Cheapest pint in British historical past discovered as folks left begging for time machine

Brits have been stunned by the historic price of pints and pinpointed the year they were at their absolute cheapest.

Pint prices are sky-high these days, but data whizz Peter Donaghy has charted the cost of our beloved brews over the centuries, unearthing how they’ve bobbed up and down with the dramatic tides of history.

As it turns out, while our wallets may feel the pinch at present, it was far worse back in previous centuries. Reddit’s ale aficionados can’t quite believe their eyes they’re all joking about needing a time machine to score a deal on a decent pint.

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Beer enthusiasts, set your TARDIS coordinates for the 15th century if you want a real bargain we’re talking a pint for under two quid, an absolute steal at £1.39 back in 1462!

Peter took to his Twitter/X platform like a storm, sharing: “Might have gone too far, but here’s a chart of the price of a pint of beer relative to incomes in Britain from 1259-2023. Pints were cheapest in 1462 when pints were the modern day equivalent of £1.39. If you think pints are expensive now, be grateful you aren’t drinking in 1315.”

He flagged some historical price hikes that’ll make your head spin: “A lot of stories there. The Great Famine of 1315-17 causing a spike in food prices. A big hike in the cost of beer during World War 2 as industry was dedicated to the war effort. Another spike in 1620, perhaps the pilgrims on the Mayflower were trying to escape expensive pints.”

Now, Reddit’s beer buffs might just be half-serious about firing up that time machine to zip back for dirt-cheap draughts in the good ol days of the 1400s. One user quipped: “Excellent – new best answer to the old ‘if you had a Time Machine, what time would you travel to’ question.” Another chimed in with a grim reminder: “And drink quickly, as the average age to die was probably 32.”

The conversation then turned to the cost of a pint today, with some punters scratching their heads over the chart’s suggestion that it hovers around £4. One sceptic asked: “I’m surprised by this. It has felt like 2007 to now would have a much steeper curve but it has stayed relatively the same. How solid is this data? £4 seems low for 2023.”

Meanwhile, another commentator pointed out: “Worth remembering that Food and Drink (and technology) have come down in price significantly in the last 50 years. So whilst it may seem like a pint is expensive now, it’s probably because rent/mortgage is so damn high that you don’t have as much disposable income as 50 years ago hence a pint would’ve felt cheaper.”

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