Sydney beer prices: App shows variation depending on pubs’ postcodes

PUNTERS are paying up to 37 per cent more for the exact same drink in pubs, clubs and restaurants depending on where they want to drink.

Katrina Davidson, Pete Richardson and Ashleigh Wood enjoy a beer at The Glenmore Hotel at The Rocks. Picture: Gregg Porteous

IT’S not what you drink — it’s where you drink it. At least that’s the case when it comes to beer.

A price survey across Sydney has revealed punters are paying up to 37 per cent more for the exact same drink in pubs, clubs and restaurants depending on where they want to drink.

Often there is a big difference in price even though the establishments are just a short drive away.

Ashleigh Wood and Pete Richardson, who said the quality of the bar was more important than drinks prices. Picture: Gregg Porteous

And the CBD is consistently among the most ­expensive places to wet your whistle. But it is not so clear-cut elsewhere.

Parramatta is one of the cheapest places in Sydney to order a schooner of VB ($5.50), Tooheys New ($5.50) or Hahn ($6.30). But — according to data collated by leading bar and restaurant deals app Clipp — it’s at the other end of the scale for Carlton Draught ($7) and Corona ($9.50).

Lion, which produces many of Australia’s most popular beer labels, said the wholesale price of beer differed between brands due to a variety of factors, such as alcoholic strength and the corresponding tax rate and the cost of making the beer.

But the final price was determined by the publican.

ClubsNSW chief Josh Landis said the size of a venue and its purchasing power, “as well as the demographics and demands of an area” helped determine the retail price of a schooner.

Data from the Clipp survey shows some of the biggest price differences occur with so-called craft brews.

Price variations around the city.

A schooner of Little Creatures costs $7 on average in Balmain.

But take a drive over the Anzac Bridge into the CBD and it’s likely to set you back $9.50 — 36 per cent more.

James Squire 150 Lashes — one of Australia’s most popular craft beers — costs almost 30 per cent less in Camden in southwest Sydney than it does in the inner-city suburb of Chippendale, despite the fact the wholesale price is the same across NSW.

The survey revealed the hefty mark-up publicans impose on their beers — sometimes 400 per cent or more — to help cover costs and make a profit. But inner-city worker Pete Richardson said he was more interested in the quality of a bar than the price of its drinks.

“Price isn’t that important to me — it’s more about being in the right place with my mates,” Mr Richardson said, though he was well aware of how a night on the town could quickly put a dent in his wallet.

“Even if you don’t have a massive one — if you’re just out for three hours — if you spend anything less than $100 then you’ve done ­incredibly well.”

“If you shout a round and there are four of you, that’s basically $40 gone straight away.”

Originally published as Sydney beer prices: App shows variation depending on pubs’ postcodes