Where is Amstel brewed?
By Mark Porter Last checked 9 September 2026 How we check
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 | Units | At home |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 x 440ml can | 3.4% | 1.5 units a can | 5.0% |
| 10 x 440ml can | 3.4% | 1.5 units a can | 5.0% |
| 12 x 300ml bottle | 3.4% | 1.0 unit a bottle | 5.0% |
Every beer on the shelf by strength · How the units are worked out
More about the brand: rights, style, when it was created, where it is brewed at home
Verified
The three claims that matter, where the beer sold in the UK is brewed, its UK strength and who owns the brand, each rest on the brewer's own statement or on a seller's page transcribing the pack. Where the exact brewery is inferred rather than named, the page says so.
retailer listings gave two strengths. Current Tesco and Asda cans are 3.4%, while Asda listed a 12 x 300ml bottle at 4.1%, which looked like a can-and-bottle split rather than old and new. No trade press report of the Amstel cut date was found, so the cut date is not established.
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.
Ocado's product page for the 12 x 300ml bottle prints 3.4% in the strength field with the same 'Brewed in the UK and Netherlands' text as the cans, and Asda no longer lists a bottle titled 4.1%. The bottle is recorded at 3.4%; the 4.1% was a stale title. The pack text on every format still says brewed in both countries, so the supply stays split.
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 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.
This page is about the packs sold in supermarkets. Draught in pubs can come from a different brewery, and this page does not cover it unless a format table says so.
Formats on record
Every pack format read so far says the same thing. This is what each one says, so you can check the one in your hand against it.
| Format | Label text |
|---|---|
| 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. |
| 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. |
Who has brewed it here
| Years | Brewer | Site | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 to now | Heineken UK | Manchester | beerguild.co.uk |
What changed
- 9 September 2026: verification level was partly verified, now verified (source)
- 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.
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 Britain and some is imported, so it depends which pack you pick up.
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%. A UK pint is 1.9 units.
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.
- BBC (bbc.co.uk)
- petebrown.net
- Heineken UK (heineken.co.uk)
- The Grocer (thegrocer.co.uk)
- amstel.nl
- 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.
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