 to 3.4pc. The brewer said the changes were being announced ahead of a 10.1pc rise in alcohol duty from August and will allow it to take advantage of a new, lower tax rate for weaker drinks. Beer is taxed on its alcohol content, so reducing this can be an easy way to save money. Per can, bottle, or pint, a reduction may save just pennies, but the cumulative saving can be substantial because of the volumes drinks companies sell. Other brands to have reduced their alcohol content over the last year include Fosters, Spitfire Ale and Old Speckled Hen. The trend has been dubbed 'drinkflation' as brewers weaken their beers while keeping prices the same or in some cases raising them.){kind=link}
Brands such as Spitfire Ale and Old Speckled Hen have cut the drinks’ alcohol content
Drinkers will switch to alternative beers if brewers choose to make their drinks weaker in order to cut costs, the boss of JD Wetherspoon has said.
Tim Martin, founder and chairman of the pub chain, called it a “big mistake” for brewers to reduce the strength of their drinks and warned it could put their listings in pubs at risk.
Mr Martin said: “Big mistake, in my view. They thought it would slide under the radar – it hasn’t, obviously.”
It comes after The Telegraph revealed on Tuesday that Carlsberg was reducing the strength of its Danish Pilsner from 3.8pc alcohol by volume (abv) to 3.4pc.