Yet Another Reason To Hate Hipsters: Increased Beer Prices

By Anthony Todd in Food on May 22, 2013 3:20PM

If you're anything like us, the now-obligatory PBR tallboy at the bottom of every fancy restaurant menu is like a low-alcohol, low-flavor thorn in your side. $6 for a PBR or a Bud Light? You've got to be kidding. Well, now we know who to blame: Hipsters.

A study by Restaurant Sciences has found that "cheap beers" like PBR and Coors have increased in price by over 8 percent in the past seven months. Beers in other categories have increased in price too, but not nearly as fast as the low-cost beers. According to our sister site Gothamist,

[R]esearchers think those silver tallboys are to blame: "I believe the single biggest driver in sub-premium beer price increases is indeed specifically PBR," Chuck Ellis, the group's head, told the Daily News. "It has become quite fashionable." And though it's not entirely clear why PBR's singularly responsible for this price jump, researchers say that because it's hipper now, venues feel comfortable charging more for it and other low-cost brews.

Or it could just be that alcohol prices in general are becoming kind of ridiculous. As we push past the $12 cocktail into the land of the $15 cocktail, is it any wonder that those silly enough to order beer-water at fancy bars are being forced to pay a ton of cash?