London could see Guinness pints hit £13 by 2035

Drinkers in Britain could be paying close to £13 for a pint of Guinness in some cities by 2035 if recent price increases continue at the same pace, according to an analysis published Monday by the forecasting group Predictionist and reported by The Drinks Business.

The projection is based on current city-level Guinness prices in 2026 and an average annual increase of about 7.4%, a rate the researchers said reflects how the average pint of Guinness has risen by roughly a third between 2022 and 2026. Using that growth rate over the next nine years, the analysis estimated that London, already the most expensive place in Britain for a pint of Guinness, could see the average price rise from £6.87 to about £13.10 by 2035.

Other high-cost cities were also projected to move well above £10 a pint. Cambridge was estimated to rise from £6.38 to about £12.10, Brighton from £6.13 to about £11.70, Edinburgh from £6.08 to about £11.60 and Oxford from £6.02 to about £11.40.

In other cities included in the forecast, Newcastle and Coventry were both projected to rise from £5.15 to about £9.80 by 2035. Hull was estimated to move from £5.08 to about £9.70, Glasgow from £4.93 to about £9.40 and Bristol from £4.78 to about £9.10.

Predictionist said the figures are not a firm forecast of what every pub will charge, but a projection built on recent pricing trends. A spokesperson for the group said the exercise was not “a crystal ball” but an estimate based on what has been happening at bars in recent years.

The underlying city price data came from 2026 research by UK Debt Expert, which surveyed Guinness prices across major pub chains including Wetherspoons, O’Neill’s, Hungry Horse and Greene King. The projection then applied the national average annual increase across all cities.

That method means the estimates are most relevant as an illustration of how compounding inflation can affect discretionary spending rather than as a fixed retail outlook for every venue. Prices still vary widely by chain, neighborhood and type of pub. Some Wetherspoons locations currently sell Guinness for less than £4, while some central London bars already charge £8 or more. The analysis also cited prices above £7 in parts of London, including £7.62 in Kensington and Chelsea and £7.19 in the City of London.

The report comes as Guinness remains one of the strongest beer brands in Britain. The brand was recently named the country’s most popular beer by YouGov, and the analysis noted that about one in every nine pints poured in Britain is now a Guinness.

At the same time, pubs and brewers have been dealing with higher energy, production and labor costs, pressures that can feed directly into menu prices at the bar. Diageo, which owns Guinness, also confirmed a further 5.2% increase in the price of draught Guinness for pubs starting in April 2026.

For Britain’s drinks industry, the projection points to a broader issue beyond one stout brand: sustained inflation in the on-trade could keep pushing up prices for beer served in pubs and bars, testing how much consumers are willing to pay while also shaping pricing power for brewers and operators. If those pressures persist, regular pub customers in large cities are likely to feel them first.

The researchers said frequent drinkers would be more exposed than occasional customers because repeated small increases add up quickly over time. A person buying several pints on a night out or visiting city-center pubs regularly would face a sharper rise in spending than someone who drinks less often.

The analysis did not tie its estimates to any tax change, regulation or official pricing rule. Instead, it presented them as a warning about where pub spending could go if current cost pressures remain in place through the next decade.