Crying into your beer?

[MotherBear]

Bad news for some.

Beer price rise 'inevitable'
5:00AM Saturday April 05, 2008
By Errol Kiong

Beer drinkers may be left goggle-eyed come July as the price of their favourite tipple looks set to soar.

The big two breweries, DB and Lion Nathan, say price increases of 4 per cent or more are inevitable as brewers look to recoup some of their costs from the skyrocketing price of raw materials and packaging.

DB is staring down the barrel of a 6 to 7 per cent rise, as opposed to 3 per cent last year, while Lion Nathan, which hasn't set its new prices yet, concedes it will be at least 4 per cent.

And the smaller breweries, which lack the buying power of the two titans, will be even harder hit.

The increase does not include what end-sellers such as supermarkets or pubs may do, as they too grapple with increased overheads such as wages.

If you can bear it, there's more here .