The average cost of a pint of Guinness has risen by 8% in pubs across the UK over the past year, according to new research.
The analysis, conducted by UK Debt Expert in time for St Patrick’s Day this week, looked at the price of a pint of Guinness in pubs across Britain identifying the cheapest and most expensive places for a pint of the black stuff.
The analysts focused their research on three key pub chains: Wetherspoons, O’Neills, Hungry Horse and Greene King using data from their apps to find the average and comparing it to costs analysed by Creditfix in 2023, to show how the cost of a Guinness in UK pubs has increased over the last twelve months.
The findings showed that the average price of a pint of Guinness saw drinkers paying £4.48, showing an increase from the £4.15 that people were paying this time last year.
The most expensive place for a pint of Guinness is London where drinkers can expect to pay an average of £5.73 for a pint – an 8% increase on last year, and 50% more expensive than the country’s cheapest pint of Guinness found in Bolton where drinkers can pay just £3.83.
Edinburgh and Brighton followed London with a pint of Guinness costing around £5.33 and £5.11, joining London as the cities with average pint prices over £5.
The research showed a newcomer to the top five cheapest places for a pint of Guinness and named Rotherham as the spot of third cheapest pint of Guinness in the UK at £3.95.
Speaking about the results, UK Debt Expert personal finance expert Maxine McCreadie, said: “As we approach St Patrick’s Day, lots of people across the UK will be enjoying a pint of Guinness, since it’s synonymous with celebrations on the day itself across the world,” but warned that it was clear that people “can quickly rack up a hefty bill after drinking multiple pints of the dark Irish beer”.
Following news of the emerging data on the price hikes for pints of Guinness across the UK, a spokesperson for Diageo simply responded: “We do not set retail prices.”
With this in mind, McCreadie explained that drinkers needed to be “mindful” of their spending during St Patrick’s Day this week and consider the cities in which they are drinking and how much they are going to end up spending.
McCreadie added: “Inflation has significantly pushed up the price of Guinness, one of the most beloved pints in the world, just like it has other beverages. It can be all too easy to dip into your overdraft or credit card to pay for an extra round, but it’s important to budget properly for any social activities, and be mindful of how much you’re spending this St. Patrick’s Day – especially if you’re spending it in one of the more expensive cities.”
This article originally appeared on the drinks business.
