Average price of a pint ROCKETS again – as punters switch to ordering half measures to save cash

THE average cost of a pint of beer has soared to almost £6 as Brits swap to half pints in a bid to save cash. A pint now costs £5.91 on average, up from £5.81 last year, according to global payment company Square. Drinkers are now opting for smaller serves, including half pints, schooners, bottles and cans, particularly earlier in the week. Smaller serve sales are up 27% year-on-year, while on Monday and Tuesday they increased by 23% and 20% respectively. Sign up for the Money newsletter Thank you! Most smaller serves were purchased between 5pm and 8pm, with 7pm being the busiest hour. Drinkers in the capital are also cutting back, with sales of smaller serves in London making up 44% of all in Britain. Low and non-alcoholic beer is also proving popular and now accounts for 1.02% of total bar transactions, up from 0.84% the year before. The news comes after several brewers hiked the price of their popular drinks. Diageo hiked the price of some of its most popular drinks from April 1. The wholesale cost of Guinness Draught jumped by 5.2%, which works out at around 4p per pint on the list price. Most read in Money The firm also upped the price of a 70cl bottle of Smirnoff by 13p. Meanwhile, Heineken increased the price of its draught wholesale products by an average of 2.7% this year. Some pubs will have been forced to pass on the higher costs to customers in the form of price rises. John O’Beirne, CEO of Square International, said: “The pint remains a staple in Britain, but the data suggests those going for a drink after work may be opting for a half pint instead, or as a follow-up to a full pint. “This could be for a number of reasons, including health, cost, or preferring to feel fresh the next day. As the summer continues, bars can expect this trend to build.” Comment now