Is there a lager shortage?

[Millay]

I'm in a JDW and the Stella is £3.78 a pint. Heineken is an incredible £3.89. In a Wetherspoons. Has Cameron just announced that the draymen are threatening to strike ??

[Oggwyn Trench]

Had to go to the Wifes works leaving do on Saturday , £3 60 for a pint of Carlsberg pish

[ETA]

Carlsberg pish

Spelling mistake?

[oldboots]

From what you are saying, it sounds as though JDW has a backhanded way of driving lager drinkers onto real ale by making it cost twice as much.

I've always liked Tim Martin

sadly I think the truth is more prosaic, JDW prices often depend on the level of discount that can be got out of a brewer plus the lager market is probably more flatly priced than the cask market. After all cask drinkers are used to paying premium prices for a high quality product and JDW pricing can be a bonus if the quality is good, which to be fair is often the case in JDW, but we can usually go elsewhere for better quality and better surroundings. The lager drinker is conditioned (no pun intended) to premium pricing for a mediocre product and the "product" can be treated as a "commodity" with a price structure to match, sure some people will exhibit brand loyalty and normally only drink X or Y but if it's not there they are usually content to drink Z. Our recent price survey found mainstream lager brands to be 10-20p a pint higher than equivalent strength cask ales and with little difference in price between brands. To some extent location played more of a role in pricing than anything else.

I suspect there is very little cross-over between mainstream lager brand drinkers and micro brewery cask ale drinkers in spite of comments about "portfolio drinkers". I wont comment on the tiny niche market of "craft beer" drinkers who seem happy to pay £10 a pint for a cold fizzy drink.

[Quinno]

I wont comment on the tiny niche market of "craft beer" drinkers who seem happy to pay £10 a pint for a cold fizzy drink.

Oh go on!

[hondo]

I'm in a JDW and the Stella is £3.78 a pint. Heineken is an incredible £3.89. In a Wetherspoons. Has Cameron just announced that the draymen are threatening to strike ??

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/f...f-a-lager.html

[Millay]

So thats why Heineken has gone up then. Endorsed by Bond, James Bond

[Alesonly]

Ive noticed even the guest Ales in the spoons are now £2.65. £2.90 & £3.20 depending on strength & brewery. For instance Fullers ESB was £3.20 in the spoons.

[oldboots]

Price survey Wetherspoons in Yorkshire last night

Carlsberg £1.99
Tuborg £2.79
Fosters £2.89
1664 £2.99
Carling £2.99
Amstel £3.10
Stella £3.25
Heinekin £3.35

Most of the staff were wearing "Carlsberg - The New Deal - £1.99" emblazoned tee shirts.

Ruddles was £1.99, didn't note the Abbott and the other beers were still festival ones at £2.20 including the splendid APA.

[Millay]

I guess Spoons isn't the bargain that it once was, at least for lager drinkers. Nice to see they are still keeping the ale prices competitive. You're lucky in still finding festival ales, they disappeared from most Spoons around here as soon as the festival finished.