Where is Estrella Galicia Especial brewed?

By Mark Porter Last checked 5 September 2026 How we check

Genuine import

Estrella Galicia Especial is imported from Spain, but the UK version is weaker: 4.7% against 5.5% at home.

Listed by Tesco when last checked. The product pages are among the sources below.

UK strength by format
Format	UK strength	Units	At home
440ml can	4.7%	2.1 units a can	5.5%
660ml bottle	4.7%	3.1 units a bottle	5.5%

Every beer on the shelf by strength · How the units are worked out

Brewed for the UK in

Imported from Spain

Imported

Sold as a beer from

Spain

Spanish name and Galician heritage; marketed explicitly as an authentic Spanish beer

Brewed in (country)

Spain

Brand owner

Hijos de Rivera S.A.U. (Corporacion Hijos de Rivera)

HQ: A Coruna, Spain

UK strength

4.7%

2.7 units a pint

Strength at home (Spain)

5.5%

3.1 units a pint. Tesco lists the UK 440ml can at 4.7%. The Spanish flagship, Estrella Galicia Especial, is usually sold at a higher strength, so the UK beer may be a lower-strength version, but we have not confirmed the Spanish strength from a Spanish source.

What the UK label says

“Made in Spain. Brewed in Galicia, Spain. Hijos De Rivera, S.A.U., Jose Maria Rivera Corral no 6, 15008 A Coruna, Espana. Imported by Greene King Brewing and Retailing Limited, Westgate Brewery, Bury St Edmunds”

Source: www.tesco.com

More about the brand: rights, style, when it was created, where it is brewed at home

UK rights held by

Hijos de Rivera, via its own UK arm; Greene King has held an on-trade distribution deal (as importer and distributor)

Style

Lager

Variant as recorded

Especial / Premium Spanish Lager (UK)

Brand created

1906, Spain

Brewed at home in

A Coruna, Galicia, Spain

A note on the sources

Two strengths have been reported. The UK beer is 4.7% in both can and bottle, brewed in A Coruna and imported; the 5.5% figure is the Spanish strength of Estrella Galicia Especial, not the UK beer. Tesco had no 330ml bottle listing, so we used the 660ml bottle.

The origin, the brewery's city, the UK strength and the advertising campaign are sourced. We could not read The Grocer's article in full, so the campaign spend rests on its headline and on Drinks Retailing's analysis. The Spanish strength still needs a Spanish source.

In short

Estrella Galicia Especial is imported. The UK product is brewed at A Coruna, Galicia in Spain. It is, however, a weaker version: 4.7% here against 5.5% at home. The brand belongs to Hijos de Rivera S.A.U. (Corporacion Hijos de Rivera).

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