OK, we all know we have no idea what a pint means. I have one system that says 12 ounces is enough, another demands 16 oz and the one Mark Dredge was talking about understands it to mean a full 20. Here in Canada, we call a 12 ounce bottle a "pint" but we get do 20 ounce pints in pubs too so, despite the confusion, I was interested in his view of value and price:
I have a friend who won't pay more than £3 for a pint or £10 for a haircut. While the measures announced yesterday to put a minimum price on alcohol are aimed at curbing binge drinking and shouldn't affect the average beer drinker, last week's news that the average price of a pint in the UK has passed £3 will hit him hard. The news gets worse: after the VAT increase earlier in the month, Britain's largest breweries have warned it's likely there will be a further 5-10p added to the cost of a pint in February thanks to rising raw material prices and increasing brewery overheads. All this makes for joyless reading, but raises the question of how much, in the real world, we are willing to pay for a pint.
If you have picked up anything from me, you will know that every consumer should be aware of what it takes to put together of the price of anything they buy. Beer included. And Mark breaks it down for us well: a new micro - if not nano - brewer in the UK puts 90 pence into every pint that costs the 3 pound average. In Canadian terms that average cost to the consumer is $4.80. Funny thing - I can't remember when I paid so little.
And isn't that the problem? I would love to go anywhere and pay less than five bucks for 20 ounces of great craft beer. Heck, I am quite happy to pay five bucks for 16 ounces of great US craft beer when I slip over the border. So, why should we fret that UK beer lovers are only catching up to the sorts of prices we North Americans pay? Is the issue really taxation of beer? Well, I am sorta of the set that sees this as an issue for grown ups - we need taxes and we should tax the things that are luxuries that people will pay for more than we tax necessities like food, housing and clothes. I'm quite happy to snip at your idea of boozy freedom for my roads and schools and hospitals, thanks very much.
But, I don't think that this is really an issue about tax. I actually think the issue is the idea that somehow beer should be a non-consideration financially for the consumer, that it should be not about our budgets. Not so. You want special, pay special. You want a daily drink, budget accordingly. Do we put up with the rare cigar lovers, fine cheese eaters or gas guzzler tank fillers complaints that such things cost a hell of a lot when you grow up? Do we rally in the street under their banners? No, of course we don't. It's a complex world with complex taxes which are part of a complex financial system. Singling out one thing to complain "Christ, that costs a lot - cost less when I was younger" not so much misses the point as is unaware that there are things called points. Last time I heard the UK was on the point of financial calamity. We Canadians solved that 15 years ago. In part by each pulling our weight. By paying taxes and cutting services... and I am a socialist.
So, with all that, at what point does your mild go bitter? Me, I have paid 7 or 8 bucks for a 20 ounce pint of good beer and I don't think of it. But I don't live in pubs. I have a family. I have a mortgage to pay. I have a blog to write. Do you have some barrier to price that you dare not pass? Do you think that your interest in good beer deserves a tax break?
Comments
Aaron - January 20, 2011 12:38 AM
I live in Seattle and I tend to pay $5 for a 16oz pint of beer brewed within 30 miles of my home. Happy hour saves me $1 to $2. I consider that a bargain. I will also pay $10 once or twice a month for a Belgian import.
That being said, I price 12 and 24 packs of Rainer, PBR, and Highlife while grocery shopping and keep a stocked fridge in case the guys show up and want a couple cold ones.
Barry M - January 20, 2011 5:37 AM
Living in Germany, I can hardly complain about tax on beer. My overall tax bill and public health insurance is a lot higher than I paid in Ireland, but it's worth it, and the cheaper beer compensates :) Almost three years later, I still can believe I can buy a crate of 20 500ml bottles of some lovely beer for 13 Euro! :D It's different in Ireland and the UK, but if there, I'm usually in the pub, and I'll still pay. When in Copenhagen, I don't bother to look at the price list...
Ed Carson - January 20, 2011 8:54 AM
I usually am willing to pay between $3 and $7 US($2.97 and $6.94 CAN, £1.88 and £6.94, €2.23 and €5.20) at a bar for between 12oz. and 16oz. US (.355 liter/litre and .473 liter/litre). And I'm okay with up to $10 for a bottle of Oerbier.
John - January 20, 2011 9:32 AM
I don't think I have an upper limit on how much I will pay for beer, but I think that's as a result of living in Italy, where good indigenous artisanal beer rarely cost less than six euros. But I don't think it's necessarily as a result of "good beer" being more labor intensive than any other. Specifically in Italy, the country has a similar relationship to beer that Americans have to wine: higher prices are justified by the luxury associated with such "special" beers. It is a stated goal by many Italian producers to make beer not for everyday consumption (which is a role wine fulfills) but for special occasions or meals. In turn, people are convinced into paying more for what they perceive to be better. But is it better? I can say that I have had 8-euro pints of good beer from Lombardy and 3-euro pints of good beer from Alto Adige.
So do I think I deserve a break? No, but that attitude is more a result of complacency and laziness than actual appreciation for inflated beer prices. I can live without beer. Seeing that I choose not to, maybe I deserve to pay the price :)
Alan - January 20, 2011 10:38 AM
You know, there are posts you post and you think that there really isn't that much to say about them or that readers won't see it as worth responding. Then you get thoughtful and diverse comments back like these and you think what a great thing it is to write a beer blog. Thanks guys. Any more thoughts?
Craig - January 20, 2011 12:03 PM
My local pub, the Lionheart, in Albany, has a phenomenal pricing structure. Operational hours are 3PM-4AM Seven days a week. They have twenty-ish taps all carryng craft brew. They have a decent selection of bottled, import and craft brews as well as the ubiquitous Bud and Coors. Here is the prcing set-up. From 3PM to 7PM, everyday, all 16 oz pints are $3.00 (US). These include, a rotating varierty of import and domestic craftbrews. They also have a separate tower (4 taps) that offers, higher-end product – More expensive, small batch specialty stuff or imports, with, generally higher ABV. These offerings are $4 for a 10oz/$6 for a 16oz. After 7PM everything raises one dollar. The first friday of every month is "First Firkin Friday". They get in a cask of something special and serve it until it kicks, later in the day. Again, these are the $4-10/$6-16 prices.
So being spoiled, I have a tough time spending more than $3, for a pint anywhere else.
Mike - January 20, 2011 12:40 PM
I live in Toronto and I rarely pay less than $8 for a pint when you consider further taxes and tip. I don't really think anything of it- I just take it for what it is.
I know I take great advantage of prices when I'm down in the US though. A few weeks ago I was at the Toronado in SF and 80% of their (often world class) 50 taps were only $3 or $4 (16oz) during happy hour (7 days/week). It's comforting to leave a bar having only spent $20 after a couple of hours.
Jim - January 20, 2011 12:56 PM
I wish we could all join hands and make pints as big as possible across the scale.
Steve Gates - January 20, 2011 3:09 PM
Being a frugal bastard, I like to purchase half pints in pubs that serve them in a pint glass. I find that often the barkeep will give you a generous half after you have tipped him initially or you are drinking in your regular local. The Mayfair in Ottawa is a great example of how a guy can take advantage of this arrangement. If you are of the ilk that finds this unethical or unscrupulous then enjoy your $8 pint and shut your piehole.
Craig - January 20, 2011 4:16 PM
How's this for a gag... The Mendocino Brewing Company in Saratoga Springs, has a tasting room. Because they are a true brewery and not a brewpub, they cannont legally operate a regular bar, it's a distribution law. So ever resourceful, they found a loophole – free 6 oz samples. Those samples, the longer you stay and depending on the bartender, get a little heavier pour, as the night progresses. It's not uncommon to leave having had a number of free "full" pints – full being 13-14 ounces. Not bad for free.
Oh did I mention the root beer for the kids, the "bring-your-own-wine" policy, and if you get a little peckish, just order out and have the food delivered right to you bar stool.
Pok - January 20, 2011 7:04 PM
Anything over $7 a pint had better be on the fine side of the beer spectrum - preferably with a true craft pedigree. I really have to grit my teeth when asked to pay in excess of that $7 for the uninspired liquids put out by the big brewers of Canada. IPA! Puh-leeze Mr. Keith!
Chris - January 21, 2011 8:37 AM
I would pay $7-$8 for a pint of good craft beer. No problem. This is Ontario where beer is put on a pedestal thanks to our gov't. However, I do not like paying $7.00 for a pint of mega-brew. When in a restaurant with mega-brew only and the price is $7.00, I order a coke.
Paul - January 21, 2011 9:41 AM
I live in Chicago, and you can easily go to the wrong type of bar and pay $6 for an aluminum pint of Bud Light. If you do some homework, though, you can find more laid back bars with great specials. I generally like to pay between $3-5 for a pint if I'm going to tuck in for a while, maybe watch a game.
When I'm going out to my local multitap/beer bar, I'm usually willing to shell out $6-8 for a goblet or snifter. The most I've paid for a beer at a bar is $10 for an 8oz pour of Bourbon County Stout at the Goose Island brewpub. It was worth every penny
Jeremy - January 21, 2011 12:40 PM
I'll pay more for something I have never tried before, and may never see again than for a regular, made within an hours drive of where I'm drinking pint. In my head a pint of non-imperial microbrew should be <$6CAD before tips but it is getting more and more rare to find that most places. $7 half pints of imports are starting to be common. Fortunately I have been drinking a bit less and generally don't look at the price list until the end of the night.
Pok - January 21, 2011 2:25 PM
In 1991 I paid $12 for two cans of Kokanee to the native fellow ferrying me across the Nitnat narrows on the West Coast Trail. Normally this would have bothered me but given the circumstance it was a bargain.
Mobile Disco - January 22, 2011 12:10 PM
At the moment it is between £2.70-£4 for a pint and £5-£10 for a hair cut.
I would happily spend £2.50 on a pint and £5 on a haircut