What to drink instead of Holsten Pils
Holsten Pils is sold as German and brewed in Britain, at Northampton, Northamptonshire, at 5.0%.
By Mark Porter. Last checked 9 September 2026. Where Holsten Pils is really brewed, with the pack wording and the sources.
What the front says, and what the back says
Hamburg brand, German pack cues, knight logo, long-running UK advertising as a German pilsner
Tesco listing: 'Brewed and canned in the U.K.' Producer address: Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Co. Ltd, Wolverhampton, WV1 4JT.
Where it is brewed, against where the brand comes from
| The brand comes from | Germany, from 1879 |
|---|---|
| Owned by | Carlsberg Group (Holsten-Brauerei), headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark / Hamburg, Germany |
| Brewed for the UK at | Northampton, Northamptonshire (Carlsberg Britvic) |
Strength, and what it means in a pack
A pint of Holsten Pils at the UK strength of 5.0% holds 2.8 units. At the 4.8% sold in Germany it would hold 2.7, so the British pint holds 0.1 more units than the same quantity of the beer sold in Germany.
Instead of Holsten Pils
| 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, 0.2 percentage points weaker than Holsten Pils. | 4.8% |
| Krombacher PilsFrom the country on the label | Brewed at Kreuztal, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. 4.8% here, 0.2 percentage points weaker than Holsten Pils. | 4.8% |
| Spaten Munchner HellFrom the country on the label | Brewed at Munich in Germany. 5.2% here, 0.2 percentage points stronger than Holsten Pils. | 5.2% |
| Warsteiner Premium VerumFrom the country on the label | Brewed at Warstein in Germany. 4.8% here, 0.2 percentage points weaker than Holsten Pils. | 4.8% |
| Budweiser Budvar OriginalThe same style, genuinely imported from elsewhere | Brewed at Ceske Budejovice in the Czech Republic. 5.0% here, the same strength as Holsten Pils. | 5.0% |
| Pilsner UrquellThe same style, genuinely imported from elsewhere | Brewed at Plzen in the Czech Republic. 4.4% here, 0.6 percentage points weaker than Holsten Pils. | 4.4% |
Chosen by rule, not by taste, and no beer pays to appear: how the list is made.
Where Holsten Pils is stocked, and when we last checked
| Supermarket | Product page | Last checked |
|---|---|---|
| Tesco | The listing | 5 September 2026 |
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