A YouTuber, astonished by the price of a pint at his local Wetherspoons, embarked on a mission to find cheaper beer elsewhere, ultimately ending up in a country that does not officially exist.
Robbie Knox discovered that the United Kingdom's cheapest beer was a Worthington's Creamflow, sold at The Union Rooms in Batley, West Yorkshire, for just 99 pence. Determined to find a better deal, he set out on a journey that first took him to Sofia, Bulgaria. Calculating the cost of beer in continental Europe required some mathematical effort, as drinks there are typically sold by the litre. Additionally, many bars in Sofia were primarily restaurants, with prices reflecting that. The first beer he tried cost nearly three times the price of the Batley pint, at approximately £2.95.
Even in Sofia's university district, where budget-conscious students frequent, Robbie could not beat the Yorkshire price. This prompted him to seek more drastic measures. He decided to leave the Eurozone, discounting Ukraine and Belarus due to the ongoing conflict, and set his sights on Moldova. Data from Numbeo indicated that Moldova had the cheapest beer in Europe, excluding Ukraine and Belarus.
Upon arriving in Chișinău, Moldova's capital, Robbie was impressed by the independent trader vibe and the abundance of bars and restaurants. However, his first Moldovan pint cost £4.72, on par with prices in Norwich, where he lives. He found another bar offering beer at £1.88, but this still could not match The Union Rooms. Robbie noted that Moldova, while being the poorest country in Europe, had many great bars and restaurants, but no direct equivalent to Wetherspoons.
To find cheaper prices, Robbie ventured outside the capital, eventually reaching Transnistria, a breakaway state that seceded from Moldova after the Soviet Union's collapse. Transnistria is not recognised by most nations and maintains close ties with Russia. Despite official Foreign Office advice against travel there, Robbie entered in the interest of scientific research. Exchanging his euros for Transnistria's unique plastic coins, he finally found a beer for just 77 pence, beating the 99p target. However, factoring in travel and accommodation costs, he might have been better off staying in West Yorkshire.
