Heineken plans to ramp up the cost of several of its popular beer brands, including Birra Moretti, Amstel, John Smith’s Extra Smooth and Inch’s cider
Pubgoers face forking out more for pints of lager, bitter and cider in 2026 due to price hikes set to be rolled out by Heineken.
The Dutch beer giant will ramp up the cost of several brands, including Birra Moretti, Amstel, John Smith’s Extra Smooth and Inch’s cider, by 2.7% from next month. Top-selling Italian-style lager Moretti, brewed by Heineken in the UK, is already a wallet-busting average of £6.04 for a pint.
It means drinkers could face paying an eye-watering £6.20 – 16p more – for the same measure when the price hike comes into force. Hard-pressed publicans, already battling tax hikes, a new eco levy and spiralling costs, are likely to pass on the price increases to customers.
Heineken told pub trade newspaper The Morning Advertiser it had kept the cost increase, which also affects Heineken Zero and Old Mout cider, “as low as possible” and was supporting pubs with “targeted savings and price certainty”.
A spokesman for the brewer added: “We know pubs are still shouldering significant cost pressures. The operating environment remains challenging with inflationary inputs such as employer taxes and the introduction of the UK’s Extended Responsibility packaging scheme adding to the burden.”
In 2024, Heineken UK hiked its draught prices by 2.97% and its bottled and canned bevvies by 2.5%.
But in good news for stout lovers, it was revealed last month that Heineken was freezing the price of Murphy’s for publicans in 2026 after recording year-on-year sales growth of the Irish tipple.
It comes after rival beer giant Asahi warned its flagship lager and other popular brands it brews in the UK, including Peroni, Fuller’s London Pride, Grolsch, Meantime pale ale and Cornish Orchards cider, would increase in cost from February.
Drinkers could face forking out an eye-watering average of £6.36 for a pint of Peroni – up from £6.14.
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