.

head82

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117899718#Comment_117899718

Wow! That's just.. bizarre! Cute hoors these publicans.. 'psychological' price gouging. I doff my cap to them.

BeerNut

I don't quite understand what what "gouging" means in this context. Do people think that the price of a pint is somehow related to the cost of making and distributing it? Pubs will charge as much as they think people will pay, and they know from experience that there's no upper limit to what people will pay. I can't see where the line is drawn between "doing business" and "gouging". What criteria would you use to set a fair, non-gougey, price for a pint?

SteM

I agree at 'gouging' is the wrong term being used.

One thing I would say is that perhaps pubs thought there was no upper limit to what people would pay, but after being home for so long people might see the cost to go out drinking as excessive now. They may still go out but go out less and stay in a bit more. I guess it depends on whether they have gotten out of the habit or not.

BeerNut

They might indeed, but anyone who thinks that will lead to pubs lowering prices to lure them back has never been for pints with senior members of the LVA (I have, once; it was an eye-opener).

FlubberJones

I don't really know what my two locals are charging, I run a tab and then pay when I leave... I actually should check though and will when in there later (hopefully for a couple). In fairness I don't really mind paying about 6.50 / 6.80 for a pint of Moretti, it tastes great on draft and I've not had that many in a pub over the last 18 month (LOADS at home though)

DelmarODonnell

I was in Arva in Cavan at the weekend, every pub seemed to charge €4.50 for Guinness.

One of the fellas I was there with told me he had paid €6.50 for a Guinness in Searsons the week before, not good at all. They would rank up there with Peter's Pub for the highest prices outside Temple Bar.

Scoundrel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117899414#Comment_117899414

God bless wetherspoons the sooner there are hundreds of them in this rip off country the better force the robbing cartel bastards of the LVA down a few euro.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117900218#Comment_117900218

Hasn't happened anywhere they've opened yet.

Anonymou

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117898433#Comment_117898433

Where in gods name is Beamish 5.40? 😥 you are right on town though, you won't see much difference between Cork city centre and Dublin city centre on prices nowadays for majority of pints.

BeerNut

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117900207#Comment_117900207

We might get somewhere if he had seen that a pint was €6.50 and then not paid it, but pint-drinkers don't seem wired that way.

Scoundrel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117900237#Comment_117900237

No it hasn't to be fair but there are very few wetherspoons in the country yet if there were hundreds it would either force them down or at least give a much larger amount of people a chance to drink pints at reasonable prices.

rob316

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117900242#Comment_117900242

Where else sure? Reardens. They were actually out of it, had to settle for a €6 guinness :(

head82

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117899951#Comment_117899951

I don't know what the dictionary definition of 'gouging' is.. I haven't bothered to look it up. But I reckon the general definition is something like 'an increase in price without justifiable reasons'. This would apply not just to public houses but anywhere.. price of a loaf of bread, a plane ticket, hotel residency etc.

Now, we know that there's always been establishments that have an inflated value on the price of their pint. For whatever reason.. exclude a certain aspect of the public or some such exclusivity nonsense. But if you're a frequenter of a particular public house, would you not feel 'gouged' by an unjustifiable increase?

Granted, we're in a capitalistic/free market society and businesses can charge pretty much what they like, you're not obliged to purchase their product. And nobody begrudges a business making a profit but are you comfortable being exploited like that?

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117900275#Comment_117900275

He'd made the effort to get there and presumably his friends were there, too.

Now maybe he went home early as a result, or went somewhere else after one or two, or just drank slower. Or just resolved not to go there next time.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117900566#Comment_117900566

The major drink distributors operate a cartel, that's no secret. It's no secret either that the LVA operate a cartel among Dublin publicans. So "can charge what they like" isn't really the case.

dobman88

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117899154#Comment_117899154

I dont think gouging is the correct term. Pubs, like any business, will charge what they think people will pay.

But for me a fiver, or less is acceptable. If I go somewhere and get charged more than a fiver I will either leave if I'm not in company or just never go back.

That list now seems to be getting longer post covid.

The whole "why a fiver"? Is purely psychological for me. I cant actually remember the last time I used cash but I do remember about 2 years ago going to a pub to watch a match with 20 quid in my pocket thinking I'd have 4 pints while watching the game. The price of the pint was 5.20 so meant I had only had 3 as I was with a friend and didnt want to cause hassle by moving pub.

Also, I just think a fiver is enough to charge. I get that you're paying for staff, light, heat, tables and chairs etc. But if a pub can turn a profit on a fiver a pint, they probably shouldn't be open.

But as I said, I've always voted with my feet and generally avoid places I know are expensive unless I'm meeting a group and location is out of my hands.

BeerNut

@head82 I think "justifiable" is the key word here. For the publicans, any price rise is justifiable if the beer still sells after it has been applied. The customer handing over their money is the only justification necessary. Am I right in thinking that, for you, there must be some external justification: an increase in the wholesale price, a tax increase, inflation, or some other overhead that raises the cost of providing the pint?

And if so: is a price increase only justified if it covers the extra cost and no more, or is it gouging for the pub to add a premium for themselves at the same time?