Drinkers are being served ever-weaker beer by pubs but the huge tax savings aren’t being passed on to punters, campaigners have blasted.
They’re demanding government action over a trend called “drinkflation” where big breweries are cutting the alcohol content in our pints to take advantage of tax incentives – but aren’t cutting the cost of those drinks in our locals.
A Daily Star investigation into weakened pints found that top names like Fosters, Amstel, John Smith’s and Sol all considerably contain less alcohol – known as Alcohol By Volume or ABV – in them today than just a few years ago.
Some have gone from as much as 5% to just 3.4%. And campaigners have accused big breweries of taking advantage of government tax breaks and not passing on savings to consumers.
Tim Webb, Chair of CAMRA’s Beer and Cider Campaigns Committee said: “Beer tax in the UK is absurdly high, and we support the principle that a lower ABV should mean a lower tax rate.
“Global brewing giants, however, have diluted their recipes to hit the lower tax band, without reducing prices, and sometimes hiking them. This is something that independent brewers simply can’t afford to do or won’t do because it will compromise quality.
“Giant brewing corporations can get away with this, because the UK allows them to control too much of the beer market, excluding the smaller independent brewers that brew most of the UK’s more interesting beers.
“We know that choices the Government has made on business rates and taxes are pushing up prices for consumers. But here, it’s in the gift of the global brewers to keep prices steady for consumers, but they don’t seem to care.”
He said the Government must now use an “Access to Market Review” to significantly reform the stranglehold global giants have over the beer and pub trade “so that independent brewers are allowed fairer access to pubs and can spark some real competition and consumer choice”.
Our probe into top tipples found breweries in the UK have been reducing the alcohol content of some of their most popular beers since 2023, and making huge tax savings as a result.
Beer below 3.5% ABV is charged a significantly lower rate of duty compared to stronger beers. Tax is 42p per draught pint of beer at 4% strength, but it is just 17p for a 3.4% ABV pint. The brewery saves 25p per pint in alcohol duty. The Heineken Company is one of those leading the way in reducing it’s alcohol per beers.
The brewery, with locations in Manchester and Tadcaster, produces some of the UK’s top selling beers including Fosters, John Smith’s, Sol, and Amstel. All of those have reduced their ABVs to 3.4% since 2024.
In the cases of Amstel though, that’s just in their take-home offering such as cans, with the draught product remaining unchanged. Fosters was the most recent, shifting to the lower strength this year, having already dropped from 4.0% to 3.7% in 2023.
Carlsberg Pilsner has also seen its ABV drop, down from 3.8% to 3.4% in 2023. Coors fell from 4.0% to 3.4% in 2025, and Grolsch dropped from 4.0% to 3.4% in 2024, and had been as strong as 5.0% before 2020.
There are also lower duty rates for draught beers compared to non-draught products, which means that less tax is paid on pints in a pub than on cans from a supermarket. The saving isn’t as great for non-draught products. A 440ml can of 4% beer pays 40p in duty, whereas a 440ml can of 3.4% beer pays 34p in duty. That’s still a saving of 6p per can. Heineken UK argued that the changes are in response to consumer trends.
A spokesperson said: “Across our portfolio, we regularly review our beers to ensure we’re meeting changing consumer preferences and offering choice across a range of strengths.
“In the case of brands such as Foster’s, the move to a slightly lower ABV reflects the continued shift towards moderation, while still delivering the great taste consumers expect.
“The change also supports our long-term responsibility agenda by reducing alcohol units in line with the UK Government’s differential duty rates that encourage innovation at lower ABV, and enables us to offer more competitive pricing, where possible, as inflationary pressures continue to affect the wider market.”
The changes don’t appear to be popular with consumers. Customer reviews on Tesco’s website make many people’s feelings known with regards to the drop in Amstel’s ABV.
“Was 4.1 for a while now just 3.4 percent and isn’t very nice anymore,” said one customer of the new, weaker Amstel cans. Used to be ok but tastes horrible now”, fumed another.
While another said: “The new beer is lacking in taste and substance – doesn’t even pour a frothy head – just tastes like watered down Fosters. Never again!”
Emma McClarkin, CEO of the British Beer and Pub Association, said: “It is abundantly clear that a progressive alcohol duty regime that incentivises the production and consumption of lower-strength products can help grow the economy and support public health goals.
“Brewers have responded at an impressive rate and no and low beer sales have risen by an incredible 810% since 2013. However, UK beer drinkers continue to pay amongst the highest duty rates in Europe, and brewers and pubs face eye-watering increases in the cost of doing business.
“We urge the Government to cut beer duty to support our brewers and pubs which will help ensure a pint remains affordable for all and gives consumers more choice.”
A government spokesperson said: “The alcohol duty system is based on strength. Lower‑ABV drinks pay less tax and stronger drinks pay more, to encourage lower‑alcohol choices.
“We also back small brewers through Small Producer Relief, and we’ve completed a review of whether big firms are blocking smaller breweries from getting into pubs – ministers are now considering the findings.”
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