| UK Beer. Shift to Lower ABV% . 10:26 - Jul 29 with 12431 views | Discodroids |
Up until recently I was able to buy 5 star red Mahou beer at the original ABV 5.1% . I've noticed that i can now only purchase a lower strength 4.5% version brewed for the UK . The bottles have these cheap labels stuck on them, not the embossed logo on the original brew. It tastes completely different.
Also i've noticed Cruzcampo, which is sunk to the nuts everywhere in every bar and club across the land, is a knock off UK brewed lower ABV of the original. It's nothing like the original In Spain. Same with Japanese Kirin Ichiban, can't get the original brew anymore, just a lower ABV UK fugazi. Rosa Blanca that ambrosial Lager from Mallorca, we get a 3.4% version of the 5% original. 3. 4% ! that's top deck shandy levels.
Moretti, Leffe , Stella and Brewdog lost and IPA punk have also dropped the ABV% of their brews in the last 6 or so months.
I understand that Madri is a uk brewed product but I can no longer buy Portuguese Superbock or Sagres , Spanish Moritz, or German Warsteiner and Paulaner from any main supermarket that were freely available just 3 months ago. Even Those harry monk brews carlsberg , Carling and fosters are dropping their ABV to risible 3.4% and 3.6% respectively.
Why?, Can't the regular sociable drinking public be responsible for ourselves?? Can't we be trusted to consume beers as they were created in their original format??. Is it to do with tax laws/import duty on beers over a certain ABV percentage making it economically unviable for brewers to export beer to the UK?. Even stuff thats brewed in the UK is being reduced to baxter soup thin gruel.
We are left with the world knowing the UK has the weakest mainstream beer in the world, at the highest prices.
The last government through total incompetence will end up destroying the great British beer heritage.
Rant over, i'm off to stick me finger in my ear playing the Bodhrán to steeleyespan.
 [Post edited 29 Jul 10:31]
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| The Duke Of New York. A-Number One.
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| UK Beer. Shift to Lower ABV% . on 10:38 - Jul 29 with 6345 views | Sonic_Hoop |
You're not wrong. I did notice lidl were stocking real Czech Staropramen, 5% so there must be a way that makes importing the original versions viable. |  | | |
| UK Beer. Shift to Lower ABV% . on 10:40 - Jul 29 with 6333 views | Discodroids |
| UK Beer. Shift to Lower ABV% . on 10:38 - Jul 29 by Sonic_Hoop |
You're not wrong. I did notice lidl were stocking real Czech Staropramen, 5% so there must be a way that makes importing the original versions viable. |
Cheers Sonic i will check it out. Lovely brew that. The Staropramen pint glasses are beautiful too. Good to see they are holding firm at the 5%.
Off to Lidl this afternoon! [Post edited 29 Jul 10:40]
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| The Duke Of New York. A-Number One.
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| UK Beer. Shift to Lower ABV% . on 10:55 - Jul 29 with 6280 views | TheChef |
Brexit means Brexit... |  |
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| UK Beer. Shift to Lower ABV% . on 10:57 - Jul 29 with 6275 views | SK_hoops |
They introduced a tax relief to anything 3.4% or under recently, so that would explain Carlsberg and Rosa Blanca. What is annoying is that rosa blanca is the same price as pretty much everything else, so the tax relief doesn't benefit the people buying it. Carlsberg is marginally cheaper than its competitors in Morrisons, but not by a lot. |  | | |
| UK Beer. Shift to Lower ABV% . on 11:03 - Jul 29 with 6239 views | Hayesender |
Even our Guinness is 0.1% lower then the Guinness you get anywhere else in the world. What the hell happens to the 0.1% between leaving Dublin and arriving here?
And more importantly, why? |  |
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| UK Beer. Shift to Lower ABV% . on 11:05 - Jul 29 with 6223 views | Discodroids |
| UK Beer. Shift to Lower ABV% . on 10:55 - Jul 29 by TheChef |
Brexit means Brexit... |
i've been able to get all the beers above up until a couple of months ago. so if it is brexit that made uk based carling reduce their ABV percentile and paulaner helles off the supermarket shelf, its taken over 8 years to filter through to the consumer.
It's possible i suppose. [Post edited 29 Jul 11:07]
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| The Duke Of New York. A-Number One.
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| UK Beer. Shift to Lower ABV% . on 11:06 - Jul 29 with 6214 views | Discodroids |
| UK Beer. Shift to Lower ABV% . on 10:57 - Jul 29 by SK_hoops |
They introduced a tax relief to anything 3.4% or under recently, so that would explain Carlsberg and Rosa Blanca. What is annoying is that rosa blanca is the same price as pretty much everything else, so the tax relief doesn't benefit the people buying it. Carlsberg is marginally cheaper than its competitors in Morrisons, but not by a lot. |
Ahhh thank you. Makes sense. | |
| The Duke Of New York. A-Number One.
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| UK Beer. Shift to Lower ABV% . on 11:16 - Jul 29 with 6169 views | stevec |
Alcohol is the work of satan, enjoy it while you can. |  | | |
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| UK Beer. Shift to Lower ABV% . on 11:18 - Jul 29 with 6164 views | 222gers |
All this drinking disgusts me… |  | | |
| UK Beer. Shift to Lower ABV% . on 11:23 - Jul 29 with 6147 views | Toast_R |
The Stella Unfiltered is still coming in at 5%, that's my go to these days. That and the Hogsback TEA.
Off to Swanage in a couple of weeks so will enjoy me a few pints of the wonderful Dorset Draught Cider in the quirky Square & Compass. |  | | |
| UK Beer. Shift to Lower ABV% . on 11:23 - Jul 29 with 6139 views | 100percent |
It's the tax duty costs - lower ABV means less tax.
Absolutely makes a mockery of the fact that 0.0/0.5 beers are around the same price though. |  | | |
| UK Beer. Shift to Lower ABV% . on 11:27 - Jul 29 with 6127 views | Discodroids |
| UK Beer. Shift to Lower ABV% . on 11:25 - Jul 29 by TheChef |
Yeah was just a tongue in cheek comment  but I'd have thought import duties post Brexit will have increased; hence probably more 'brewed in the UK' crap at a lower ABV.
Boo hiss. |
;-) | |
| The Duke Of New York. A-Number One.
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| UK Beer. Shift to Lower ABV% . on 11:31 - Jul 29 with 6111 views | Discodroids |
| UK Beer. Shift to Lower ABV% . on 11:23 - Jul 29 by 100percent |
It's the tax duty costs - lower ABV means less tax.
Absolutely makes a mockery of the fact that 0.0/0.5 beers are around the same price though. |
sound like we're being ripped off to the high teeth. | |
| The Duke Of New York. A-Number One.
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| UK Beer. Shift to Lower ABV% . on 11:31 - Jul 29 with 6110 views | TheChef |
| UK Beer. Shift to Lower ABV% . on 11:23 - Jul 29 by 100percent |
It's the tax duty costs - lower ABV means less tax.
Absolutely makes a mockery of the fact that 0.0/0.5 beers are around the same price though. |
Ah, interesting, cheers. | |
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| UK Beer. Shift to Lower ABV% . on 11:35 - Jul 29 with 6059 views | SheffieldHoop |
I tried Cruzcampo a couple of times during the Euros, was on offer in the social club, not a fan. Their Moretti was acceptable, though still not great, and not the Moretti I remember from a few years back. Madri is an old carling recipe from the 80's marketed in a fancy waistcoat 
Annoying as the old CAMRA fogies can be, I think they're onto something. |  |
| "Someone despises me. That's their problem." Marcus Aurelius |
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| UK Beer. Shift to Lower ABV% . on 11:36 - Jul 29 with 6069 views | Boston |
Not worth putting ones lederhosen on for. | |
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| UK Beer. Shift to Lower ABV% . on 11:39 - Jul 29 with 6037 views | TheChef |
| UK Beer. Shift to Lower ABV% . on 11:35 - Jul 29 by SheffieldHoop |
I tried Cruzcampo a couple of times during the Euros, was on offer in the social club, not a fan. Their Moretti was acceptable, though still not great, and not the Moretti I remember from a few years back. Madri is an old carling recipe from the 80's marketed in a fancy waistcoat
Annoying as the old CAMRA fogies can be, I think they're onto something. |
Sad state of affairs.
I reckon these days you could put the same average lager through all the pumps in a pub, and no one would know any different.
I was at Edgbaston the other day for the cricket and I couldn't tell you if the pint I was handed was Carling or Pravha. | |
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| UK Beer. Shift to Lower ABV% . on 11:58 - Jul 29 with 5990 views | NewBee |
Though I v.rarely drink lager myself, I've nothing against it. But what I don't understand is the current popularity of Spanish and Italian lagers - see them everywhere these days.
Czech or German lagers I could understand, French even if from Alsace Lorraine etc, since these obviously have a lager-brewing heritage, but Spain and Italy? I'm sure they're ok, but people seeking them out specifically? And it's not as if they're selling because they're noticeably cheaper.
On another tack, if you go to Spain or Italy, you wouldn't expect to see English wine; in fact you really don't see much from other traditional wine producing countries like France either, just the local stuff.
Or is it just a fashion/marketing thing? That is, we had a phase when American lagers were everywhere, then Australian, the French had a go, Japanese and Indian even for a bit, so what next?
Mongolian? Ecuadorian? Lunar lager? | | | |
| UK Beer. Shift to Lower ABV% . on 12:04 - Jul 29 with 5975 views | Discodroids |
| UK Beer. Shift to Lower ABV% . on 11:58 - Jul 29 by NewBee |
Though I v.rarely drink lager myself, I've nothing against it. But what I don't understand is the current popularity of Spanish and Italian lagers - see them everywhere these days.
Czech or German lagers I could understand, French even if from Alsace Lorraine etc, since these obviously have a lager-brewing heritage, but Spain and Italy? I'm sure they're ok, but people seeking them out specifically? And it's not as if they're selling because they're noticeably cheaper.
On another tack, if you go to Spain or Italy, you wouldn't expect to see English wine; in fact you really don't see much from other traditional wine producing countries like France either, just the local stuff.
Or is it just a fashion/marketing thing? That is, we had a phase when American lagers were everywhere, then Australian, the French had a go, Japanese and Indian even for a bit, so what next?
Mongolian? Ecuadorian? Lunar lager? |
Agree with you there. German, Belgium and czech beer is the best in the world.
The omly american lager i've tried is pabst blue ribbon and that was because i wanted to be Dennis hopper in 'Blue velvet' and i tried 'lone star' as 'Rust' chole' in True detective series one, would make stick figures from the can.
[Post edited 29 Jul 12:12]
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| The Duke Of New York. A-Number One.
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| UK Beer. Shift to Lower ABV% . on 12:11 - Jul 29 with 5928 views | SheffieldHoop |
| UK Beer. Shift to Lower ABV% . on 11:58 - Jul 29 by NewBee |
Though I v.rarely drink lager myself, I've nothing against it. But what I don't understand is the current popularity of Spanish and Italian lagers - see them everywhere these days.
Czech or German lagers I could understand, French even if from Alsace Lorraine etc, since these obviously have a lager-brewing heritage, but Spain and Italy? I'm sure they're ok, but people seeking them out specifically? And it's not as if they're selling because they're noticeably cheaper.
On another tack, if you go to Spain or Italy, you wouldn't expect to see English wine; in fact you really don't see much from other traditional wine producing countries like France either, just the local stuff.
Or is it just a fashion/marketing thing? That is, we had a phase when American lagers were everywhere, then Australian, the French had a go, Japanese and Indian even for a bit, so what next?
Mongolian? Ecuadorian? Lunar lager? |
I'm a big fan of Quilmes but it has never really taken off here, despite being available in fancy boozers and at times even some supermarkets. Annoying for me, I like it. | |
| "Someone despises me. That's their problem." Marcus Aurelius |
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| UK Beer. Shift to Lower ABV% . on 12:12 - Jul 29 with 5936 views | MrSheen |
| UK Beer. Shift to Lower ABV% . on 11:58 - Jul 29 by NewBee |
Though I v.rarely drink lager myself, I've nothing against it. But what I don't understand is the current popularity of Spanish and Italian lagers - see them everywhere these days.
Czech or German lagers I could understand, French even if from Alsace Lorraine etc, since these obviously have a lager-brewing heritage, but Spain and Italy? I'm sure they're ok, but people seeking them out specifically? And it's not as if they're selling because they're noticeably cheaper.
On another tack, if you go to Spain or Italy, you wouldn't expect to see English wine; in fact you really don't see much from other traditional wine producing countries like France either, just the local stuff.
Or is it just a fashion/marketing thing? That is, we had a phase when American lagers were everywhere, then Australian, the French had a go, Japanese and Indian even for a bit, so what next?
Mongolian? Ecuadorian? Lunar lager? |
Madri was invented by Molson Coors, current owners of breweries formerly owned by John Smiths and Scottish & Newcastle, in the UK in 2020. Completely synthetic backstory, over Covid they managed to persuade people this was a beer they used to drink in Spain on their holidays. |  | | |
| UK Beer. Shift to Lower ABV% . on 12:13 - Jul 29 with 5926 views | Discodroids |
| UK Beer. Shift to Lower ABV% . on 12:11 - Jul 29 by SheffieldHoop |
I'm a big fan of Quilmes but it has never really taken off here, despite being available in fancy boozers and at times even some supermarkets. Annoying for me, I like it. |
Yep thats a good'un mate. | |
| The Duke Of New York. A-Number One.
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| UK Beer. Shift to Lower ABV% . on 12:15 - Jul 29 with 5908 views | Antti_Heinola |
I think i read that lower alcohol is generally cheaper to brew as well, so cost of living has come into the equation too. No/Lo alcohol beers have slightly different processes that have been developing, so i’m not sure how equivocal it is, plus they’re likely to be selling in lower quantities (although probably not for much longer if trends continue), so that will affect costs.
I don’t really buy into the idea that lower alcohol means less taste though. I know online a lot of people are furious about it, but it doesn’t make much difference imo. |  |
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