what I have learned today.

[citoyen]

You could once bend or fold a sixpenny piece by hand. Drinking beer all day would cost less than sixpence, hence going out on a bender.

Hmmm... citation needed, as the kids say.

https://www.royalmint.com/stories/collect/coin-nicknames/

"We present to you a selection of our best attempts at referencing and researching the murky history of coin nicknames."

Hmmm. Not convinced.

When did beer actually cost £2 a pint or thereabouts? It's quite possible I was out of the country, whenever it was!

When I was a PSO, you could still get beer for under a pound (95p, to be precise) in the Old Bar in the student union (as long as you didn't mind drinking watered-down Tetleys), while the £2 piece was still a work of science fiction. Most reputable watering holes were charging around the £1.15 mark (or £1.30 if you went somewhere fancy in town like Whitelocke's). We used the term beer tokens generically for any denomination.

I got charged over £7 for a pint at the pub at the end of the audax the other week. That included the 12% tip that was automatically added by the app they insisted on you using to order. Progress, eh?

[ian]

That graph is spot on for my student life (I was in Liverpool 1988-91, then Edinburgh 91-95) then I lost track by leaving the country for many years. Beer pricing in the US is far more complicated.

When I first started drinking at the splendid age of 15, beer was 75p a pint, and when the police raided the pub they'd make you pour it down the loo, and then drive off without having made you leave the premises. I figure they had a deal with the landlord because we all had to buy a replacement pint.

The most expensive pint I had recently was £21, but it was awesome and I would have paid double (Pirate Noir by Prairie Artisan, and for the record, three of us shared it). That said, I'm still smarting from the time I footed a round of 3 Fountains kriek in the Rake the other year – for about twelve people. That didn't leave any change from £200.

[Pingu]

...3 Fountains kriek in the Rake the other year – for about twelve people. That didn't leave any change from £200.

Jings, was that a big bottle each?  Also nom 

[ian]

You know, I don't think it was 3 Fountains, but it was some kind of expensive kriek because it was on tap and I bought it all down to the pink froth. There were people who pulled faces because it was 'too tart.' Wimps.

Reminds me of the time I found a keg of Chimay Blue in West Virginia. I drank all that too.

[citoyen]

Christ, I’m still smarting from the time I bought *one* point in the Rake.

[Cudzoziemiec]

When did beer actually cost £2 a pint or thereabouts? It's quite possible I was out of the country, whenever it was!

February 2001, apparently.  https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices/timeseries/czms/mm23

By that graph, BEER was about £1.90/pint in summer 1998 when the tokens were first introduced.

Point pointed. In 2001 I was paying about 4 zloty (a bit less than a quid) for a half litre.

Mind you, that graph is for draught lager, which by and large means (or used to) frothy pee in Britain.

[Cudzoziemiec]

I got charged over £7 for a pint at the pub at the end of the audax the other week. That included the 12% tip that was automatically added by the app they insisted on you using to order. Progress, eh?

¬!"£$%^&*()_+~@:><?/\|#

[Pingu]

You know, I don't think it was 3 Fountains, but it was some kind of expensive kriek because it was on tap and I bought it all down to the pink froth. There were people who pulled faces because it was 'too tart.' Wimps...

I'm reminded of the time many years ago when Mrs P, her brother and I went to the 3 Fonteinen tap on our first foray into Belgian gueuzey soury goodness 

[Mrs Pingu]

You know, I don't think it was 3 Fountains, but it was some kind of expensive kriek because it was on tap and I bought it all down to the pink froth. There were people who pulled faces because it was 'too tart.' Wimps...

I'm reminded of the time many years ago when Mrs P, her brother and I went to the 3 Fonteinen tap on our first foray into Belgian gueuzey soury goodness 

And I said the beer was only fit for putting on chips.

[ian]

Christ, I’m still smarting from the time I bought *one* point in the Rake.

True enough. It might have been Vimto.

[Mr Larrington]

Graph dunt go far enough back for my Penniless Student Oaf days

[robgul]

Graph dunt go far enough back for my Penniless Student Oaf days

Ditto - I recollect concern when Watneys Red Barrel went up in price to 2/6d  a print (that's 12.5p in the new-fangled money we now use)

[Giraffe]

On Monday (Freedom (to infect others) Day). 'Spoons is charging £2/pint My local one is below that on Mondays - or was BC. Haven't been in for 16 months.

[TheLurker]

Even the *paint* on Concorde was special, becos of skin heating.  Which any fule orter kno, but I didn't.

[rafletcher]

That graph is spot on for my student life (I was in Liverpool 1988-91, then Edinburgh 91-95) then I lost track by leaving the country for many years. Beer pricing in the US is far more complicated.

When I first started drinking at the splendid age of 15, beer was 75p a pint, and when the police raided the pub they'd make you pour it down the loo, and then drive off without having made you leave the premises. I figure they had a deal with the landlord because we all had to buy a replacement pint.

The most expensive pint I had recently was £21, but it was awesome and I would have paid double (Pirate Noir by Prairie Artisan, and for the record, three of us shared it). That said, I'm still smarting from the time I footed a round of 3 Fountains kriek in the Rake the other year – for about twelve people. That didn't leave any change from £200.

Hmmm, that graph starts 10 years too late for me. I think we were paying 30p a pint in the Union bar (Portsmouth Poly, St. Paul’s Road, 1975). Shorts were 50p. By some quirk of legislation, the Union bar always closed at 10:30, but Southsea pubs had summer opening until 11, so we’d all pile out at 10:25 an£ head for the India Arms to finish off the evening. I think a pint was 50p there. To put it in perspective, I had £14 a week after paying for the B,B & D accommodation (which could get kicked out of, or herded 5 to a room ine basement during peak tourist season)

[rafletcher]

Even the *paint* on Concorde was special, becos of skin heating.  Which any fule orter kno, but I didn't.

Yep, leading edges got quite warm.

[andytheflyer]

Graph dunt go far enough back for my Penniless Student Oaf days

Ditto - I recollect concern when Watneys Red Barrel went up in price to 2/6d  a print (that's 12.5p in the new-fangled money we now use)

I seem to recall that the first pint I bought myself would have been in the Boston Rugby Club bar after a match, circa 1971.  2/6d.  A lot of money for a 17yo in those days.

[bhoot]

That graph is spot on for my student life (I was in Liverpool 1988-91, then Edinburgh 91-95) then I lost track by leaving the country for many years. Beer pricing in the US is far more complicated.

When I first started drinking at the splendid age of 15, beer was 75p a pint, and when the police raided the pub they'd make you pour it down the loo, and then drive off without having made you leave the premises. I figure they had a deal with the landlord because we all had to buy a replacement pint.

Hmmm, that graph starts 10 years too late for me. I think we were paying 30p a pint in the Union bar (Portsmouth Poly, St. Paul’s Road, 1975). Shorts were 50p.

Too early for my student days too, but having worked in the Union bar in my first year (1978-79) I can still remember the prices - most beer was 32p a pint, and also most spirits were the same for a single measure, while soft drinks and mixers were generally aligned with half pints at 16p. So we rapidly learned our 32 and 16 times tables for totting up the bill, which was generally done in our heads and the total rung through the till. A few items deviated from these multiples - I am pretty sure there was one cheap beer at 29p (Ansells?) and one more expensive one at 35p (some sort of Bass I think, this was the Midlands and Marstons Pedigree was the default ale at that time).

[Salvatore]

That “Lloyd” was a common 19th century word for a shipping company, hence HAPAG-Lloyd* which survives to this day.

* Known in these parts as “Haddock-Floyd”.

I knew this was the case in German, but today I also learned that the also Italians used it: Lloyd Sabaudo Societa had a 40,000 ton liner built in Glasgow in 1929.

[rogerzilla]

We were paying 82p for a pint of Castlemaine XXXX in The Lazy Fox in Birmingham at the end of 1987.  If you were willing to go into one of the locals' pubs and drink bitter, 57p.  Mild was even cheaper, if you could actually stand the taste.  Birmingham was always a little cheaper than average for beer, probably because  most of the pubs sold M&B or Ansells swill.

[citoyen]

We were paying 82p for a pint of Castlemaine XXXX in The Lazy Fox in Birmingham at the end of 1987.  If you were willing to go into one of the locals' pubs and drink bitter, 57p.  Mild was even cheaper, if you could actually stand the taste.  Birmingham was always a little cheaper than average for beer, probably because  most of the pubs sold M&B or Ansells swill.

Must have been really bad if XXXX was a preferable option.

[Regulator]

We were paying 82p for a pint of Castlemaine XXXX in The Lazy Fox in Birmingham at the end of 1987.  If you were willing to go into one of the locals' pubs and drink bitter, 57p.  Mild was even cheaper, if you could actually stand the taste.  Birmingham was always a little cheaper than average for beer, probably because  most of the pubs sold M&B or Ansells swill.

We were regularly paying £1 pint in the Student Union bar at UEA (1993-96).  The SU kept Adnams going as a business during a very tough period for the company.

I drank for free in the Grad Bar (one of the perks at the time of being a member of the volunteer bar staff).

[felstedrider]

We were paying 82p for a pint of Castlemaine XXXX in The Lazy Fox in Birmingham at the end of 1987.  If you were willing to go into one of the locals' pubs and drink bitter, 57p.  Mild was even cheaper, if you could actually stand the taste.  Birmingham was always a little cheaper than average for beer, probably because  most of the pubs sold M&B or Ansells swill.

We were regularly paying £1 pint in the Student Union bar at UEA (1993-96).  The SU kept Adnams going as a business during a very tough period for the company.

I drank for free in the Grad Bar (one of the perks at the time of being a member of the volunteer bar staff).

Yeah but it was 50p a pint in Ritzy's or was that Peppermint Park ?

[hatler]

The Crown in Beeston was 26p/pint in the posh bar ('81 - '84) and 24p/pint in the scuzzy bar, and the beer in there was hand pull Home ales. So we'd buy it in the scuzzy bar and dutifully carry it round to the posh bar. Nectar. 

[PeteB99]

We were paying 82p for a pint of Castlemaine XXXX in The Lazy Fox in Birmingham at the end of 1987.  If you were willing to go into one of the locals' pubs and drink bitter, 57p.  Mild was even cheaper, if you could actually stand the taste.  Birmingham was always a little cheaper than average for beer, probably because  most of the pubs sold M&B or Ansells swill.

We were regularly paying £1 pint in the Student Union bar at UEA (1993-96).  The SU kept Adnams going as a business during a very tough period for the company.

I drank for free in the Grad Bar (one of the perks at the time of being a member of the volunteer bar staff).

Yeah but it was 50p a pint in Ritzy's or was that Peppermint Park ?

Most of the people in Ritzy's were too young to be buying alcohol

Or am I remembering the Samson and Hercules?