Survey reveals pub price discrepancies

Our survey found that the cheapest ‘pint of plain’ is available for just €3.20 – and drinkers can save up to €8 on the price of a round of drinks by frequenting the ‘right’ premises. And today, we publish league tables for the 99 pubs and hotel bars visited in the city last weekend – and outline how your local compares to the rest.

We found there are massive differences in the price of drinks between some pubs, including up to €1.70 on a pint of Guinness, €1.20 on a pint of Heineken and €1.50 on a pint bottle of Bulmers.

With 10c added to the Excise Duty on the price of a pint and a short in the Budget, publicans were keen to point out that a further 2.3c has had to be added for VAT.

The extensive survey found that drinkers are paying an average of €4.10 for a pint of Guinness, €4.75 for a pint of Heineken, €5.25 for a pint bottle of Bulmers and €6.30 for a vodka & tonic.

This newspaper found that the cheapest ‘pint of plain’ cost €3.20, while the most expensive was €4.90.

Pints of lager were also found at prices varying from €4.10 up to €5.30, while pint bottles of Bulmers varied from €4.60 to €6.10.  Non-alcoholic drinks didn’t escape the huge discrepancies either, with a Ballygowan varying from €1.50 to €3 and Red Bull from €2 to a massive €5.35.

For the full pub price league tables and more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune.