Price of a pint tops £8 for first time as war in Ukraine sends cost of barley exports up 70pc

THE price of a pint has surpassed £8 for the first time, with the average cost of a tipple jumping by more than 70pc since the 2008 financial crisis.

Spiralling inflation has pushed the average pint of beer to £3.95, according to data from research agency CGA, up from £2.30 in 2008.

The data from CGA, which tracks prices in 5,550 bars and pubs, also showed that, for the first time, a pint at one London pub hit £8.

The average brew in the London pub, which CGA did not name, cost £8.06, while the cheapest average pint was found at a pub in Lancashire at £1.79.

It comes as the economy contends with soaring prices across the board, with Andrew Bailey, Governor of the Bank of England, warning that inflation will hit a four-decade high this year.

The war in Ukraine has put a particular strain on the cost of barley, one of the key ingredients in beer. Ukraine was the world’s fourth largest producer of barley before Russia’s invasion, representing nearly one fifth of the global export market last year.

Analysts at Bernstein said this week that the rising cost of the ingredient was a “big negative” for the brewing industry, estimating that “a realistic worst case would see malting barley inflation of approximately 70pc”.

British brewers have warned that the price of a pint is set to get even more expensive by Christmas due to the war.

The data from CGA show the average price of a pint has jumped 7pc since 2020. Major British pub chains have already admitted to raising prices.

Wolverhampton-based Marston’s increased prices by 8pc in March, while rival Greene King, which runs 2,700 pubs, has pushed up prices on average by 5p a pint.