Brits buying 25% more beer to drink at home

British consumers are staying home and drinking more beer, according to fresh analysis of the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The data, which was produced by price comparison firm Idealo, reveals there has been a 25% growth in the number of consumers buying beer in the off-trade from supermarkets and independent retailers.

It shows that British drinkers bought some £4.1bn per year on beer to drink at home, which is up 25% on 2020 levels.

Analysts from Idealo said the rising cost of living is “making people less willing to go out drinking, but more willing to treat themselves to a bottle of wine or beer during their weekly shop.”

The news follows concern about the price of beer in the on-trade. A pint of lager in pubs and bars has risen by more than 50p within the space of a single year, according to ONS data.

The data, which takes into account regional variations and other factors, revealed that the average price was reaching upwards to five pounds, at £4.56. But the same pint in 2022 would have cost around £4.07.

It follows a similar month-on-month trajectory seen in April, with the figures revealing that draught lager has increased for the second month in a row at a rate of 11% year-on-year.

The figures are slightly less for draught ale, which has risen from £3.50 to £3.80 across the same period, although still a large 30p rise from May 2022.

The owner of JD Wetherspoons, Tim Martin, warning drinkers that £8 pints and even £10 pints could become normal, although he said that he would try to keep prices down in his own pubs. In March, he warned that the pub chain was battling “ferocious” inflationary pressures, as part of his Chairman’s Statement.

It comes as breweries, distillers and wineries have faced an unprecedented storm of price of production increases from energy, raw materials and logistics. The founder of the recently saved Brick Brewery, Ian Stewart, warned that more brewers and pubs would go to the wall without additional support or a change in market conditions.

He went on to explain how the Ukrainian conflict “hot on the heels of Covid” had further exacerbated an “already perfect storm” within the hospitality sector and that it “may not recover to pre-covid levels for decades”.

There has also been concern that some brewers are ‘watering down’ their core brands in order to reduce their tax burden and keep prices the same for the consumer.