Challenges for Shropshire brewers amid rising cost of living

Joules had said it had maintained its prices during the pandemic

A brewery has said the rising cost of living means it has had to raise prices slightly despite keeping them the same during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Joules Brewery, based in Market Drayton in Shropshire, has 43 pub taps across the county and Staffordshire and Cheshire.

Its marketing manager Pip Machin said its costs had increased "tenfold".

Other business said they were trying to keep the impact of rising costs away from their customers.

It comes as UK inflation, the rate at which prices rise, jumped to 9.4% in the 12 months to June from 9.1% in May, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

Speaking to BBC Radio Shropshire Ms Machin said: "Of course it is a really difficult climate for our pubs at the moment.

"It is that kind of decision where people have got increased costs - so do they go out and have a meal out, do they have that extra money to go for their pint after work?

"It is difficult and we are noticing it across the board."

'Step in right direction'

For the brewery, she said, ingredient prices have gone up and for things like CO2, used to carbonate beer, "the costs have just gone up tenfold so it is really, really difficult".

She said Joules had eliminated rent costs for tenant pubs during Covid-19, while maintaining prices for two years, but had had to put "a slight increase on some of our costs this year".

She said they had tenants picking up extra beer over the heatwave which was "fantastic" and "hopefully a bit more of a step in the right direction".

Heineken, the world's second largest brewer, has warned that it will increase the price of its beers due to the impact of inflation.

But Steve Younger, of Hare Moon Cider based in St Martins, Shropshire, said he was trying to keep costs away from customers.

"I've got extra costs but I can't put the price up really because other people have probably got a bit less money to spare so they don't want to be paying any more," he said.