I also agree the prices are ridiculous, however it is a little more complicated than just greedy breweries…

In the 80′s legislation was passed forcing the big breweries to sell off many of their pubs this legislation also allowed pub tenants to sell guest ales. The result was many of the breweries seeing their profits disappearing. So over the next twenty years the breweries sold off their pubs reducing their overheads in favour of the practice of selling cheaply through the supermarkets

The result is that there effectively are no major breweries (Greene King being one notable exception) that own their own pubs. This means that when you buy a pint of beer from a pub today there is now an extra link in the chain that wants to take their cut. And as the consumer you end up paying!

Wetherspoons is an exception, because (although not a brewery) they have the buying power to negotiate deals with the breweries, however you will find that these specials are only on specific products – so for example a pint of Carling Lager will often cost you as much in a Wetherspoons as in any other pub.

Personally I abhor Wetherspoons.. If you do really want our pubs to become soulless then by all means give Wetherspoons your custom!

So the reality is we have the supermarkets to thank for killing off our pubs as well as our butchers greengrocers, bakers, ironmongers, newsagents, tobacconists, petrol stations….

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It is the government and breweries causing the prices in pubs. Tenant landlords are still paying high rents (3 pubs in my town have been sold off for redevelopment by the breweries) and tenant landlords are forced to buy their stock from the brewery. The lines are tapped so they can tell if you’ve sold more beer than bought from the brewery (ie bought outside), they even mark the bottles so that landlords cannot take advantage of cut price deals anywhere else. Then the government in it’s wisdom ups the tax – suppose thats one way to fulfil the pronmise of reducing alcohol related street incidents – make it so no-one can afford to go out for a drink! Mr. Richards, whilst I appreciate that you realise that landlords are not at fault, staying out of the pub on principle rather than for the financial costs of going is only putting even more pressure on the landlords. If too many people vote with their feet and stay at home even more pubs will close. If you like a pub visit and can afford it please support your local!

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