What to drink instead of Sol
Sol is sold as Mexican and brewed in Britain, at 3.4%. The version sold in Mexico is 4.2%, 0.8 percentage points stronger.
By Mark Porter. Last checked 9 September 2026. Where Sol is really brewed, with the pack wording and the sources.
What the front says, and what the back says
Front
Mexican name and sun logo, 'Cerveza' pack copy, Mexican beer positioning, founded Mexico City 1899
Where it is brewed, against where the brand comes from
| The brand comes from | Mexico, from 1899 |
|---|---|
| Owned by | Heineken N.V. (Heineken Mexico / Cerveceria Cuauhtemoc Moctezuma), headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Brewed for the UK at | Site not named by a source (Heineken UK) |
Strength, and what it means in a pack
A 15 x 330ml bottle pack of Sol at the UK strength of 3.4% holds 16.8 units. At the 4.2% sold in Mexico it would hold 20.8, so the British pack holds 4.0 fewer units than the same quantity of the beer sold in Mexico.
Instead of Sol
| Beer | Why it is on the list | Strength here |
|---|---|---|
| Michelob UltraThe same style, genuinely imported from elsewhere | Brewed at Anheuser-Busch breweries in the United States. 3.5% here (4.2% at home), 0.1 percentage points stronger than Sol. | 3.5% |
| Heineken SilverThe same style, genuinely imported from elsewhere | Brewed in the Netherlands. 4.0% here, 0.6 percentage points stronger than Sol. | 4.0% |
| Grolsch Premium PilsnerThe same style, genuinely imported from elsewhere | Brewed at Enschede in the Netherlands. 3.4% here (5.0% at home), the same strength as Sol. | 3.4% |
| Rosa BlancaThe same style, genuinely imported from elsewhere | Brewed at Barcelona in Spain. 3.4% here (4.8% at home), the same strength as Sol. | 3.4% |
| Carling Original LagerBritish, and honest about it | British, brewed at Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire and Tadcaster, North Yorkshire. 4.0% here, 0.6 percentage points stronger than Sol. | 4.0% |
| Tennent's LagerBritish, and honest about it | British, brewed at Wellpark Brewery, 161 Duke Street, Glasgow. 4.0% here, 0.6 percentage points stronger than Sol. | 4.0% |
Chosen by rule, not by taste, and no beer pays to appear: how the list is made.
Where Sol is stocked, and when we last checked
| Supermarket | Product page | Last checked |
|---|---|---|
| Tesco | The listing | 5 September 2026 |
| Asda | The listing | 9 September 2026 |
| Morrisons | The listing | 9 September 2026 |
Every beer sold as Mexican · What to buy instead, beer by beer