Rishi Sunak has been heckled for pulling a pint while the government puts up the cost of alcohol.
The prime minister took part in the stunt to publicise moves which the government says could reduce the price of beer in a pub.
Under the so-called “Brexit Pubs Guarantee”, the alcohol duty charged on drinks will be based on how strong they are.
The shake-up means beer duty will fall, but the price of drinks with a higher alcohol content, like wine and spirits, will go up.
As he was shown how to pour a pint of Black Dub stout at the Great British Beer Festival in London today, one onlooker shouted: “Prime minister, oh the irony that you’re raising alcohol duty on the day that you’re pulling a pint.”
Unveiling the changes, Sunak said it was “the most radical simplification of alcohol duties for over 140 years”.
He said: “I want to support the drinks and hospitality industries that are helping to grow the economy, and the consumers who enjoy the end result.
“Not only will today’s changes mean that that the price of your pint in the pub is protected, but it will also benefit thousands of businesses across the country.
“We have taken advantage of Brexit to simplify the duty system, to reduce the price of a pint, and to back British pubs.”
Under changes announced by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt in his Budget in March, the freeze to alcohol duty ended today. It means duty on a bottle of wine will rise by 44p, while the price of spirits will also go up.
Scotch Whisky Association director of strategy Graeme Littlejohn said: “The government has chosen to impose the largest duty increase in almost half a century, increasing the cost of every bottle of Scotch whisky sold in the UK by almost a pound and taking the tax burden on the average priced bottle to 75%.
“In a further blow, distillers will now face a further competitive disadvantage in pubs, restaurants and bars by being unfairly excluded from tax breaks available to beer and cider.
“Pubs and other on-trade businesses are about far more than beer and cider.”