Beer Prices On The Way Up

[Dizzy1]

British Columbia's new happy hour laws may actually raise prices for beer at some bars.

The province is now allowing pubs to change prices throughout the day to create drink specials, but is also enforcing a minimum price of 25 cents per ounce when serving beer.

The owner of two Vancouver bars says that would raise the price of drinks at one of his establishments.

Sam Yehia says including tax, he charges $12.50 for a 50-ounce pitcher of beer, but the province's minimum rates would make him charge more than $14.

Douglas Scott of the province's liquor board says the new minimum rates will be enforced at all times, not just for happy hours.

Scott says health advocates and bar owners asked for minimum pricing to encourage responsible drinking.

http://www.castanet.net/edition/news-st ... htm#117701

Seriously, what the [heck] is wrong with this Province? The only things that the Government should have their hands on are how much tax is on a pint, how old you have to be to drink one and since God forbid we live in a society that allows one to have a beer on the beach, where we can drink it. One would think how much an establishment charges for one is up to the establishment itself ... free enterprise, you know what that is right BC Government? Nah, never mind. Trying any Government in this Province to listen to their voters is like telling a 5 year old that they should eat their veggies.

[Ken7]

What next.......... gas, beer oh ya Cigarettes will be the next. We are being taxed to death.

[maryjane48]

christy is a closet communist

[dogspoiler]

I wonder why that fellow said his beer price would go up, my calculator says .25 x 50= 12.50 just like what he says he sold it for before the changes.

[Dizzy1]

If its a tax, then it should apply to all alcohol and not just target one and try to pass it off as some crap as it being in our best interest to protect us from "over drinking". But of course you can't tax wine because that industry has huge pockets for the Government now.

Typical BC though, "yes, yes, we'll revamp the antiquated liquor laws in this Province and we'll give you happy hour back like everywhere else on the planet. But, we'll regulate the price, but its in the best interest of your safety and the free enterprise of an establishment."

George Orwell couldn't have written better political BS ... sheesh.

[wanderingman]

If I had a bar in BC I would simply quit gouging customers as most all bars do.When you go to a bar and complain all they say is "we pay too much for the booze to begin with"

Although there is truth to that BUT why when u buy a beer for around 1.35-1.50 average why do you feel so compelled to rip me off for 5.75$ Bars were smart they would charge something reasonable at 2.95 etc and there sales of everything would increase. I go to bar for example and they charge 5.75 for a beer.I may have one or two and leave.
You sell me at 2.95 Iwill then have 4-6 and most likely stay and have your food special of the day or something
Bar owners to me are greedy and need to tone down their outrageous prices and quit blaming the govt tax systems etc

[bigchef]

I love it when people presume to know the operating costs of a business that they have no experience in. On a $5.75 beer a pub owner probably clears between .35 to .75. At $2.95 all bars would close.

[featfan]

I love it when people presume to know the operating costs of a business that they have no experience in. On a $5.75 beer a pub owner probably clears between .35 to .75. At $2.95 all bars would close.

Okay, using a 50 litre keg from Tree brewing as an example.
50 litre @$200.00, $180 for their pilsner.
1750 imperial ounces, say 150 foam and spillage loss =1600 ounces
1600 ounces divided by 16 ounces glass = 100 glasses at $5.75 each.
Looks to me like a profit of $375 PER KEG before wages, glass breakage.
Don`t think that there is a lot of wiggle room, but they sure could lower it to $5.25.
And that is for Tree, Stella and other top bears are way over $5.75 but also the kegs are more.
Still not a lot of wiggle room.
Guess that's why I buy pints of German beers at the LCB for $1.95 each.

And why when you look on the bottom of a beer jug is it in US measurements not the larger Canadian measure.

[Liquidnails]

In most places it's only really going to be the Jugs that go up in price. I don't know a single establishment that serves full 20oz pints, and even before this new pricing they sure as heck wouldn't have been less than $5. We'll probably see bottles and cans offered at a deeper discount.

[danmartin]

I'm old enough to remember $.25 glasses of beer!...lol. That was my first beer when I turned 18 and had to go to Alberta for it to be legal. (1972) The price of beer is accomplishing one thing for people like me. It hurts too much to have more than one even though on a hot day the second one sounds awfully good so not likely to get an impaired infraction but I have to wonder how the bars that are still open are making it!

[Noisy Boater]

We were camping in Omak Washington a while back and went to Walmart for supplies. Picked up a dozen Kokanee for $ 9.00 plus tax. Brought empty cans home and got deposit back too. Whats a dozen Kokanee cost in the beer or liquor store. I also do the u brew thing and rarely buy beer in a store. Its a substantial saving.

[Donald G]

Sometimes a retail outlets desire to give top service costs THEM money. We ordered a jug of beer at a local golf course dining room. They brought us a large jug of excellent cold beer with the frost still adhering to the outside of the jug.

The waiter set the beer on the decorated metal table at which we were sitting. We poured a round and set the still half full frosted jug back on the metal table. About five minutes later the jug, apparently reacting to the variance in being heated by the sun and warm metal, split into several large fragments and the beer ran through the table design onto the floor.

After suitable apologies (and a free replacement jug of beer) it was agreed that keeping the jug in the refrigerator in an effort be able to serve customers with very welcome cold beer on an inordinately hot day had cost the establishment a jug and a free replacement jug of beer.

Thanks to the staff at Black Mountain for your very well intended and appreciated efforts in dealing with the situation as you did. Rest assured we will be back.