Where is Cobra Premium brewed?
By Mark Porter Last checked 9 September 2026 How we check
Cobra Premium is sold as a beer from India. It is brewed in Britain, at Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire.
What to drink instead 6 beers on the same shelves that are what they say
Listed by Tesco when last checked. The product pages are among the sources below.
| Format | UK strength | Units |
|---|---|---|
| 620ml bottle | 4.5% | 2.8 units a bottle |
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
In short
On the shelf, Cobra Premium presents as Indian: Indian founder story, 'brewed to complement Indian food', curry-house distribution, Bangalore origin, Indian iconography. The UK supply comes out of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, brewed by Molson Coors. It is 4.5%. There is no Indian original to compare with: the brand was created in 1989 by Molson Coors Beverage Company for the UK market. On the recipe: 'Complex recipe of seven ingredients', 'brewed with fewer bubbles'. The label says: "Brewed and bottled in the UK; Country of Origin: United Kingdom; Cobra Beer Partnership Ltd, 137 High Street, Burton-on-Trent."
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 | Supply | Label text |
|---|---|---|
| 620ml bottle | Brewed in Britain | Cobra Premium Beer. Alc 4.5% Vol. Brewed & bottled under licence in the UK for Cobra Beer Partnership Ltd., DE14 1JZ, UK. In EU: MCBC (Ireland) DAC, Maynooth Business Campus, Straffan Road, ROI. |
What to buy instead of Cobra Premium
Cobra Premium is sold as Indian and brewed in Britain, at Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, at 4.5%.
| Beer | Why it is on the list | Strength here |
|---|---|---|
| Tsingtao Premium LagerThe same style, genuinely imported from elsewhere | Brewed at Qingdao, Shandong in China. 4.7% here, 0.2 percentage points stronger than Cobra Premium. | 4.7% |
| Chang ClassicThe same style, genuinely imported from elsewhere | Brewed at Cosmos Brewery Co., Ltd, Ayutthaya in Thailand. 5.0% here, 0.5 percentage points stronger than Cobra Premium. | 5.0% |
| Budweiser Budvar OriginalThe same style, genuinely imported from elsewhere | Brewed at Ceske Budejovice in the Czech Republic. 5.0% here, 0.5 percentage points stronger than Cobra Premium. | 5.0% |
| Peroni Nastro AzzurroThe same style, genuinely imported from elsewhere | Brewed at Rome, Padua and Bari in Italy. 5.1% here, 0.6 percentage points stronger than Cobra Premium. | 5.1% |
| Heineken SilverThe same style, genuinely imported from elsewhere | Brewed in the Netherlands. 4.0% here, 0.5 percentage points weaker than Cobra Premium. | 4.0% |
| Pilsner UrquellThe same style, genuinely imported from elsewhere | Brewed at Plzen in the Czech Republic. 4.4% here, 0.1 percentage points weaker than Cobra Premium. | 4.4% |
Chosen by rule, not by taste, and no beer pays to appear: how the list is made.
Who has brewed it here
| Years | Brewer | Site | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 to 1996 | Imported from Mysore Brewery, Bangalore, India | Bangalore | en.wikipedia.org |
| 1996 to 2009 | Charles Wells Ltd (contract) | Bedford | en.wikipedia.org |
| 2009 to 2024 | Cobra Beer Partnership Ltd (Molson Coors 50.1%, Bilimoria 49.9%) with brewing moved to Molson Coors Burton | Burton upon Trent | en.wikipedia.org |
| 2024 to now | Molson Coors (100% ownership after Lord Bilimoria stepped down as chairman, 28 November 2024) | Burton upon Trent | inside.beer |
What changed
- 9 September 2026: details by pack format was "no pack format on record", now "620ml bottle: 4.5%, brewed in the UK, label text read in hand"
Questions people ask
Where is Cobra Premium brewed?
The beer sold in the UK is brewed at Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire by Molson Coors.
Is Cobra Premium brewed in the UK?
Yes. It is brewed at Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire.
Is Cobra Premium really Indian?
The branding is Indian, but the beer sold in Britain is brewed in the UK at Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire.
Who owns Cobra Premium?
Cobra Premium is owned by Molson Coors Beverage Company, headquartered in United States / Canada. In the UK the brand is handled by Cobra Beer Partnership Ltd.
What strength is Cobra Premium in the UK?
Cobra Premium is 4.5% ABV in the UK. A UK pint is 2.6 units.
What does the Cobra Premium label say about where it is brewed?
The UK label text on record reads: "Brewed and bottled in the UK; Country of Origin: United Kingdom; Cobra Beer Partnership Ltd, 137 High Street, Burton-on-Trent".
See also
Side by side with Kingfisher Premium Lager.
Every beer sold as India · What else is brewed at Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire · Every brand owned by Molson Coors Beverage Company
Sources
- Molson Coors (molsoncoors.com): Cobra brewed at Burton
- Tesco (tesco.com), 4 September 2026: 4.5%, brewed and bottled in the UK, country of origin UK
- Tesco (tesco.com), 4 September 2026: 4.5%, Cobra Beer Partnership Ltd Burton address
- inside.beer (inside.beer), 28 November 2024: full Molson Coors ownership, Bilimoria steps down, 'predominantly brewed in Burton'
- Protz on Beer (protzonbeer.co.uk), 20 September 2022: Cobra brewed at Burton
- Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org): secondary: Bangalore, Charles Wells 1996-2009, 2009 administration and JV, 2011 Cobra India stake
- petebrown.net
- northeastbylines.co.uk
- The Scottish Sun (thescottishsun.co.uk)
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