Why this single image of a beer has outraged Australia: ‘That’s a tough swallow’

A single image of a beer with an astronomical price tag sold at a pub in Sydney has sparked outrage online.

The image, showing the pint of an unknown brand with an accompanying charge of $17.80 displayed on an Eftpos console, was shared to Reddit on Monday afternoon with the caption: ‘$20 pints are just around the corner’.

Commenters on the post said they found the price ‘tough to swallow’.

‘Stopped drinking two years ago. I honestly don’t know how people afford to go out drinking on a regular occurrence,’ one person said.

‘I just don’t drink out anymore. It’s such a ripoff. I just drink at home,’ another agreed.

‘Who can afford this? This is partly what’s ruined the nightlife in the city,’ a third said. 

‘I’m used to $15 for some stupid craft beer (that I’m a massive sucker for) but $20 for what I’m guessing is one of the big boys? That’s a tough swallow in multiple ways,’ a fourth said.

The original poster later said they bought the beer at The Rocks in Sydney, a popular tourist spot, and that it had a 15 per cent public holiday surcharge. 

But another Reddit user said it wasn’t uncommon, saying they had just recently paid $18.20 for a ‘pint that wasn’t even a pint’ of Stone & Wood at Bungalow 8 in Sydney’s Darling Harbour. 

‘Paid $27 at PJ’s on Saturday for a Kilkenny and a pint,’ agreed another.

The Australian beer excise tax rose again in August by 2.2 per cent.

The beer tax has increased from $57.79 to $59.06 per litre of pure alcohol, making Australia the third-highest taxed country in the world behind Finland and Norway.

On a carton of beer, tax alone is about half the cost at $25. 

Even the alcohol industry, generally considered a recession-proof, seems to be feeling the brunt  of soaring cost-of-living pressures.

According to Australian bank data from the first quarter of this year tobacco and alcohol spending fell -8.9% in NSW, -13.7% in Victoria, -14% in Queensland, -16.9% in South Australia, -14.1% in Western Australia, -9.8% in Tasmania, -2.7% in the Northern Territory and -4.5% in the ACT.

‘To allay the impact of the cost-of-living crisis, beverage alcohol consumers are becoming more selective in how and when they spend on alcohol,’ said Richard Halstead, COO Consumer Insights, at IWSR Drinks Market Analysis.

‘After the pandemic, at-home drinking is still preferred, but there is a strong motivation to go out, just with less frequency and more mindfulness in alcohol consumption and spending.’