Which beers are weaker in Britain?
25 beers on this site are brewed to a lower strength for the United Kingdom than the version sold in their home market. The widest gap is Amstel, 3.4% here against 5.0% at home, 1.6 percentage points weaker. A further 38 match their home strength and 1 are stronger here. The rest have no home-market figure on record, so no comparison is possible. If you would rather buy the version that matches its home market, the imports that arrive at full strength are listed here.
The threshold that explains most of it
UK alcohol duty is charged in bands. The step at 3.5% is the one that shapes the supermarket shelf: beer below it is taxed at a materially lower rate per litre of alcohol than beer above it. That is why eleven beers on this site sit at exactly 3.4%, a tenth of a percent under the line, and why several of them were cut to that figure from something higher.
The numbers behind the chart
| UK strength | Beers | Of which sold as foreign and brewed here |
|---|---|---|
| 3.3% | 1 | 1 |
| 3.4% | 11 | 5 |
| 3.5% | 1 | 0 |
| 3.6% | 3 | 0 |
| 3.8% | 3 | 1 |
| 4.0% | 6 | 3 |
| 4.1% | 4 | 0 |
| 4.2% | 4 | 0 |
| 4.3% | 1 | 0 |
| 4.4% | 3 | 1 |
| 4.5% | 12 | 5 |
| 4.6% | 9 | 6 |
| 4.7% | 7 | 1 |
| 4.8% | 13 | 4 |
| 4.9% | 1 | 0 |
| 5.0% | 16 | 5 |
| 5.1% | 1 | 0 |
| 5.2% | 2 | 0 |
| 5.3% | 1 | 0 |
| 5.4% | 1 | 0 |
| 5.5% | 3 | 0 |
| 5.6% | 1 | 0 |
| 5.9% | 1 | 1 |
| 6.0% | 1 | 0 |
The published rates, the arithmetic for a single can and what the brewers have said about it are set out in why so much beer in Britain is exactly 3.4% strong.
The bands themselves are set by HM Revenue and Customs. We record the strengths and the dates; the rates are quoted in the guide with their source.
The gap, beer by beer
Widest gap first. Every figure is the strength recorded on this site for the UK product and for the home market, each with its own source on the beer's page.
| Beer | Sold as | UK | At home | Difference | Verification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amstel | Netherlands | 3.4% | 5.0% | 1.6 percentage points | Verified |
| Grolsch Premium Pilsner | Netherlands | 3.4% | 5.0% | 1.6 percentage points | Verified |
| Rosa Blanca | Spain | 3.4% | 4.8% | 1.4 percentage points | Verified |
| Carlsberg Danish Pilsner | Denmark | 3.4% | 4.6% | 1.2 percentage points | Verified |
| Beck's | Germany | 4.0% | 4.9% | 0.9 percentage points | Verified |
| Kronenbourg 1664 | France | 4.6% | 5.5% | 0.9 percentage points | Verified |
| Bud Light | United States | 3.4% | 4.2% | 0.8 percentage points | Verified |
| Coors Lager | United States | 3.4% | 4.2% | 0.8 percentage points | Verified |
| Estrella Damm | Spain | 4.6% | 5.4% | 0.8 percentage points | Partly verified |
| Estrella Galicia Especial | Spain | 4.7% | 5.5% | 0.8 percentage points | Verified |
| Sol | Mexico | 3.4% | 4.2% | 0.8 percentage points | Verified |
| Mahou Cinco Estrellas | Spain | 4.8% | 5.5% | 0.7 percentage points | Partly verified |
| Michelob Ultra | United States | 3.5% | 4.2% | 0.7 percentage points | Unverified |
| Leffe Blonde | Belgium | 6.0% | 6.6% | 0.6 percentage points | Partly verified |
| Stella Artois | Belgium | 4.6% | 5.2% | 0.6 percentage points | Verified |
| Budweiser | United States | 4.5% | 5.0% | 0.5 percentage points | Verified |
| Cruzcampo Sevilla | Spain | 4.4% | 4.8% | 0.4 percentage points | Verified |
| Kirin Ichiban | Japan | 4.6% | 5.0% | 0.4 percentage points | Verified |
| Mythos | Greece | 4.6% | 5.0% | 0.4 percentage points | Verified |
| San Miguel Especial | Spain | 5.0% | 5.4% | 0.4 percentage points | Verified |
| Miller Genuine Draft | United States | 4.5% | 4.7% | 0.2 percentage points | Unverified |
| Singha | Thailand | 4.8% | 5.0% | 0.2 percentage points | Verified |
| Tiger | Singapore | 4.8% | 5.0% | 0.2 percentage points | Partly verified |
| Tyskie Gronie | Poland | 5.0% | 5.2% | 0.2 percentage points | Partly verified |
| Guinness Draught | Ireland | 4.1% | 4.2% | 0.1 percentage points | Verified |
The same strength as at home
| Beer | Sold as | UK | At home | Verification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alhambra Reserva 1925 | Spain | 6.4% | 6.4% | Verified |
| Asahi Super Dry | Japan | 5.0% | 5.0% | Verified |
| Asahi Super Dry 0.0 | Japan | 0.0% | 0.0% | Verified |
| Beck's Blue | Germany | 0.05% | 0.05% | Verified |
| Birra Moretti L'Autentica | Italy | 4.6% | 4.6% | Verified |
| Birrificio Angelo Poretti 4 Luppoli | Italy | 4.8% | 4.8% | Verified |
| Bitburger Premium Pils | Germany | 4.8% | 4.8% | Verified |
| Brooklyn Brewery Brooklyn Lager | United States | 5.2% | 5.2% | Partly verified |
| Budweiser Budvar Original | Czech Republic | 5.0% | 5.0% | Verified |
| Corona Extra | Mexico | 4.5% | 4.5% | Verified |
| Corona Cero | Mexico | 0.0% | 0.0% | Verified |
| Desperados | Mexico | 5.9% | 5.9% | Partly verified |
| Duvel | Belgium | 8.5% | 8.5% | Verified |
| Erdinger Weissbier | Germany | 5.3% | 5.3% | Verified |
| Estrella Damm Inedit | Spain | 4.8% | 4.8% | Verified |
| Guinness 0.0 | Ireland | 0.0% | 0.0% | Verified |
| Guinness Extra Stout | Ireland | 4.2% | 4.2% | Verified |
| Guinness Foreign Extra Stout | Ireland | 7.5% | 7.5% | Verified |
| Heineken Original 5% | Netherlands | 5.0% | 5.0% | Partly verified |
| Heineken 0.0 | Netherlands | 0.0% | 0.0% | Verified |
| Heineken Silver | Netherlands | 4.0% | 4.0% | Partly verified |
| Ichnusa | Italy | 4.7% | 4.7% | Partly verified |
| Krombacher Pils | Germany | 4.8% | 4.8% | Verified |
| La Chouffe Blonde | Belgium | 8.0% | 8.0% | Verified |
| Murphy's Irish Stout | Ireland | 4.0% | 4.0% | Partly verified |
| Paulaner Hefe-Weissbier Naturtrub | Germany | 5.5% | 5.5% | Partly verified |
| Peroni Nastro Azzurro | Italy | 5.1% | 5.1% | Verified |
| Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0 | Italy | 0.0% | 0.0% | Verified |
| Peroni Nastro Azzurro Stile Capri | Italy | 4.2% | 4.2% | Partly verified |
| Pilsner Urquell | Czech Republic | 4.4% | 4.4% | Verified |
| Red Stripe | Jamaica | 4.7% | 4.7% | Verified |
| Sagres | Portugal | 5.0% | 5.0% | Partly verified |
| San Miguel 0.0 | Spain | 0.05% | 0.05% | Verified |
| Staropramen Premium Czech Lager | Czech Republic | 5.0% | 5.0% | Verified |
| Stella Artois 0.0 | Belgium | 0.0% | 0.0% | Verified |
| Tuborg Green | Denmark | 4.6% | 4.6% | Partly verified |
| Warsteiner Premium Verum | Germany | 4.8% | 4.8% | Partly verified |
| Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier | Germany | 5.4% | 5.4% | Verified |