What to drink instead of Beck's
Beck's is sold as German and brewed in Britain, at Magor, Monmouthshire, South Wales and Samlesbury, Lancashire, at 4.0%. The version sold in Germany is 4.9%, 0.9 percentage points stronger.
By Mark Porter. Last checked 9 September 2026. Where Beck's is really brewed, with the pack wording and the sources.
What the front says, and what the back says
Front
Bremen key emblem, 'Brewed according to the German Purity Law', German name and green bottle
Where it is brewed, against where the brand comes from
| The brand comes from | Germany, from 1873 |
|---|---|
| Owned by | Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (Brauerei Beck GmbH & Co KG), headquartered in Leuven, Belgium |
| Brewed for the UK at | Magor, Monmouthshire, South Wales and Samlesbury, Lancashire (AB InBev UK Limited) |
Strength, and what it means in a pack
A pint of Beck's at the UK strength of 4.0% holds 2.3 units. At the 4.9% sold in Germany it would hold 2.8, so the British pint holds 0.5 fewer units than the same quantity of the beer sold in Germany.
Instead of Beck's
| Beer | Why it is on the list | Strength here |
|---|---|---|
| Bitburger Premium PilsFrom the country on the label | Brewed at Bitburg in Germany. 4.8% here, 0.8 percentage points stronger than Beck's. | 4.8% |
| Krombacher PilsFrom the country on the label | Brewed at Kreuztal, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. 4.8% here, 0.8 percentage points stronger than Beck's. | 4.8% |
| Warsteiner Premium VerumFrom the country on the label | Brewed at Warstein in Germany. 4.8% here, 0.8 percentage points stronger than Beck's. | 4.8% |
| Heineken SilverThe same style, genuinely imported from elsewhere | Brewed in the Netherlands. 4.0% here, the same strength as Beck's. | 4.0% |
| Pilsner UrquellThe same style, genuinely imported from elsewhere | Brewed at Plzen in the Czech Republic. 4.4% here, 0.4 percentage points stronger than Beck's. | 4.4% |
| Grolsch Premium PilsnerThe same style, genuinely imported from elsewhere | Brewed at Enschede in the Netherlands. 3.4% here (5.0% at home), 0.6 percentage points weaker than Beck's. | 3.4% |
Chosen by rule, not by taste, and no beer pays to appear: how the list is made.
Where Beck's is stocked, and when we last checked
| Supermarket | Product page | Last checked |
|---|---|---|
| Ocado | The listing | 5 September 2026 |
Every beer sold as German · What to buy instead, beer by beer