YORK'S beer scene is more varied than ever before and drinkers are prepared to pay more for better quality, a new study suggests.

Volunteers carried out the third York Beer Census last month, and the organisers have now confirmed the results.

The number of unique real ales found in the city in the three snapshot surveys has increased from 241 in 2012 and 281 in 2014 to 328 this year.

Beers from 142 breweries were found, up from 132 in 2014.

For the first time, John Smith's Cask is no longer the most widely-found real ale. It was found in 22 pubs but Timothy Taylor's Landlord was the commonly-found, in 27 pubs. 

The top five most frequently found were

  • Timothy Taylor Landlord (27 pubs)
  • Black Sheep Best (23 pubs)
  • John Smith Cask (22 pubs)
  • York Guzzler (21 pubs)
  • Sharps Doom Bar (20 pubs)

John Smith's Smooth, in keg, was still found in 80 pubs and was behind only Guinness (129 pubs) and Carling (100 pubs).

York Campaign for Real Ale member Dr Lucy Buykx, who jointly organised the event with local academic Professor Ignazio Cabras, said “I’m thrilled to see with our third beer census that York's beer scene is flourishing, with more local breweries and more pubs offering a wider choice to consumers.”

The average price of a pint of beer (all beer styles, not only real ale) has increased from £3.15 in 2012 and £3.32 in 2014 to £3.63 this year, and the average for a medium-strength beer (3.5 to 4.5 per cent) is now £3.40.

The cheapest beer was Sam Smith's Old Brewery Bitter, at £1.90 a pint, but other beers found at less than £2.50 a pint included Hop studio Elder, Ilkley Mary Jane, Leeds Solstice, Burton Bitter, Doom Bar and York Guzzler.

The overall average was lifted by two beers found on the day with ABVs of more than 10 per cent. They were Minesweeper by Brass Castle (10%), which was £6.50 a pint and Bigeye by Bad Co (10.5%) was which was £9 a pint. Both are more typically sold in half-pint or third-pint measures.

Prof Cabras said the results suggested a willingness among customers to try new beers. He said: "The higher level of appreciation for beer variety pushes pubs in our city to satisfy a more sophisticated demand, and this situation benefits breweries which can work and experiment with new tastes and flavours."

He said demand for variety did not seem to have been hit by rising prices, and said: "These findings seem to demonstrate that pub-goers in York are prepared to spend more in order to get higher quality with their beers."

The organisers thank Brew York in Walmgate, which provided a base for organisers and volunteers.