‘I attempted UK’s most costly pint for beer boffins on the hefty worth of £60’

The most expensive pint in the UK isn’t what it seems.

Recent reports have claimed that Brits are being charged £19 for a third of a pint, racking up to almost £60 if you wanted a full glass – this is true, but it’s far from the whole picture. To find out, the Daily Star headed down to CASK in Pimlico, London, where the beer was sold.

Upon arrival, we discovered that the infamous 6% Iris 2015 wasn’t even the most expensive beer on the menu, but looks can be deceiving. Peter Slezak, 43, a partner of the business which operates the hugely popular Craft Beer Company chain, explained that while there are some pricey bevvies out there, it’s all contextual.

READ MORE: Most expensive pint of beer in the UK revealed – but it’s not what it seems

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Iris, the beer in question, “costs an obscene amount to make,” Peter explained. It’s made annually in small quantities, through a unique process that meshes traditional beer-making practices with innovative methods that incorporate yeast from the air to make each batch a one-off.

In other words – this beer is expensive for a reason, and while you’re not settling in for a Euros game to smash it from lunch till close, it’s unfair to package it up with your average swifty.

CASK accommodates that too, however, with a selection of beers that meet the needs of everyone from “peers [in the House of Lords] to bricklayers.”

We put that to the test, coupling our third of Iris with a pint for the everyman, a pint of crystal clear Lakedown Brewery’s Torchbearer that comes in at £5.50 a jar – a very reasonable price in central London.

The pub has 32 lines, five of which are regular taps that run consistently, and 27 more on rotation that showcase the very best the world of beer has to offer.

This isn’t for everyone, and if you’re looking for a long afternoon on the lash there are other places that might more fit your needs, but that doesn’t mean you can’t lock into an affordable (for London) session if you want to.

Inside, it’s Thursday lunchtime and the pub is surprisingly busy. The Beatles play over the humdrum of gentle conversation and the bar staff talk with punters like they’re friends. Men of a variety of professions are there, just as Peter promised. There are tradies and former oil men drinking side by side. As one of the latter, Phil Andrews, told the Star, “I brought a flat 100 yards down the road because of this pub.”

Peter was unbothered about the recent media attention his boozer has earned and was quick to make the point that while the idea of paying almost £60 for a pint is ridiculous to most, society doesn’t bat an eyelid at the sale of bottles of wine for well over £1,000 or whiskey for even more.

As is the case for any alcoholic drink worth its salt, there is a sliding scale that accommodates all tastes and budgets. There’s a bottle of Mouton Rothschild for £2,000 if you want it, but there’s also a bottle of plonk down the corner shop for a fiver.

As Peter noted CASK, which claims to be the first craft beer pub in London, is a place that is curated for its customers, working hard to ensure that if you want a beer, whoever you are, they’ve got one for you.

“My challenge when people say they don’t like beer is to find them something they like,” he said.

Through careful maintenance of relationships, CASK has curated a network of beer and mead suppliers to produce a specialist haven for the lover of premium tipples.

They just celebrated their 15th birthday, the aftermath of which still adorns the walls in the form of posters, where they give away some £20,000 in prizes and merchandise.

As the Star stood chatting with Peter at the bar locals came and joined the conversation. “We started a place we wanted to go ourselves,” Peter explained. “Clean, hospitable… giving back by being consistent.”

Along with his co-founder Martin, Peter started the business with £1,500 and expanded it into a small empire with Craft Beer Co watering holes around the capital. Now it’s a nine-figure enterprise.

“I want everyone who comes here to have the best experience I can provide for them,” Peter said. “Whether you want the 2015 gueuze or an orange juice, this is my front room, my home, and I want everyone who comes here to have the best possible choice of product that I can give them more than anything else – this is about providing a service to people. I want quality products, because why wouldn’t you want the best offering for people?

“But, as important as that is to us, it’s secondary to the person standing in front of you.”

He was adamant that CASK is “for everybody,” including people rolling through looking to tie one on on a Saturday afternoon with some simple gulpables. “Peers, bricklayers, OAPs, men, women, young. The golden rule is we want everyone to have a good time – as long as one person’s good time doesn’t negatively impact someone else’s good time.”

The soft drinks are specialist, the crisps they stock have come from a small business they supported early on that has grown with their support. “It took years to find the right bag of crisps because we want to support other small businesses who are invested in providing a quality product,” he added.

“We’re providing a service. We are publicans. And everyone who comes to us is welcome.”

Heart full and with a nice buzz on the Star waddled out into evening light. It’s amazing how a good pub makes the time fly.

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