The vast majority of continental lagers on the shelves of UK supermarkets are actually brewed in the UK.
The Daily Star has discovered that many of the lagers available on British shelves not only carry imagery and language associated with lagers around Europe but are in fact brewed in the UK.
Of a selection of 11 different ‘continental’ beer brands seen by The Daily Star, only two were brewed outside of the UK, and only those, along with Carling, were brewed in countries that directly relate to their marketing.
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All of the beers clearly demonstrated on the back where they had been brewed, yet a glance at their design and marketing created images of continental drinking.
(Image: Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Moretti, for instance, is commonly associated with Italy, while Staropramen proudly tells buyers it was “est. in Prague,” with many bottles featuring an image of the city’s skyline.
Cruzcampo, meanwhile, simply has the word “Sevilla” underneath its title while San Miguel’s prominent use of Spanish leaves little to the imagination.
The full list of ‘European’ beers the Daily Star found to be brewed in the UK is as follows:
- Staropramen
- Madri
- Poretti
- Birra Moretti
- San Miguel
- Stella Artois
- Cruzcampo
- Kronenbourg 1664
- Carlsberg
(Image: Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
There are of course a number of material values to breweries who opt to brew beer in the country that it will be sold. Lower transport costs, as well as import-related duties all logically make things easier in-situ. Meanwhile, the argument has also been made that it is a more eco-friendly option.
Some campaigners have taken a dim view of the practice, however, dubbing the marketing associated with the proactive as “phoney”.
Greg Mulholland, Campaign Director for the Campaign for Pubs said: “Some of the big brewers pull the wool over beer drinkers eyes with all the phoney marketing that suggests some of these big beer brands are foreign and premium, when in many cases they are neither! There should be stronger rules on making it clearer where beer is actually brewed to stop this and ensure drinkers know where their supposedly foreign lager is really from!
“This is another example of why beer drinkers should seek out independent brewery beers and lagers, which are genuine and often better quality, as well as supporting smaller businesses and increasing consumer choice”.
(Image: Cruzcampo)
CAMRA National Chairman, Ash Corbett-Collins told the Daily Star: “CAMRA strongly believes in open and more transparent marketing and labelling of beer. Many large corporate breweries are deliberately misleading consumers to believe their products are brewed outside of the UK, or by an independent brewery.
“Beer drinkers often want to try something new and enjoy the variety of beers available the world over, but these spots on the bar are all too often taken by products which are little more than marketing.
“We urge global brewers to put more emphasis on the clarity of their labelling and advertising of their beers. Consumers deserve to know what they are drinking, from the ingredients in their beer, where it is made and who is making it.”
AB In Bev, Carlsberg Marstons, Heineken and Molson Coors have all been contacted for comment.
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