Trendy pub tries to justify £22.50 pint of beer

A London pub is selling what is thought to be the UK’s most expensive draft pint, priced at an eye-watering £22.50.

The Craft Beer Co in Old Street, east London, which has several branches in the capital and in Brighton, is selling pints of AleSmith Brewing Company’s Speedway Stout for “more than five times the cost” of an average beer, reports the Daily Mail.

But the paper adds that drinkers “certainly do get a bit more bang for their buck, because the US-brewed stout is 12% ABV”.

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The Times says that the “black, coffee-flavoured beer, which is brewed in the US and has a syrupy consistency” is “more expensive per millilitre than Belvedere vodka”. But the Craft Beer Co has justified the price by pointing to the rarity of the beer and the quality of the ingredients.

Martin Hayes, managing director of the pub chain, told The Independent that the beer is sold as a third of a pint as standard, making the price much cheaper.

Here are some of the things he said to justify his prices:

“When we import into the UK and showcase some extremely rare and unusual beers that tend to be incredibly high in ABV (alcohol by volume), they do come at a premium price.

“Being the original Craft Beer focused pubs in London, our business is curation, offering people an unmatched choice with unmatched hospitality and knowledge.

“We offer people a huge choice and our prices are always carefully calculated and incredibly good value.”

The average price of a pint of beer in London is currently £5.20.

A recent study by Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) found that “most people in the UK believe a pint of beer in a pub is unaffordable” and that 56% of 2,000 adults thought a pint was too expensive, reports Sky News.