Where is Amstel brewed?
The UK supply of Amstel is split between imported stock and stock brewed in Britain. Check the small print on the pack.
Listed by Tesco, Asda and Ocado when last checked. The product pages are among the sources below.
| Format | UK strength | At home |
|---|---|---|
| 4 x 440ml can | 3.4% | 5.0% |
| 10 x 440ml can | 3.4% | 5.0% |
| 12 x 300ml bottle | Not established | 5.0% |
Every beer on the shelf by strength
More about the brand: rights, style, when it was created, where it is brewed at home
Partly verified
At least one of those three claims rests on a secondary source or an inference, a disagreement between sources is still open, or a split supply has a format that has not been read.
two current listings give the 12 x 300ml bottle different strengths. Asda's listing title reads 'Amstel Bavarian Style Lager Beer 4.1% ABV Bottle 12x300ml'; Ocado's product page for the same pack prints 3.4 in its strength field, read the same day. Either the bottle has followed the cans down to 3.4% and Asda's title is stale, or the two retailers hold different stock. The bottle's strength is not recorded until a pack is read.
two research passes disagreed. Current Tesco and Asda cans are 3.4%; Asda still lists a 12 x 300ml bottle at 4.1%, so the two figures are a can-and-bottle split rather than old and new. No trade press or MEN report of the Amstel cut date was found (searches returned only Foster's and Grolsch stories), so the cut date is not established. Sainsbury's search returned no Amstel results and Ocado search is robots-blocked.
Owner, UK brewer, UK site, UK ABV and Dutch ABV all sourced. The pack text allows for some Dutch-brewed stock, so the UK supply is recorded as mixed rather than brewed in Britain.
The small print on the base of a current can or bottle, giving the producer name and address, would settle this.
In short
The UK supply of Amstel is split: some of what reaches the shelf is imported and some is brewed here. The British share is brewed at Manchester by Heineken UK. The imported share comes from Zoeterwoude in the Netherlands. The can in your hand could be either, so check the producer address in the small print. In the Netherlands the same beer is 5.0%. Here it is 3.4%, which is 1.6 percentage points weaker. That puts it a tenth of a percent under the 3.5% threshold at which UK alcohol duty drops sharply. The brand belongs to Heineken N.V., which also owns Heineken and John Smith's in the UK.
It depends which one you pick up
The bottles, cans and draught version of this beer do not all come from the same place, or are not all the same strength. This is what the record says per format.
| Format | Label text |
|---|---|
| 10 x 440ml can | Brewed in the UK and Netherlands Under Supervision of Amstel Brouwerij B.V. Heineken UK Limited, 6 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh, EH2 2BD. |
| 12 x 300ml bottle | Brewed in the UK and Netherlands Under Supervision of Amstel Brouwerij B.V. Heineken UK Limited, 6 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh, EH2 2BD. |
Who has brewed it here
| Years | Brewer | Site | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 to now | Heineken UK | Manchester | beerguild.co.uk |
What changed
- 6 September 2026: verification level was verified, now partly verified (source)
- 6 September 2026: details by pack format was 4 x 440ml can: 3.4%; 12 x 300ml bottle: 4.1%, now 4 x 440ml can: 3.4%; 10 x 440ml can: 3.4%; 12 x 300ml bottle: strength not established (source)
- 6 September 2026: details by pack format was not established, now 4 x 440ml can: 3.4%; 12 x 300ml bottle: 4.1% (source)
- 5 September 2026: format detail.abv cut date was not established, now not established
Questions people ask
Where is Amstel brewed?
The UK supply is split between imported stock and stock brewed in Britain. The British share is brewed at Manchester. The imported share comes from Zoeterwoude in the Netherlands.
Is Amstel brewed in the UK?
Partly. Some UK stock is brewed in Britain and some is imported, so it depends which pack you pick up.
Is Amstel really Dutch?
Only partly. Some UK stock is brewed in the Netherlands and some in Britain.
Who owns Amstel?
Amstel is owned by Heineken N.V., headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands. In the UK the brand is handled by Heineken UK Limited.
What strength is Amstel in the UK?
Amstel is 3.4% ABV in the UK. In the Netherlands it is 5.0%.
Is Amstel weaker in the UK than in the Netherlands?
Yes. The UK version is 3.4% against 5.0% in the Netherlands, 1.6 percentage points weaker.
See also
Side by side with Heineken Original 5%.
Every beer sold as Netherlands · What else is brewed at Manchester · Every brand owned by Heineken N.V.
Sources
- Tesco (tesco.com), 5 September 2026: UK Amstel 3.4% vol, 'Brewed in the UK and Netherlands', brewed by Heineken UK Limited
- Albert Heijn (ah.nl), 5 September 2026: Amstel Pilsener in the Netherlands is 5.0% ABV
- British Guild of Beer Writers (beerguild.co.uk), 1 January 2025: Amstel is brewed at Heineken's Manchester brewery
- verification pass (morningadvertiser.co.uk): Article lists Foster's (3.7% to 3.4% from February 2026), Grolsch and Hophead cuts; it contains no sentence about Amstel.
- second research pass (bbc.co.uk): cited by second research pass
- second research pass (petebrown.net): cited by second research pass
- second research pass (heineken.co.uk): cited by second research pass
- second research pass (thegrocer.co.uk): cited by second research pass
- second research pass (amstel.nl): cited by second research pass
- Asda (asda.com), 6 September 2026: 'Amstel Beer Premium Bavarian Pilsener Style Lager 3.4% Multipack Cans 4x440ml' (listing title; producer block not shown).
- Asda (asda.com), 6 September 2026: 'Amstel Bavarian Style Lager Beer 4.1% ABV Bottle 12x300ml' (listing title; producer block not shown).
- Asda (asda.com), 6 September 2026: Amstel Beer Premium Bavarian Pilsener Style Lager 3.4% Multipack Cans 10 x 440ml: 3.4; 'Brewed in the UK and Netherlands Under Supervision of Amstel Brouwerij B.V.'; 'Heineken UK Limited, 6 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh, EH2 2BD.'
- Ocado (ocado.com), 6 September 2026: Amstel Lager Beer Bottles 12 x 300ml: strength field 3.4; 'Brewed in the UK and Netherlands Under Supervision of Amstel Brouwerij B.V.'; 'Heineken UK Limited, 6 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh, EH2 2BD.' The page does not print 4.1 or a Netherlands-only origin.
Spotted an error?Tell us what the pack says and we will check it. [email protected]