CBC News – The cost of beer has been going up in Canada, and faster than it did in years past, according to the monthly Consumer Price Index data from Statistics Canada.
And while large brewers and restaurant associations criticized a planned tax hike on alcohol that could have increased the prices Canadians pay, that excise tax is just one part of what is frothing up beer prices these days.
“The cans, the bottles, raw materials, such as the malted barley and the hops. Everything has kind of went up in price,” said Neil Reid, beer researcher and professor of geography and planning at the University of Toledo in Ohio.
“I think that’s been a big, big factor in these price increases that we’ve seen across the board,” said Reid, who is often labelled the “Beer Professor” online.
“It’s not just a case of prices going up but it’s also the availability of some of these material inputs,” explained Reid, who pointed out that in some regions there have been shortages of aluminum for canning, or carbon dioxide, which is used to carbonate or make beer fizzy.
A lack of availability can either drive up prices or make the product more scarce — or sometimes both, say brewers.
Beer prices fell in past years – not anymore!
Large and small brewers alike have said they held prices steady during the initial months COVID-19 pandemic, and Statistics Canada data reflects that to some extent.
Calgary craft brewery Cold Garden Beverage Company has said they’ve had to adjust pricing upward because of the cost of nearly everything they use.
“Even all the random ancillary things like these shower curtains that we use to cover our glassware,” said co-founder Dan Allard, when asked about what has driven costs up the most.
According to Allard, most breweries held off on large price hikes with the expectation that soaring costs for raw materials like grain would come back down … READ MORE.
These Are the U.S. Cities with the Most (and Least) Expensive Beer
Texas is well represented among a new ranking of the 10 cheapest cities for beer.
By Serena Tara, Published on 3/17/2023
THRILLIST – The absolute winner of the cheap beer list was Toledo. There, a pint will cost you, on average, only $3.25, while you’ll have to pay $5 for a bottled beer. Right after El Paso, is Tulsa, Oklahoma, which secured itself the bronze medal thanks to its $4 draught beer and $5 bottled beer.
Take a look below at the top 10 cheapest cities in the US for beer:
1. Toledo, Ohio: Draught $3.25, Bottled $5
2. El Paso, Texas: Draught $3.75, Bottled $5
3. Tulsa, Oklahoma: Draught $4.00, Bottled $5
4 (tied). Wichita, Kansas: Draught $3.50, Bottled $5.50
4 (tied). Greensboro, North Carolina: Draught $3.50, Bottled $5.50
6. Gilbert, Arizona: Draught $4, Bottled $5.25
7. St. Petersburg, Florida: Draught $4.28, Bottled $5
8 (tied). Lincoln, Nebraska: Draught $4, Bottled $5.50
8 (tied). Glendale, Arizona: Draught $4, Bottled $5.50
10 (tied). Jacksonville, Florida: Draught $5, Bottled $5
10 (tied). Newark, New Jersey: Draught $5, Bottled $5
10 (tied). Lubbock, Texas: Draught $5, Bottled $5
10 (tied). Irving, Texas: Draught $5, Bottled $5
10 (tied). Chesapeake, Virginia: Draught $5, Bottled $5 … read more.
