Lager ABV In UK Pubs Falling?

[pris]

Has anyone else noticed that it's getting more difficult in UK pubs to find continental 5% lager on draft? I'm noticing some well known continental brands introducing weaker 4% brews that taste like water (eg Stella 4% and Grolsch 4%) and of the few 5%s left they've even started knocking those down eg original Stella has gone down from 5.2% to 4.8%. I saw Bud on tap the other week in a pub and thought great, I'll have a pint of that only to find out it tasted like dishwater and on looking more closely at the pump the ABV was 4%, not 5% as you used to get. Grrrr..

[Skell18]

Has anyone else noticed that it's getting more difficult in UK pubs to find continental 5% lager on draft? I'm noticing some well known continental brands introducing weaker 4% brews that taste like water (eg Stella 4% and Grolsch 4%) and of the few 5%s left they've even started knocking those down eg original Stella has gone down from 5.2% to 4.8%. I saw Bud on tap the other week in a pub and thought great, I'll have a pint of that only to find out it tasted like dishwater and on looking more closely at the pump the ABV was 4%, not 5% as you used to get. Grrrr..

Bud always tasted like dishwater so no loss there

I don't like all these pissy 4% ones they have come out with, just don't taste right, oh and FYI you very, very rarely see them on sale in bars on the continent, looks like they have tried to develop weak shit for the UK market to curb "binge" drinking, no logic in that!

[pris]

This is what I assumed. It's annoying.

looks like they have tried to develop weak shit for the UK market to curb "binge" drinking, no logic in that!

[lxskllr]

That's what you get for living in the land of great ales, and choosing lager :^P

[Roo]

That's what you get for living in the land of great ales, and choosing lager :^P

Nice Lx

Shitty deal Pris. I wouldn't spend money on anything under 5% the same way that I don't drink light-roasted coffee and smoke ultra-light cigarettes. If you must enjoy a lager, which definitely has its time and place despite Lxkllr's sentiment, what about Harp or some other brew from a company with a bit more class? Stella and Budweiser are now under the same InBev banner, and are both shit if you ask me. I'd rather drink a tall glass of water before a Bud. Is this a government mandate and if so does it only apply to lagers? Last question - how do you know the ABV at a pub?

[Skell18]

That's what you get for living in the land of great ales, and choosing lager :^P

Hahaha not every one likes ales Guinness is my usual poison but I do like lager, european lagers are the best by a country mile, czech, polish, german, spanish, dutch, italian and french lager is amazing stuff. Ale is far too heavy for casual drinking for me, plus it tastes like shit :-P

[Skell18]

Nice Lx

Shitty deal Pris. I wouldn't spend money on anything under 5% the same way that I don't drink light-roasted coffee and smoke ultra-light cigarettes. If you must enjoy a lager, which definitely has its time and place despite Lxkllr's sentiment, what about Harp or some other brew from a company with a bit more class? Stella and Budweiser are now under the same InBev banner, and are both shit if you ask me. I'd rather drink a tall glass of water before a Bud. Is this a government mandate and if so does it only apply to lagers? Last question - how do you know the ABV at a pub?

Not government mandated, there has been a load of 4% beers released the last few yrs as a may to get more women to drink lager I think or so you can still enjoy a pint if driving (morally a bit odd!).

Wife beater has always been shit along with Bud so no great loss there, I haven't seen Harp for years, I usually stick to Peroini, Guinness, San Miguel, Heineken, Amstel (not light!) and the usual european suspects.

No limit of the ABV content in beers etc, you can buy some stonkingly strong ones! lol Also the ABV is on the pump under the brand name so you can see when you buy

With you on the light roasted coffee too, its just wrong!

[pris]

lol LX. I go through long phases with beer. I've between lager, bitter/ale, stout/guiness/murphys and then back to lager over the past 20 odd years.

That's what you get for living in the land of great ales, and choosing lager :^P

[pris]

Must admit I haven't seen Harp for years. I think the last time I saw it was when I lived in the Midlands and one of the local breweries did it. My favs are Peroini, San Miguel, Heineken and Kronenbourg. Peroni and Krobenbourg being my top 2. Was good when I went to a fully inclusive hotel in Italy the other year and they had Peroni on draft :-)
I remember having a 5% draft version of Bud many years ago up north and quite liked that but the new 4% just isn't worth the bother.

[Crow]

Bud always tasted like dishwater so no loss there

Beat me to the punch!

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American

Milwaukee's Best Ice - 5,9% ABV
Miller High Life - 5,0% ABV

Canadian

Molson Ice - 5,6% ABV
Molson Canadian Lager - 5,0% ABV

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Have you looked into Microbrew?

[Roo]

Peroni really is fantastic. Someone once asked me which 3 beers I would choose if I were restricted to only 3 for life. Assuming a steady supply and cost notwithstanding, mine are Peroni Nastro Azzuro, Pliney the Elder IPA from Russian River Brewery in Santa Rosa CA, and St. Bernardus Abt. 12.

I've also been enjoying pilsners a lot lately. Aside from the usual Czech suspects, Weihenstephaner München makes a really good one.

Edit - surprised about Harp. It's available in every grocery store around here. It won't knock your socks off but it's a reliable lager

[Skell18]

Harp was big here many years ago but you don't see it much, they sell it in my local garage but at £1.80 for a 500ml can!! Thats too much tbh.

[Jan]

I love great British cask ales, IPA ales and Belgian speciality ales, especially the Flemish brown... and I never had a problem finding a good ale in a pub in Britain... To me it seems the pub is prospering and not declining but of course I am not British and I cannot really judge.

[Skell18]

I love great British cask ales, IPA ales and Belgian speciality ales, especially the Flemish brown... and I never had a problem finding a good ale in a pub in Britain... To me it seems the pub is prospering and not declining but of course I am not British and I cannot really judge.

You can always find a good cask ale over here, its lager thats the issue, cask is safe, just not in every pub. If you are ever in Liverpool Jan, go to the Ship and Mitre, been CAMRA Pub of the year so many times they have lost count! The beer is excellent in there, but on the whole the pub is in serious decline all across the country Nasty chain places like Weatherspoons populated by chavs are taking over

[Jan]

You can always find a good cask ale over here, its lager thats the issue, cask is safe, just not in every pub. If you are ever in Liverpool Jan, go to the Ship and Mitre, been CAMRA Pub of the year so many times they have lost count! The beer is excellent in there, but on the whole the pub is in serious decline all across the country Nasty chain places like Weatherspoons populated by chavs are taking over

Thanks for this suggestion Skell.... I have never been to Liverpool before and hopefully it's on my next destinations list.
I also think bottled beer is to blame for the decline of the pub. I seldom go out for a drink in my own country.. now that everything imaginable can be obtained in a bottle, going out does not really make sense... unless I am with friends and weather is good.