Beer drinkers are just finding out how cheap British pints used to be
The cheapest year for a pint in Britain's history has been revealed and it makes the modern-day prices look like a luxury.
The cheapest pint in Britain's history has been discovered - and it's a far cry from modern-day prices.
A chart sourced by data analyst Peter Donaghy has shown the rises and falls of the average pint and the big events which may have had an impact on its price.
While the data shows pints have hit a fairly average price, the cost of living crisis has made a tipple seem like an extortionate expenditure. Reddit users reacted to the historic beer prices and found themselves saying a time machine would come in handy.
Beer drinkers found themselves scrambling for the cheapest years in history, and you need to go all the way back to the 1400s for a pint for less than £2.
Taking to Twitter/X with his findings, Peter wrote: "Might have gone too far, but here's a chart of the price of a pint of beer relative to incomes in Britain from 1259-2023. "
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"Pints were cheapest in 1462 when pints were the modern day equivalent of £1.39. If you think pints are expensive now, be grateful you aren't drinking in 1315.
"A lot of stories there. The Great Famine of 1315-17 causing a spike in food prices. A big hike in the cost of beer during World War 2 as industry was dedicated to the war effort. Another spike in 1620, perhaps the pilgrims on the Mayflower were trying to escape expensive pints."
And Reddit users are set to fire up their time machines and head back to the cheap years of the 1400s in the hopes of bagging themselves a cheap drink.
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One user joked: "Excellent - new best answer to the old 'if you had a Time Machine, what time would you travel to' question." Another wrote: "And drink quickly, as the average age to die was probably 32."
Others have questioned the price of modern day drinking as the chart shows it around the £4 mark. One wrote: "I'm surprised by this. It has felt like 2007 to now would have a much steeper curve but it has stayed relatively the same. How solid is this data? £4 seems low for 2023."
Another said: "Worth remembering that Food and Drink (and technology) have come down in price significantly in the last 50 years. So whilst it may seem like a pint is expensive now, it’s probably because rent/mortgage is so damn high that you don’t have as much disposable income as 50 years ago hence a pint would’ve felt cheaper."
