An influx of specialist imported beer in Brighton has seen some pubs charging in excess of £5 for a pint.

Pints of beer in the city now range from £1.99 for traditional ales to up to £7 for imported brands.

JD Wetherspoon pubs, like North Street’s Post and Telegraph and the West Quay in the Marina, offer Ruddles Ale for as little as £1.99.

At the other end of the scale, a pint of Doggie Style craft beer, a 5.5% import from America, currently sells for £7 per pint at The Cow pub in Dyke Road.

One regular pubgoer warned increasingly high prices would kill the pub trade in the city.

But landlords have defended the cost of these premium drinks, saying they are offering some of the “best beers from around the world”.

Ben Murray, landlord of The Cow, described a pint of Doggie Style as a treat to accompany a “good meal” and said it was “exceptional”.

He said: “We’re not hiding away from the fact that it’s expensive, but we’re not making lots of money on it either.

“We are selecting the best beers from around the world to serve to our customers and the £7 one is exceptional.

“For the past six months it had been selling for £6. Next month it will be going down to £5.75 following a reduction in import costs.

“But we offer competitive prices on other beers, such as a pint of ale for £3.10 and a pint of Cobra for £3.20.

“We have an extensive list of craft beer from international microbreweries and we aim for quality.”

At the Pub with No Name in Southover Street, a pint of Brooklyn brewed craft beer costs £5.10, and at the Evening Star in Surrey Street, a pint of Tiger beer costs £4.85.

According to pintprice.com, the average cost of a pint of beer in Brighton is £3.40 – 45p above the national average, but 20p cheaper than London.

Pete Coppard, from the Brighton and South Downs Campaign for Real Ale, said some of the new prices for imported beer were “ridiculous.”

He said: “There is a certain amount of tax and duty to pay on imported beer, but these figures are ridiculous.

“What does the term craft beer mean? It’s a meaningless term and it’s what we’ve fought to oppose.

“It’s becoming increasingly hard to get a beer for the right price in Brighton these days.

“There seems to be a bizarre thing going on at the moment where it’s trendy to buy the most expensive drink at the bar.”