The average pint in February was found to be £3.03, a rise of 3.9%, or 12p, from £2.91 in February 2012. Meanwhile, the average cost of a pint of lager grew 4.1% from £3.09 to £3.21, and the price of a pint of ‘real’ cider increased 4% from £3.12 to £3.24.
The survey, revealed in CAMRA’s What’s Brewing? magazine, found a significant regional variation in price increases.
The average price of a pint of real ale grew fastest in Scotland, up 34p to £3.24, and in Northern Ireland, up 30p to £3.30. There were also above-average rises in Yorkshire (up 23p to £2.95), the South West (up 16p to £3.10) and the South East (up 14p to £3.22).
However, there were lower than average increases in the North West (up 5p to £2.69), the North East (up 4p to £2.88) and the West Midlands (up 2p to £2.72).
The increase in London was also lower than average, with the average pint rising in price by 7p to £3.31. Elsewhere, the average price in the East Midlands was up 11p to £2.92, and in Eastern England the cost grew 10p to £3.15.
CAMRA’s head of public affairs Jonathan Mail told What’s Brewing?: “In a milestone moment the average cost of a pint of real ale in a pub has broken the £3 barrier for the first time. Nonetheless, real ale in a pub remains good value selling at nearly 20 pence a pint less than a pint of lager.
“The survey shows strong regional pricing differences with a 62 pence gap between London, which is the most expensive region and the North West, which is the cheapest.”