Beer is the most popular low alcohol drink in the world. It has a characteristic bitter taste and a pleasant aroma of hops. Beer according to the traditional recipe is brewed with only four components - this is malt, hops, water and yeast. Although some varieties of top fermentation also add sugar or invert syrup. Other components are also used, for example herbs, berries, fruits, etc. However, beer with an unconventional taste is most often produced in small craft breweries.
The price of a hop drink grows from year to year. Its consumption is also increasing worldwide. In this regard, the question arises: where is the cheapest beer you can buy? And is it worth it to drink such a drink?
Price issue
For many people, beer has traditionally been considered a “weekend drink”. And some are used to skipping one or two circles after work. Such frequent use can not be called a healthy habit, in addition, the financial costs of a drunken drink are growing. In this regard, consumers are increasingly choosing the cheapest beer in the store. And do not think that this applies only to residents of our country. All over the world, supermarket shelves are laden with inexpensive low-alcohol products. It is not only about states with an unstable economic situation and third world countries. There is cheap beer everywhere, even in the USA and in prosperous Europe. This is the case when demand creates supply.
What is the cheapest beer
Everyone understands that buyers are mainly interested in the cost of a hop-drink in their hometown. And if someone finds out that, for example, in Nigeria, beer costs less than in a store near his house, then this someone will not go thousands of kilometers in search of an “alcoholic dream”.
If we compare prices within the framework of one Russian city, then the cheapest beer is draft. Various promotions and bonus discounts allow you to purchase low alcohol at 60-65 rubles per liter. Low cost due to the lack of branded packaging - made of glass and with a factory label. The average cost of draft beer is 80-90 rubles per liter.
In second place - inexpensive beer in glass bottles, plastic containers and cans from domestic manufacturers. Sometimes its price will turn out even slightly lower than that of a draft one, sometimes it keeps at the same level. But more often it is 20-30% higher.
The most expensive hop drink on store shelves is beer from foreign manufacturers. It costs an average of 200-300 rubles. for a capacity of 0.5 liters.
Expensive craft beer is also sold in specialized beer shops. Its price varies greatly depending on the formulation, cost, demand and many other economic factors. The cost of craft drinks is from two hundred rubles to a couple of thousand per liter.
The most expensive beer is in bars and restaurants. And it's not even about the quality of the drinks served. Just the "wrap" at these institutions is the largest and can reach up to 300%.
Beer consumption culture in Russia
In our country, people of the older generation still remember those times when beer was not on sale. Absolutely. And if it appeared in stores, it was immediately snapped up by sullen buyers who defended long lines to be able to purchase a low-alcohol drink.
In the post-perestroika years, brewing in Russia flourished. The notorious Baltika, Arsenalnoye, and Three Fat Men appeared. And the famous Zhigulevskoye was represented by a huge assortment from many manufacturers.
They didn’t think about tastes then. There was a lot of very strong beer in the shops, there was plenty of it, and that seemed enough.
Over time, the hoppy foam somewhat fell off, and buyers realized that it was not necessary to buy the cheapest beer from domestic manufacturers. They learned to understand the varieties of hop drink, to distinguish lagers from ales and to value the drink for its pleasant taste and aroma, and not for the effect of the effect on the body.
Today, the beer market in Russia is simply huge. Consumers buy low-alcohol products at a very different price - depending on their desire and financial capabilities. Demand for craft beer has also grown.
Quality inexpensive beer
How good is inexpensive alcohol? There is a myth that the cheapest beer in Russia is a kind of powdery surrogate. That is, manufacturers take a certain "hop extract", dilute it with water and add a little alcohol. And at the end they get an inexpensive product with dubious taste.
In fact, this myth is not true. And no “powder beer" exists. It is always cooked according to a traditional recipe with minor variations. The taste of the hop drink is due to the fact that manufacturers seek to please as many people as possible, therefore, the drink has an average taste - not sweet, not sour, not bitter, in a word, “no”.
Moreover, beer drinks that appeared on store shelves also consist of natural ingredients. They are based on traditional beer wort, but various additives are allowed, which can make up to 80% of the entire product. Therefore, they are called “drinks,” not beer.
In addition, the beer strength, according to the standard in our country, cannot be higher than 7% of the total. Consequently, a strong, delicious and expensive craft beer with an alcohol content above 7% is also a beer drink.
To drink or not to drink
Should I drink inexpensive beer? In our country, there is a strong opinion that only people from the lowest social strata consume cheap alcoholic drinks, that is, deserted citizens, alcoholics, and “cattle” of all sexes and ages.
Although in reality it is just a matter of taste and financial capabilities. For an example it is worth looking at a situation in the same Europe. In Germany, Czech Republic, France, Spain and other countries it is full of cheap hops drink. And the quality, as travelers say, is much worse than domestic.
The price of beer in Russia
In Russia, the prices of low alcohol drinks are quite low. The cheapest draft beer in our country costs about 60 rubles per liter. The price is just fantastic - less than a dollar per liter. And immediately there are doubts about the quality of the product.
The fact is that the excise tax on a low-alcohol drink is 21 rubles per liter. Since 2019, it will increase to 23 rubles. Thus, less than 40 rubles remains, which accounts for all the costs of production, rental of a outlet, wages to sellers and much more. If you do not go into lengthy calculations, then the cost of the drink should be 10-15 rubles per liter for the whole scheme to work. Immediately there are reasonable doubts about the quality of such a “swill”. Meanwhile, his taste is not that good, but quite acceptable. What is the catch here?
In fact, in our country there is a huge market for illegal beer. It is made without paying excise taxes, therefore, it is offered to buyers at a reduced cost. As a result, the state does not receive huge amounts of taxes. And consumers are at risk every day to encounter some kind of E. coli or other unpleasant consequences. After all, if the production is illegal, then no sanitary checks of equipment and personnel are carried out on it.
In addition, the “shadow business” is crowding out honest manufacturers from the market. They are not able to withstand competition, therefore, reduce production volumes, and sometimes come to bankruptcy and closure of the enterprise.
Inexpensive beer in Moscow
What about the prices of intoxicating drinks in the capital? The cheapest beer in Moscow costs 40-45 rubles for 0.5 liters. It's about mass production, which is sold in chain stores. The average price for a bottle is 70-85 rubles. Inexpensive beer in Moscow pubs costs 150-200 rubles for 0.5 liters. However, in such establishments they can also wind up 200-300% of the real price of the drink. And a beer will cost 400-800 rubles.
Rating of inexpensive institutions in Moscow:
- Bar-shop "Drink Is." Light beer from 130 rubles per 0.5 liter, dark - from 180, craft - from 260.
- Birtime. Light and dark beer - 120 rubles per 0.5 liter, craft beer - from 190.
- Discount bars "Killfish". Light - from 99 rubles, dark - from 143, craft - from 242.
- Kamchatka. Light and dark beer - 150-170 rubles per mug, craft beer - from 190.
- "Mug". Light and dark beer - 179-155 rubles, craft beer - 199.
The drinks offer the appropriate assortment of snacks - fish, seafood, sausages, chips.
Countries with the cheapest beer
The cheapest beer in the world is sold in China, or rather, in the Chinese city of Guangzhou. Its price is $ 0.36 per 0.5 liter capacity. The Philippines comes in second, with a cost of $ 0.49 for a half-liter hops drink. Third place is shared by Ukraine, Vietnam and the Czech Republic. The cost of the most inexpensive beer in these countries is $ 0.59 per 0.5 liter.
The most delicious cheap beer is Czech. The most liquid, with an unpleasant odor and taste is Vietnamese.
Rating of cities with inexpensive hop drinks
If you take the average price for a beer in different cities of the world, the rating will be as follows:
- Prague - $ 1.3.
- Johannesburg - $ 1.7.
- Lisbon - $ 2.
- Cape Town - $ 2.1.
- Manila - $ 2.3.
In these cities you can buy the cheapest beer in the world. Once again, I want to emphasize that we are talking about the average price of a hop drink in various pubs and restaurants. In stores, such products will cost less.
The most expensive beer can be bought in Iran. In this country, in principle, very high prices for alcohol. In second and third place are Kuwait and the UAE. From European countries, the most expensive hop drinks are in Norway.
The cost of beer in the Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a country of beer. It is not just a lot here, but a lot. Tourists are pleasantly surprised by the price of a hoppy drink. Some beer items in bars and restaurants have a price tag of 40-60 kroons. In terms of Russian currency, it is 120-180 rubles. We remind you once again that this is the price of beer in bars and restaurants.
If you go to the supermarket, then the prices will please even more. You can find a hoppy drink that costs 5.9 kroons. This is less than 20 rubles. Such a hoppy drink is actually less than a bottle of water or a trip on the subway!
The cost of beer in Germany
Germany is the birthplace of the most popular beer festival in the world. Oktoberfest is traditionally held in September under the patronage of the Munich administration. Every year, millions of people and hundreds of brewers participate in it. However, the cost of a liter mug of beer at this enterprise can scare an unprepared tourist. The most inexpensive option will cost 11-12 euros.
Outside the festival, prices do not “bite” like that. Good beer in the store costs 1.5-2 euros for 0.5 liters. In inexpensive bars, the price tag is about the same. However, there is a small nuance - in individual pubs, when the mug is returned to the bar, a part of the amount is returned to the buyer.
If you look at the price in stores for the most mass production, then almost the entire range will cost 40-90 eurocents. Accordingly, the cheapest beer in Germany can be bought for 30 rubles.