Where you can still buy a beer for under $10

Where to find Australia's cheapest beers, despite this week's huge alcohol tax-hike.

Where to find Australia's cheapest beers, despite this week's huge alcohol tax-hike.

Australians were okay when inflation came for our lettuce. We grinned-and-beared-it when the price of an almond flat white went from $4.50 to $5.50. 

But we may not cope now that the cost of a pint has shot to $15, and the price of a schooner will rise from $8 to $10 in metro areas.

Australia's alcohol tax has been slapped with a 4% increase, marking the largest bump in three decades.

The alcohol tax is assessed twice a year and is based upon the consumer price index (CPI), which is a measure of the change in prices paid by households for goods and services.

Brewers Association of Australia chief executive John Preston said Australians were taxed on beer more than almost any other nation, with an overall rise from $53.59 to $55.73 per litre of pure ­alcohol.

“We have seen almost 20 increases in Australia's beer tax over the past decade alone,” he said. "Brewers and pub and club operators were extremely disappointed that the former Government did not deliver on a proposed reduction in beer tax at this year's March Budget."

He said the brewing and hospitality industries were “a big part of Australian life” and it was disappointing to be hit with a greater tax.

It's not just beer that’s copping the price hike.

A bottle of Four Pillars signature gin will rise from $75 to $78, while its bloody shiraz gin, olive league fin and spiced negroni gin will jump from $85 to $88. It’s the first retail rise for the business in seven years. 

Stephen Dobson, owner of Dobson’s Distillery in northern NSW, said increasing the tax was “bad governance”. 

“They should be more flexible when it’s a bit rougher and harder to make a living at the moment,” he told The Oz. “In these times it’s harder to invest, harder to employ, and then you’ve got a bigger tax on top of it. It’s just rough.” 

But never fear. 

We've collected a list of pubs and clubs across Australia where you can get your hands on a schooner for less than $10. 

Some venues on the list have decided not to raise their prices, while others were so low to begin with, they didn't crack the $10 mark, even with a little increase.