Non Alcoholic beer in bars should be cheaper than alcoholic beer

bacon?

By at least 25%. Its not beer, it's essentially a soft drink.

Kermit.de.frog

As Roy Keane once said : "bars are for alcohol"

bucketybuck

Its neither their job nor their responsibility to encourage you to drink non alcoholic beers.

fran38

Apparently non alcoholic beers start out with alcohol in. It takes some sort of procedure to extract it. So it costs more to produce.

Pauliedragon

I doubt publicans have much of an interest in making non alcoholic beer more attractive. People won't drink 8 or 10 of them like they will full strength and a room where a lot of people are sober detracts from the atmosphere as alcohol makes people more chatty, friendly etc.

Rock Steady Edy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058362795/non-alcoholic-beer-in-bars-should-be-cheaper-than-alcoholic-beer

On what basis?

The raw ingredients of a cup of coffee probably cost 20 - 40c, yet there's no shortage of people willing to pay €4 to have it made for them.

rolling boh

Publicans proberly tolerate non alcohol beers but any pub where a lot of people are drinking them won't last for reasons already mentioned in this thread .The non alcohol bar didn't last too long in Dublin awhile back .Price isn't a factor either way .

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122462076#Comment_122462076

But then you remove the duty on alcohol - which would knock over 50c off the price of the pint.

https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2022-07-26/323/#:~:text=Typically%2C%20the%20excise%20duty%20on,%2C%2013.5%25%20and%209%25.

whisky_galore

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122462132#Comment_122462132

More insufferable the more they drink too.

The markup on soft drinks is insane though.

gmisk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122462233#Comment_122462233

In fairness when it comes to that bar I think COVID closures hit them hard, it didn't really recover to the same levels after.

Demand as well as the quality of non-alcoholic drinks is going one way, up. Estrella is very nice. I don't expect to pay less for a non alcoholic beer but generally you do a small bit. I don't think it's a case of publicans tolerating non alcohol drinkers, they realize there is a decent market and markup so might as well cater to them too.

Board for example (board games, non alcoholic drinks, food) is doing very well seemingly. Young people are drinking less so there is some kind of demand for spaces like that.

rolling boh

We regularly hear of people wanting places where they don't have to drink alcohol but I don't think people in my experience who don't drink alcohol tend to stay that long in places and go as part of doing something else so I would think the profit a pub would make from those people would be a good deal less than your regular drinker .I know there are exceptions but they are small enough in numbers from my experience anyhow .

SchrodingersCat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122462245#Comment_122462245

The soft drinks markup is indeed outrageous. If you buy the more expensive one, Redbull, from the shop, you will pay around 1.20e. This is without bulk buy discounts, wholesaler discounts, etc.

https://www.dunnesstoresgrocery.com/sm/delivery/rsid/258/product/red-bull-energy-drink-250ml-8-pack-id-100298458

In the pubs, you could be paying up to 6.20e a can (like in temple bar, below, with a lot of pubs not far behind).

I reckon the alcohol free pints are expensive for a similar reason. It’s not to do with how much they cost to produce at all, but what they can charge.

magicbastarder

Singling out just the price of the red bull on that is funny though. That's a whole lot of crazy on that receipt.

Busman Paddy Lasty

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122462324#Comment_122462324

The vodka. If that is one shot for €10.65 it is like paying €199 for a 700ml.

SchrodingersCat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122462324#Comment_122462324

I agree, the other prices deserve their own thread.

elperello

Whatever about Temple Bar, I was in a country pub in the West of Ireland recently and paid €3.50 a 200ml bottle of Diet Coke.

That's €17.50 per litre.

All non alcoholic drinks in pubs are poor value.

Padre_Pio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122462418#Comment_122462418

That's another thing. The cans and the glasses got smaller, the price stayed the same.

200mls is barely a few mouthfuls, a children's size can.

The Continental Op

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122462222#Comment_122462222

On the bases that they don't have to pay the 55cents excise duty on every pint for a start.

Pauliedragon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122462435#Comment_122462435

The extra cost of making the beer cancels out the 55c saving.

magicbastarder

You mean it costs the brewery 55c per pint extra to make non alcoholic beer?

I suspect not...

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122462063#Comment_122462063

The same Roy Keane who deserted his country in 2002 and maimed a man. I couldn't care less what he thinks.

I don't know how much the stuff costs to make compared to the regular stuff. I was in a pub in central London with a friend on Thursday and I was paying £6.50 a pint for Lucky Saint while he was paying £7.50 a pint for Peroni. At least, it should be taxed a lot less as it means you can go to the pub without the health risks of alcohol and consume far fewer calories at the same time.

SchrodingersCat

Brewcrew sell kegs of Guinness 0.0 for 145e which works out about 2.75e per pint.
Pubs would be buying it in for a lot less.

edit: scratch that. O Briens sell it for less than 1.65e a can.

LambshankRedemption

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122462245#Comment_122462245

Was out on Friday night, everyone else was drinking pints so I asked for 2 200ml bottles of coke in a pint glass with ice. 7 euros.

For coke! Coca-Cola before some smartarse thinks I mean something different.

If it was just about money, landlords wold be encouraging more people to drink soft drinks.

Ger Roe

It is not in the energy generating industry interest for the consumer to use less gas or electricity, it is not in the waste disposal industry for the consumer to dispose of less waste and it is not in the alcohol industry interest for consumers to drink non alcohol drinks.

We are being conned in lots of areas to think that doing the right thing will result in cost savings for us, as individuals. The world does not work like that.

Tony EH

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122462076#Comment_122462076

Well, that's their excuse anyway. Whether there's any truth to it is another story.

LambshankRedemption

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122463242#Comment_122463242

You can't make Guinness without making alcohol. It then goes through a reverse osmosis process, and the alcohol is distilled off.

It is more expensive to make Guinness Zero than it is regular Guinness which is why its a similar price.

bacon?

I doubt it costs much more to make. There's no excise duty and it's a healthier alternative. Of course bars are going to charge the same, they shouldn't be allowed to. €7 for a bottle of non alcoholic Corona… That's mental.

JP Liz V1

In regard to minerals, can pubs sell cans, they could buy cheap in multi packs

The small glass bottle minerals really have nothing in them

Alcohol free beers even in cans or bottles I think are near enough the same price in Off Licences and Supermarkets

magicbastarder

IIRC the mix in the 200ml bottles is a stronger mix than in cans, to allow for dilution from melting ice.

tbf, i can't remember where i heard that so it could well be wrong!

Geuze

Retailers are free in Ireland to charge whatever price they like.

The Roisin Dubh pub / late venue in Galway city charges 4.00 for Guinness 0.0%, which is a fair price for 2024.

LambshankRedemption

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122463313#Comment_122463313

The same multipacks that have printed on the cans "Not to be sold individually"?

A 200ml glass bottle costs a pub about 65 cents. Nowhere near cheaper than multi packs of cans.

JP Liz V1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122463534#Comment_122463534

And they sale for about €3.50 to €4 each, mad mark up

I've got Cidona in cans in pubs but these cans seem different to shop cans

Would businesses be in trouble for selling cans marked not for individual selling etc., as many chippers use

LambshankRedemption

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122463550#Comment_122463550

Pubs would potentially be in trouble. But why bother?

Pauliedragon

Minerlals are over priced but they are stocked primarily for mixers and cans wouldn't be suitable. Outside of pubs that sell large volumes of food, non alcoholic beer and mineral drinkers are not a priority for publicans. With the beer, a keg costs the same as full strength beer so it's the breweries to blame there. What pubs should do is use post mix for mixing the spirits add a euro on the price of Vodka & Coke, the customer is happy because 2 X V&C is €14 instead of €16 and the extra margin on that could cover a price reduction on mineral bottles for people who are having the mineral only.

rolling boh

It proberly comes down to business for pubs they don't want folk sitting up at the bar watching tv or whatever drinking a glass of my wadi while watching a match on tv .

Greyfox

Non alcoholic beers should definitely be cheaper but then that would be a sensible way for the government to deal with binge drinking and Ireland doesn't do sensible plans, theyd rather close everywhere when it gets late so that more people binge drink.

Capt'n Midnight

Aldi sell cans of sweet corn for 24c. Barley may be more expensive than corn but there's a lot corn in that can than in a pint. And like beer you have to heat it up to boiling point so most of the energy inputs are similar. And the brewery can sell the CO2.

They can also sell the ethanol they extract from non-alcoholic drinks.

The sweet corn can costs money too. I can't see how it costs Diageo anything like 25c to produce a pint.

The Continental Op

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122467324#Comment_122467324

Probably better quality ingredients in the can of corn than is in a pint brewed by Diageo.

Grayson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122463309#Comment_122463309

I was going to point that out. The tax and duty on alcoholic drinks shouldn't apply. Same goes for off licence sales.

Here in germany there's a ridiculous selection of non alcoholic beers in shops. Some are delicious. I always have some at home so I can have one during a lunch break on a hot day.

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122469560#Comment_122469560

Any recommendations? I find Heineken 0 a bit tasteless. Lucky Saint is quite nice and crisp.

Grayson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122469566#Comment_122469566

My current favorite is Clausthaler Extra Herb. But if you're not sure, there's a hundred radlers that are delicious. I like them occasionally but there are times when I want something that tastes like a beer.

JVince

I was laugh when I see posts like this

Maybe those buying non alcoholic beer should have it served in a different glass that magically cleans itself, served by a person who takes a smaller wage because its non alcoholic, told to sit on the floor because seats are for those paying for real beer, told to sit outside because the heat is for those paying normal price.

There's cost in business. It doesn't always reflect in the cost of the product itself. EG shops can buy greeting cards for 50c and sell for €2 - but serving that customer for €2 has the same cost as serving the customer for a €10 item which the shop may have bought for €6.

And them you ALWAYS get that one person who brings up the Temple Bar pub - funny how they have probably never been in the pub themselves and checked what the punter gets for the €11 pint (that's a normal price in many New York, Boston, Seattle, London, Paris etc pubs - it would be CHEAP by Paris standards). As well as the drink, they get really good live Irish music no matter what time they go in and many will spend a couple of hours over one drink listening to the music - so if I said I will give you 2 hours of live traditional music plus a pint of beer and it will cost you €10.95 all in, you'd be saying tis a bargain.

If you go into the Temple Bar and swill back 4 pints in an hour and can't be bothered with the music - you are a fool and that's what Martin Keane himself says. Its not aimed to that type of customer.

Pauliedragon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122469824#Comment_122469824

And it's the publicans overcharging for non alco beer. The keg is the same price as full strength.

Sultan of Bling

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122469824#Comment_122469824

Agree, the temple bar comparison is becoming a bit jaded.

Sultan of Bling

Still can't buy non-alcoholic beverages before 10.30 (12.30 on Sunday).

Very annoying.

Greyfox

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122469824#Comment_122469824

The pubs can do what they want, it's the government that should be promoting non alcoholic drinks as a way of cutting down on all the issues that are caused by people who can't handle there drink. So you are claiming temple bar is not a rip off? What's next, Trump is a nice guy? Cork is the capital of Ireland? There is no housing crisis?

JVince

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122471226#Comment_122471226

So you want the government to promote products for massive profit making international companies?

Guinness currently can't make enough of 00 and as soon all other beers made in James gate move to Newbridge, a 3rd production line will open. In just over 2 years Guinness 00 represents almost 10% of Guinness production and is HUGELY profitable - and you want the TaxPayer to fund promotion for guinness???? Seriously???

On Temple bar - maybe you either did not read the post or just simply don't understand it. The price you pay in that bar is INCLUSIVE of the live music it plays from the minute it opens to the minute it closes. I believe they pay the musicians well. That's 105 hours of live music a week and every participant gets well paid. That's what they offer, that's what you pay for. If you go in there for skulling 5 pints and no interest in the music, you are a fool - plenty of neighbouring bars around €7 (which is well priced for any capital city)

I sincerely hope you never visit the USA. $10-$12 is the NORM in main cities in boring pubs and in Paris you will find it near impossible to find a bar with a pint for under €10, similarly London is now £8-£9 in the more tourist areas, even Liverpool is £7+ in the tourist areas.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122462317#Comment_122462317

Not to defend Red Bull which is overpriced shte but I hate this crap of using The Fogarty or The Temple Bar as any sort of example of prices.

The price at wholesale for let's say Heineken 0.0 bottles isn't actually that much cheaper than regular bottles. So yes you should pay less on the bar but not as much as people think.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122462076#Comment_122462076

That depends.

Traditional non alcoholic beers as in the ones that say 0.5 on the bottle were real beers with the alcohol either cooked off or extracted through freezing.

The new far closer to the real taste 0.0 beers never had alcohol and create the taste with additives and chemicals.

SchrodingersCat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122473190#Comment_122473190

They discussed this on Reddit previously.
When Diageo launched their pure brew 0 lager, their RRP was €3.50. But every pub sold it at €5 per bottle.

Diageo sold later non alcoholic beers at the same price as the regular.

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122469824#Comment_122469824

I find it amusing that people need to contort themselves like this and respond to a load of nonsense nobody said.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122473218#Comment_122473218

Another reason to avoid pubs. Crap music blaring, inadequate seating and those vile machines everywhere though I don't think the machines exist in Irish pubs.