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Which beers sold as foreign are brewed in Britain, and what to buy instead

Work in progress. We are still reading cans and settling where listings disagree. Seen a beer whose small print contradicts its label? Tell us.

Where is Bass brewed?

British, brewed in Britain Partly verified Last checked 6 September 2026

Bass is brewed in Britain, at Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, and sold as British.

Listed by Morrisons when last checked. The product pages are among the sources below.

UK strength by format
FormatUK strength
500ml bottle3.4%
cask4.4%
Brewed for the UK in Brewed in Britain
Sold as a beer from Burton upon Trent heritage and the red triangle, Britain's first registered trade mark
Brewed in (country)
United Kingdom
Brand owner HQ: Leuven, Belgium
UK strength
3.4%
Strength at home (United Kingdom)
Not established
The 500ml bottle in supermarkets is 3.4% on the Morrisons listing. Draught Bass in pubs is 4.4%. The bottle sits a tenth under the 3.5% duty threshold.
What the UK label says
“Brewed for: AB InBev Limited, EC4A 1EN. InBev Belgium, Bd. Industriel 21, B-1070 Brussels, Belgium.”
Source: groceries.morrisons.com
More about the brand: rights, style, when it was created, where it is brewed at home
UK rights held by
Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I (AB InBev UK Limited) (owned)
Style
Pale Ale / Bitter
Brand created
1777, United Kingdom
Brewed at home in
Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire

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.

The bottle's strength is verified from the Morrisons listing, which prints 'Brewed for: AB InBev Limited' with a Brussels group address and names no brewer or country. UK brewing at Burton by Marston's rests on a respected specialist beer writer rather than on the pack or a brewer statement, so the site is not confirmed. The exact date brewing moved to Marston's is not pinned down.

The small print on the base of a current can or bottle, giving the producer name and address, would settle this.

In short

Bass is brewed at Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire and sold as what it is. The brand belongs to Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, which also owns Boddingtons and Bud Light in the UK. It is 3.4%. That puts it a tenth of a percent under the 3.5% threshold at which UK alcohol duty drops sharply. The label says: "Brewed for: AB InBev Limited, EC4A 1EN. InBev Belgium, Bd. Industriel 21, B-1070 Brussels, Belgium."

Who has brewed it here

YearsBrewerSiteSource
2000 to nowAB InBev owns the brand; brewing contracted to Coors then Marston's at BurtonBurton upon Trentprotzonbeer.co.uk
2024 to nowMarston's Burton plant passes to Carlsberg Britvic ownership while continuing to brew Bass for AB InBevBurton upon Trentprotzonbeer.co.uk

What changed

Questions people ask

Where is Bass brewed?

The beer sold in the UK is brewed at Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire.

Is Bass brewed in the UK?

Yes. It is brewed at Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire.

Who owns Bass?

Bass is owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, headquartered in Leuven, Belgium. In the UK the brand is handled by Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I.

What strength is Bass in the UK?

Bass is 3.4% ABV in the UK.

What does the Bass label say about where it is brewed?

The UK label text on record reads: "Brewed for: AB InBev Limited, EC4A 1EN. InBev Belgium, Bd. Industriel 21, B-1070 Brussels, Belgium."

Which beers are similar to Bass?

Beers with a similar story include Banks's Amber Bitter, Boddingtons Draught Bitter and Carling Original Lager.

See also

Every beer sold as United Kingdom · What else is brewed at Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire · Every brand owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV

Sources

  1. Protz on Beer (Roger Protz) (protzonbeer.co.uk), 2 December 2025: AB InBev owns Bass; Marston's brews Draught Bass in Burton; 4.4% ABV; Carlsberg now owns the Burton plant; volumes and 2025 revival
  2. The Morning Advertiser (morningadvertiser.co.uk), 19 March 2026: current trading position of Bass as a heritage cask brand
  3. Morrisons (groceries.morrisons.com), 6 September 2026: Bass 500ml: Alcohol By Volume 3.4%; 'Brewed for: AB InBev Limited, EC4A 1EN. InBev Belgium, Bd. Industriel 21, B-1070 Brussels, Belgium.' No brewer or country of origin printed.

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