We tend to think of beer – in particular lager – as a fairly economical drink, one that won’t break the bank. However, Britain’s ‘most expensive beer’ may be putting paid to conventional wisdom, as one bottle of this beer will set you back the price of four roast dinners.
Yes, one South London pub is selling a beer so expensive that you could buy four roast dinners for a similar price.
We’ve all wryly acknowledged the stark price differences in London pubs compared to other areas in the UK, though drinkers at The Craft Beer Co in Brixton may have been more than a little taken aback to see a beer costing nearly £50 on the menu.
Our own resident beer expert, Jessica Mason, comments:
“In the UK, we are conditioned to think of beer in pints and half pints because the Weights and Measures Act has historically skewed the perception of the British public as beer as simply a volume drink. This downgrades it entirely. Of course, ask anyone off the street who usually consumes mass-produced cheap macro lager on a regular basis if they would pay nearly £50 for a beer and you are going to hear them gawp at the price. This is not the target audience for this kind of beer and nor is it a beer you would ever volume-drink. It’s a beer for true beer fans, collectors or a special occasion gift. We wouldn’t baulk if it was a whisky, wine or specialist chef’s dish, would we? Also, aligning a specialist barrel-aged brown ale – which has taken time to reach its perfect nuanced flavour – with something you would knock back with a standard pub roast is pretty off-base, You would never do that. Of course, the price of this beer is going to raise eyebrows when contrasted with standard pub fare or your average ‘spoons drinker.
“The truth is, there are lots of beers like this. But none of them are targeted at those who simply want refreshment at a good price. Some of them merit their high price because they adapt in flavour and others gain value over time simply because of their rarity. So many beers age well and have layers of complexity much like other drinks made with high quality ingredients by skilled and revered masters of their craft. I couldn’t say if this beer is worth its price, but I will say that we need to get better at not assuming all beer should be cheap. This is clearly a beer to be sipped and savoured by someone who wants to drink it. If they choose to pay for it, what does it matter how much it costs compared to other cheap and cheerful beers sold elsewhere? Noone is being forced to buy it. It’s price isn’t really hurting anyone, all it is doing is reminding people that lots of different kinds of beers exist of different styles and levels of quality and surely that is a good thing – to have access to variety.”
The brew in question is The Bruery’s Mash and Coconut, a 13% ABV imperial brown ale that is sold in 770ml bottles.
It’s a Bourbon barrel-aged ale, with a load of added toasted coconut thrown into the mix. The resulting brew is a creamy, tropical marriage made in heaven. At roughly 400 calories, though, it’s almost a meal in itself.
The sky high prices in London have been thrown into sharp relief of late after the opening of Nusr-Et, the latest outpost in social media sensation Salt Bae’s culinary empire.
Indeed, one customer appeared to have spent £37,000 at the restaurant, after a receipt was posted to Reddit. admittedly, they did enjoy some particularly high tariff wine along with their gold-adored steaks. A 1996 Petrus priced at £9,100, two bottles of 2003 Petrus at a total cost of £19,900, and two bottles of Dom Pérignon Rosé 2006 for £1,620. Quite an evening.
