Alcohol Crisis!

[Rob McCow]

From www.theregister.co.uk:

Booze industry experts have issued a chilling warning that the British pint could hit £4 a pop - a price hike provoked by crap weather which has forced up the price of hops.

According to a sobering Guardian report, the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) estimates the average jar at £2.50 for lager, and £2.20 for bitter. Pundits say prices will rise by at least 15 per cent a pint, with doomongers slapping an extra 60 per cent on the cost of essential liquid refreshment.

This means that the price of a swift lager could skyrocket to an average four quid - enough to test the pocket of the most dedicated drinker.

Camra research and information manager Iain Lowe confirmed: "It is a bleak time for everyone. These price rises have been predicted for a long time. Hop farmers have not seen any price rises for years, but the appalling summer has finally forced the prices up. Prices at the pump could easily go up by 60 per cent."

To add to the gloom, a recent BBPA report revealed that "14 million fewer pints are being sold [per day] in pubs today - a slump of 49 per cent since the peak in 1979", and that major British brewers suffered a profit slump of 78 per cent between 2004 and 2006. Unsurprisingly, the BBPA insists the industry is "being further hampered by the Treasury which claims 33p out of the cost of every pint".

To underline the dire state of affairs, Scottish & Newcastle - responsible for three of Europe's top ten beers including Foster's and Kronenbourg - today confirmed price increases in 2008 "way above the rate of inflation". The company has fingered higher aluminium, cereal and crude oil costs as the cause, the Guardian explains.

This seems to go along with the rising price of things like bread and milk. Why the hell is our food and drink going up in price so sharply?!

[Dirk Gently]

I don't know, but I bet this has got Wayne & Ralph worried.


I'll stick to Red Wine.

[Rob McCow]

I think it's time for some panic buying!!! I don't understand how the beer industry can be suffering though, especially considering it was reported in the news recently that one in five 10-15 year olds drunk alcohol regularly.

[Ralph]

I don't know, but I bet this has got Wayne & Ralph worried.

Strangely enough I've gone off beer at the minute

[Pip Madeley]

Booze industry experts have issued a chilling warning that the British pint could hit £4 a pop - a price hike provoked by crap weather which has forced up the price of hops.

I love a professional news report.

[Captain Tancredi]

I'm not sure the pubs would dare pass on an increase like that- they're already fighting a serious rearguard action against the supermarkets making it easier and cheaper to drink at home (where you can smoke and if the Scotch egg has been there for a week, it's nobody's fault but your own).

[Brian]

Who do I write a strongly worded letter to?

[Si Hunt]

I'm getting visions of a comedy stockbroker waving his arms in panic and crying "We're all doomed! The price of hops has gone through the roof!"

Do they need to invent a reason for a large price hike in rip-off Britain? Why not just blame the price of oil like they usually do?

Si.

[Brian]

Maybe we'll get an announcement that it's the terrorists. Most things seem to be these days.

[Dave Tudor]

We need to save the beer economy by all becoming alcoholics.

I'm doing my bit.

[Paul Monk]

Stick to wine. If you order online at Tesco (boxes of six bottles) you can get drinkable stuff for around £2 a bottle.

[SiHart]

There speaks the husband of an expert!

Si xx

[Pip Madeley]

Stick to wine. If you order online at Tesco (boxes of six bottles) you can get drinkable stuff for around £2 a bottle.

Screwtop?

[Dirk Gently]

That's no way to talk to the Doctor!

[Paul Monk]

Screwtop?

Yep. There's nothing wrong with that!

[Ralph]

Screwtop?

You may know this already but the cork vs screwtop is pure snobbery. Screwtops or plastic corks are just as good.

[Dirk Gently]

Plastic is actually superior to cork. Plastic can be sterilised better than cork & as far as I know wine stoppered by plastic very rarely if ever goes off where as some wine can go bad with cork, hence the term 'corked'.