UK: Decrease in duty to bring increasing demand for low-alcohol beer

The British government is poised to decrease the duty on low-alcohol beers, a move that has some brewers tweaking recipes and searching for tasty alternatives to a full-strength pint, CBC News reported on August, 6.

Since March, when the Chancellor announced a 50 per cent duty reduction on beers of 2.8 per cent alcohol by volume or less, many breweries have begun experimenting with weaker beers in anticipation of a price-driven surge in popularity.

The tax cut could make a less strong beer up to 50p a pint cheaper than its higher-strength counterpart.

Recent research also shows that many drinkers would happily switch to low-alcohol beer if the taste remained on a par with their usual pint.

Fuller`s, the London brewery which runs 361 pubs across the UK, has been developing a 2.8 per cent beer in readiness of the new duty reduction in October.

Head brewer John Keeling said: "It`s certainly a challenge. Alcohol content comes from the malt. The more malt you use, the more alcohol content you have, and malt gives flavour. If you want to brew a weak beer, you can't use lots of malt."

The brewery, which produces London Pride, is holding a taste test trial of the beer next week but according to Mr Keeling the growing market for weaker beer is not just because it is cheaper.

He added: "People want to drink different strength drinks at different times of day. With lunchtime drinking increasingly frowned upon, drinkers want a weaker beer with their lunch than they would after work or at home."

A survey by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) concluded that 52 per cent of drinkers would consume a lower-strength beer if it were available in their local pub.

Derek Moore, brewer at Glasgow`s Kelburn brewery, said: "There`s a big difference between low-alcohol and no-alcohol beers. You can't drink six pints of two per cent beer and drive home."

10 August, 2011