Price of pint on the rise as Heineken plans keg cost hike

Heineken Ireland informed pubs and restaurants today that a price increase on all of its draught products will be introduced next month.

The cost of Heineken, Birra Moretti, Orchard Thieves, Coors, Fosters, Beamish and Murphy's will all be affected.

The Irish Examiner reported that the company was increasing prices due to exceptional inflationary challenges".

“Due to significant increases in the cost of energy, packaging, and raw materials, Heineken Ireland has been left with no choice but to amend its pricing in the Irish on-trade market," the company said.

Heineken Ireland said its malt costs are up 120 per cent and diesel costs are up 67 per cent.

The company wrote to its on-trade customers to advise them of a 9 per cent increase in wholesale draught prices to "more closely reflect the current cost of producing and supplying our products".

The price of certain draft kegs will rise by the equivalent of 17c per pint, the alcohol firm told publicans.

This estimation excludes VAT — meaning the likely increase on pints could be as much as 25c.

Ollie Grimes, a publican in Skerries in north Dublin, said that an increase was expected— but not to the level that will be seen next month.

"This is probably the biggest price hike ever, in the history of any brewery, that we have seen," he said.