Pints at German Prices - Jennings drops the cost of Castle Bitter for a day
On Friday 9 October, a Cumbrian brewery is pricing its bitter as if Britain taxed beer like Germany does. Pubs across the country are joining in.
Cheap pint alert, with a political point attached. Jennings Brewery in Cockermouth will cut the price of its Castle Bitter to German tax levels on Friday 9 October, The Morning Advertiser reports. It's part of SIBA's Drop the Tap Tax campaign ahead of the 28 October Budget.
The pitch is simple. Jennings reckons the UK slaps one of the highest taxes in Europe on a pub pint, around ten times what drinkers pay in Germany. To show what that looks like, pubs, bars and taprooms across the UK are knocking one cask or keg beer down to German-tax pricing for the day. Jennings is doing it with Castle Bitter in its own brewery taproom.
The campaign wants the Chancellor to boost draught relief, the reduced rate of duty on beer poured from handpulls and keg taps, which currently sits at 13.9%. Independent brewers say a bigger cut would help create jobs and keep pubs and breweries open. There's a petition running until Budget day too.
So what? You get a cheaper pint and get to call it activism. Check whether your local is taking part next Friday. If you're in Cumbria, Cockermouth is the place to be. Drink responsibly, protest enthusiastically.
Source: The Morning Advertiser (opens in a new tab)
- beer
- pubs
- cask-ale
- beer-duty
- budget