There’s a saying in Norwich, “a church for every Sunday of the year, and a pub for every day.” My interest lies in the pubs of Norwich, their identity, history and drinking culture.

I find it difficult to be a regular at any pub, mainly because there are so many in Norwich to explore and patronise, from my locals on Unthank Road to exploring the likes of the Rosebery in NR3.

I know many students are willing to go off the beaten track for a new drinking experience, but not willing to pay for the extortionate prices pubs are forced to have, and you’ll end up in Wetherspoons; not that there’s anything wrong with being financially responsible.

It would be ridiculous to blame the people who can’t afford pub prices for the decline of pubs; the fault is not with you.

So where is the fault, where is the problem arising from? “Gen Z drink less” sources seem to tell you.

We don’t have fun anymore, all we want are coffee shops, matcha, and a good night sleep. Now, I’m not a fan of matcha (although I’m told matcha-infused beer exists!)  but our generation does drink differently from the last.

Of course it’s not all down to the growing price of alcohol, the movement to health and wellness, the improvement of alcohol-free beverages, and sobriety trends contribute to why drinking is declining.

If you are one of the people, whose divergence from alcohol is down to one of these examples then you need not worry as much about the cost of alcohol.

However, many consider pubs as a third place in the community, homely and comfortable, a place to be with friends, but with the presence of other people, and unless you’re Jean-Paul Sartre this should appeal to you.

You can be sober in the pub, drink with friends or just go for a good chat, pubs are part of the community and I find some don’t differ from coffee shops that much at all — coffee fans and beer fans, are all too similar, one just gets drunker the more they explore their hobby.

I wouldn’t be surprised if there was in fact a café for every day of the year in Norwich, overtaking the number pubs which CAMRA (The Campaign for Real Ale) states there as being 171 as of June 2025.

However, I know there are fewer than that now, my local, for example, the Rose Tavern in NR2 shut down in January 2026 after the landlady retired, and although the community have lobbied for it to be revived I don’t see that happening anytime soon, as the prices to run and save a pub are prohibitively expensive. 

Recently publicans were warning us about the soon to be reality of the £10 pint, which in the past you’d only see at airports, sports matches, or other venues with captive audience, but now it’s looming over us.

As of 1st April 2026, Guinness’s parent company, Diageo will be increasing the wholesale price of Guinness on draught by 5.2 per cent in the UK, and unfortunately this doesn’t seem to be an April Fool’s joke. Although, 5.2 per cent doesn’t sound like much, it doesn’t consider the retail markup.

Similarly, we’ve seen the effects of a price rise to Beamish (a dry Irish stout similar to Guinness), when Heineken slapped a 3.1 per cent increase on all draught products and as a result of this, pubs have had to put their prices up drastically, including the Barley Mow in Marylebone which had a sign up on their Beamish tap apologising for the £8.30 price tag, saying it has to be that high in order to simply break even.

 Luckily for the average Concrete reader, you don’t have to withstand the ludicrous London pint prices, but it is still a wonder that London Uni attendees can afford a night out, let alone accommodation.

Prices are still high here, and the problems affecting London pubs also affect those in East Anglia with CAMRA reporting a whole pound difference on the prices of Norwich pints in 2019 to the prices in 2025, and they’ll have surely increased again in 2026 as is the trend. 

Fortunately, pubs and publicans have not been totally helpless, with the Government relaxing the duty rates on draught beer and cider; perhaps many establishments barring Labour MPs worked.

But despite the slight relaxation, the Government have put a serious incentive for lowering the ABV (Alcohol By Volume) of beer to below 3.5 per cent, as the duty rate is £8.28 per litre of alcohol in the product for beer and cider with an ABV of 3.4 per cent or below, while the rate is £18.76 per litre of alcohol in the product for beer with a strength between 3.5 per cent and 8.5 per cent ABV.

This has resulted in various beers dropping their ABV, with Fosters decreasing theirs from 3.7 per cent to 3.4 per cent in February 2026; this marks their second reduction in three years when the strength was lowered from 4 per cent in 2023.

This is a trend in the beer industry, with breweries cutting back on ingredients making a minimally different product to save money, but as they continue to cut corners each year the product becomes a drastically lower quality product to the original.

It’s not totally bleak though, Gen Z is reported to drink more cask ale or real ale (a traditional British style of serving and brewing beer), then in previous years, partly down to its lower price but also to the local, historic, and authentic nature of cask.

It also often offers a lower ABV, with the style: mild generally being below 3.5 per cent ABV. Gen Z’s love of “aesthetics” can contribute to their appreciation of the traditional pub, with them wanting authenticity and a relaxing atmosphere above all else, I and many of my peers admit to exploring new pubs because of this search for the ideal atmosphere.

So, what can you do, you students on a budget? Yes, there is a time and a place for Spoons, I won’t ruin that for you. But try and drink local, explore new places and support the pubs of Norwich. 

 I want pubs to survive, so I’ve carried out some exhaustive research (drinking) to bring you my top seven pubs to try in Norwich.

It was no easy task, there are simply too many good ones to choose from, but here are 7 worth seeking out.

The Vine for cask and Belgian beer lovers who also want some delicious Thai food.

The Rose Inn has its own cheese counter.

The Steam Packet for cask and a very fine pint of Guinness.

The Garden House for a ridiculous supply of real ale and cider.

Bier Draak for the finest European beers with an incredibly knowledgeable team to help you chose.

The Adam and Eve for that quirky, historic vibe.

The Hop Rocket for phenomenal beer and cider with an excellent pub quiz.

Because if the local pub really is facing last orders, the least we can do is show up before the bell rings.

Image credit: Evie Smith