How much?

[Brainypool]

If they want to overcharge for a half that's up to them (though a bit daft I reckon) - probably good etiquette to alert the customer to that before pouring the drink though. Can't imagine many wouldn't just go for a pint once they're told the relative prices. At least she didn't make you cough up for it though!

[RealAleRobUK]

Out of interest, what's your view on the widespread practice of offering a double measure of spirits for, say, a quid more than a single? And wine by the glass is seldom pro-rata the bottle price. Then there's free refills of soft drinks or coffee.

The valid reason is the cost of service is at least equal to the cost of the ingredients, and you are paying the marginal cost for the other half pint or shot of gin or whatever.

Be that as it may, I agree, it does seem to grate more with beer than anything else, possibly thanks to an older, now largely forgotten tradition, of posting prices by the half.

I can see where you are coming from, but taking wine for example, it is priced by the glass so there is the implication that you are getting a discount if you buy a full bottle rather than three individual glasses.

For beer, usually priced by the pint, it feels the opposite is true in that the pint is the starting price and then you are potentially penalised for buying a half pint.

I accept that if in theory I buy two pints it is cheaper to service me than if I buy four half pints. I'm going back to the bar half as often and using half the number of clean glasses that will need to be washed. A small premium for buying a half, in my opinion, is acceptable, though many places choose not to do this and that is obviously great for the customer. But charging £3 for a half when a pint is priced at £3.60 is ridiculous. And what did it achieve? In this example the customer probably felt a bit ripped off (not good for business) and the extra half pint that was originally poured was given away for free to a regular (also not good for business). Anything that pisses off your customer is not a good business model.

[london calling]

I think its okay to charge slightly more for a 1/2 pint and until recently I only drank 1/2 pints but in a craft bar in Richmond recently I pointed out to staff that two of their beers were dearer by the pint than 2 halves.Youngsters cant count.

[Aqualung]

As I only drink pints I really couldn't care less what a half costs but given the situation with wine and spirits mentioned above I don't see how half pint drinkers have any right to complain. What really annoys me is places that just sell all or some beers only in measures other than a a pint. I'd generally prefger not to visit that sort of place. Even the illustrious Beacon Hotel in Sedgley is guilty as they only sell Snowflake in halves which means I have to transfer two of them to a STRAIGHT pint glass! I've had pints of it without question in the Kinver Constitutional Club, Codsall Station and the Great Western.

[Aqualung]

Purple Moose are more old school than crafty but their pub the Australia in Porthmadog has three of their beers on keg to supplement the five cask ones. The three cask beers I tried were £3.25 twice and £3.40. The keg ones were £3.30 twice and £3.40. If this place can sell keg beers at roughly the same price as cask then why is keg so overpriced almost everywhere else? The two £3.40 ones were the Elderflower cask and the stronger Antlered IPA on keg.

[rpadam]

...then why is keg so overpriced almost everywhere else?

Supply and demand, like everything else!

[Aqualung]

Supply and demand, like everything else!

I'm not sure about that, the hipster types don't seem to care what the price is. I think there is also the "reassuringly expensive" angle as used by wife beater some years ago and which Guinness have always followed backed up by heavy advertising. It does illustrate that if a pub is doing the same beer on cask and keg then a significant difference in price is just a rip off.

[london calling]

I'm not sure about that, the hipster types don't seem to care what the price is. I think there is also the "reassuringly expensive" angle as used by wife beater some years ago and which Guinness have always followed backed up by heavy advertising. It does illustrate that if a pub is doing the same beer on cask and keg then a significant difference in price is just a rip off.

But do they sell it to the trade at the same price for cask and keg.

[london calling]

I'm not sure about that, the hipster types don't seem to care what the price is. I think there is also the "reassuringly expensive" angle as used by wife beater some years ago and which Guinness have always followed backed up by heavy advertising. It does illustrate that if a pub is doing the same beer on cask and keg then a significant difference in price is just a rip off.

Hipsters do care about price but they relate it to their income so it seems reasonable to them.

[Aqualung]

But do they sell it to the trade at the same price for cask and keg.

I've no idea as I've never seen any of their kegs before. One of the pubs I went to did Great Orme Snowdon Lager at £3.10 as opposed to £3.00 for their cask offerings which were all English.