The average price of a pint of bitter in Northamptonshire is now £2.60 and the Government has promised a two per cent above inflation rise in alcohol tax over the next four years.

Graham Cherry, partner of Frog Island Brewery in St James, said: "With the current economic situation I think every small business is suffering but we tend to suffer more than most as the Government puts the duty up.

"I think a lot of villages already have post offices and shops closing down. Now it seems that the pubs are on the borderline as well."

Mr Cherry said that a worldwide shortage of hops as well as increases in heating and fuel bills had put a large financial strain on producing beer.

Northamptonshire is currently the 18th most expensive place to buy a pint of bitter out of 30 different regions in England according to the latest figures from the Good Pub Guide 2009.

Mr Cherry said: "It costs us more to brew the beer so we work on smaller price margins and then the pubs have got to make money so they have to pass on the cost."

A rise in pub prices, coupled with low costs in supermarkets – where beer can be snapped up for as little as 50p a bottle – has meant the number of people going out to pubs for a pint has fallen markedly in recent years.

Nigel North, landlord of The Lamplighter in The Mounts, Northampton, said: "We have not increased prices at present but I know a lot of brewers who are having to put prices up.

"The cost of the hops, electricity and rent makes it more expensive for them to produce beer. I think people still appreciate a well brewed beer in a pub."

The most expensive place to drink is Surrey, where a pint of bitter costs an average of £2.88, while the cheapest place is the West Midlands where it costs £2.25.