UK: Heineken resumes brewing its flagship lager in the UK

Heineken has resumed brewing its flagship lager in the UK. The brewer said the decision was nothing to do with Brexit but had been planned for some time as part of its global commitment to more sustainable brewing, Inapub reported on November 15.

It is now brewing 60 per cent of UK volumes of Heineken in its Manchester brewery.

Back in 2003 Heineken took the decision to pull its 3.4 per cent ABV UK version of Heineken, which was brewed here, and sell only the higher strength version of the lager brewed in the Netherlands and imported.

A spokesperson for the brewery said: "In an exciting development, under the expert guidance of Heineken master brewers, we now have the expertise and specialist brewing equipment to brew some of our high quality, great tasting Heineken lager in the UK as we do in Zoeterwoude in The Netherlands.

"We began brewing small volumes in March this year, and now brew approximately 60 per cent of the UK volume. This supports our ongoing commitment to finding more sustainable brewing solutions, as globally we seek to 'Brew A Better World.' Importantly, the multi million pound investment in Manchester cements our commitment to the city – benefitting the community, and local and national economy.

"To be able to brew Heineken to the high quality standard needed, has required well over three years of meticulous planning."

Heineken already brews its Foster's and Kronenbourg 1664 beers at the Manchester brewery, in which it invested £50 mln back in 2015 to increase capacity and upgrade facilities.

14 November, 2018