Booze firm to cut strength of popular beer in weeks and drinkers will be furious
Share:
A MAJOR booze firm is set to slash the strength of one of its beers and drinkers will be left fuming. Heineken is dropping the alcohol level of its SOL brand drinks from 4.2% to 3.4% in a matter of weeks. The beer giant said the lower strength tipple will start circulating from February 25 but its wholesale price will also fall.
![[Sol Cerveza bottle.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/sol-cerveza-416714953.jpg?strip=all&w=934)
Meanwhile, from February 1, Heineken is also set to hike the price of its draught beer for pubs by an average of 2.97%. The hike in the wholesale cost could be passed on to punters if pubs, already under pressure, can't afford to absorb the costs themselves.
Of course, it is up to individual pubs and chains to decide if they will put up prices. Heineken is also hiking the cost of its wholesale packaged products by an average of 2.5% which could include beers like Desperados. A Heineken spokesperson previously said it was trying to make cost savings across the business and reduce the impact of inflation on customers.
Heineken is one of a host of brands slashing the Alcohol By Volume (ABV) of its beers in a bid to cut costs. Hophead has recently been reduced from 3.8% to 3.4% while Carslberg also dropped the ABV of its Grolsch beer from 4% to 3.4%. The producers of Kronenbourg have also cut the alcohol content of its lager.
Drinks have been taxed by alcoholic strength since August 2023 after a new alcohol duty came into effect. It means drinks are now taxed according to strength rather than type and on ABV's of 3.5% or more. But since its introduction brewers have been slashing the price of their beers to 3.4% so they don't have to pay the duty, but keeping the prices the same.
