On the day that drinks company Diageo has upped prices for pubs across Ireland, the cost of Guinness was already on the rise in Belfast.
Diageo – whose brands also include Harp, Smithwicks, Hophouse 13 and spirit brands like Smirnoff – wrote to publicans informing them Guinness would cost an extra 6c a pint, or 4p in Northern Ireland, from February 3.
Several Belfast pubs told the Irish News on Monday the latest increase had not automatically been passed on to customers.
In August, the ‘Pint Tracker’ website listed the average price of Guinness in Belfast at £5.65, now it has increased to £5.75. And that’s before the Diageo increase has even been added.
Friday pic.twitter.com/MSLg0wAkFS
— PintsO’Guinness (@PintsO_Guinness) January 31, 2025
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This remains above Dublin’s average price for customers, up from €5.62 in August to €5.70 (£4.78).
One of Belfast’s most famous bars, The Duke of York confirmed that it had increased the price of a pint of Guinness by 50p to £6.50 in this time.
Kelly’s Cellars also confirmed a current cost of £5.60 for Guinness, which the pint tracker website said was a 20p increase in recent months.
However, some bars disputed the Pint Tracker listed prices.
The Deer’s Head on Lower Garfield Street was listed as increasing by 30p to £6.80 and the Harp Bar in the Cathedral Quarter by 20p to £6.70, but both bars said that prices had remained unchanged at £6.50.
Hospitality Ulster did not comment on Diageo’s latest price change.
Last month, the organisation had called a 1p reduction in draught duty from the Chancellor Rachel Reeves an “insult” as the industry prepared to face significant tax and cost increases.
Chief Executive Colin Neill had predicted that customers would soon be paying even more due to an expected “avalanche of price increases” from suppliers.
Other reports in January suggested that Diageo is considering selling Guinness as well as a 34% stake in Moet Hennessy, with Diageo shares hitting their lowest level since 2017.
This is despite strong sales of Guinness in the UK, becoming the most popular beer ahead of Carling in 2022.
Bloomberg had reported that the Irish stout business could be valued at over £8bn if Diageo considered a stock market listing or gauged possible takeover interest.
