Where is Desperados brewed?
By Mark Porter Last checked 9 September 2026 How we check
The UK supply of Desperados is split between imported stock and stock brewed in Britain. Check the small print on the pack.
Listed by Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons when last checked. The product pages are among the sources below.
| Format | UK strength | Units | At home |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 x 330ml bottle | 5.9% | 1.9 units a bottle | 5.9% |
| 12 x 250ml bottle | 5.9% | 1.5 units a bottle | 5.9% |
| 650ml bottle | 5.9% | 3.8 units a bottle | 5.9% |
| 10 x 330ml can | 5.9% | 1.9 units a can | 5.9% |
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
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.
Supply is split and every retail format has been read from a full product page: the 12 x 250ml and 650ml bottles (Morrisons) and the 10 x 330ml can (Asda) are marked country of origin United Kingdom with Heineken UK's Edinburgh address, and the 3 x 330ml bottle (Morrisons) is marked Netherlands. All are 5.9%, as is the French original on Heineken France's own page. No pack names the brewery, and the UK-marked packs carry both a Heineken UK and an Amsterdam address, so no UK brewing site is recorded. Secondary pages describing production at the Karlovacko brewery or in Ivory Coast concern other markets. The 1995 French creation date and Heineken France origin are from general brand history and not sourced here.
the 12 x 250ml bottle is marked United Kingdom at Morrisons and Asda (re-read 2026-09-09) but Netherlands at Sainsbury's, whose listing prints 'Brewed in: Heineken Brouwerijen BV, Amsterdam'. Either two batches of that pack exist or one listing is stale; the format stays recorded as brewed in Britain on the two-to-one reading until a pack is read in hand. The 3 x 330ml bottle is still Netherlands at all three chains and the 650ml bottle still United Kingdom, so the supply stays split. No 4 x 330ml can or 6 x 330ml bottle is listed at Morrisons, Asda, Sainsbury's or Waitrose; Waitrose does not stock Desperados.
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 Desperados is split: some of what reaches the shelf is imported and some is brewed here. By format, the record says 3 x 330ml bottle: imported; 12 x 250ml bottle: brewed in Britain; 650ml bottle: brewed in Britain; 10 x 330ml can: brewed in Britain. The brand itself was created in France, not Mexico. The can in your hand could be either, so check the producer address in the small print. It is the same strength here as at home: 5.9%. The brand belongs to Heineken N.V. (created by Fischer/Brasseries Heineken France).
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.
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 | Supply | Label text |
|---|---|---|
| 12 x 250ml bottle | Brewed in Britain | Country of origin: United Kingdom. Heineken UK Limited, 6 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh, EH2 2BD. HBBV, Tweede Weteringplantsoen 21, 1017 ZD Amsterdam, NL. |
| 3 x 330ml bottle | Imported | Country of origin: Netherlands. Distributor: Heineken UK Limited, 3-4 Broadway Park, Edinburgh, EH12 9JZ. |
| 650ml bottle | Brewed in Britain | Country of origin: United Kingdom. Heineken UK Limited, 6 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh, EH2 2BD. |
| 10 x 330ml can | Brewed in Britain | Country of Origin: United Kingdom. Heineken UK Limited, 3-4 Broadway Park, Edinburgh, EH12 9JZ. HBBV, Tweede Weteringplantsoen 21, 1017 ZD Amsterdam, NL. |
Who has brewed it here
| Years | Brewer | Site | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 to now | Heineken UK | Not established | tesco.com |
What changed
- 9 September 2026: verification level was verified, now partly verified
- 6 September 2026: verification level was partly verified, now verified (source)
- 6 September 2026: details by pack format was 3 x 330ml bottle: imported, 5.9%; 12 x 250ml bottle: brewed in Britain, 5.9%; 650ml bottle: brewed in Britain, 5.9%; 10 x 330ml can: brewed in Britain, now 3 x 330ml bottle: imported, 5.9%; 12 x 250ml bottle: brewed in Britain, 5.9%; 650ml bottle: brewed in Britain, 5.9%; 10 x 330ml can: brewed in Britain, 5.9% (source)
- 6 September 2026: pack wording was "Country of origin United Kingdom; brewed by Heineken UK Limited", now "Country of origin: United Kingdom. Heineken UK Limited, 6 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh, EH2 2BD. HBBV, Tweede Weteringplantsoen 21, 1017 ZD Amsterdam, NL." (source)
- 6 September 2026: details by pack format was not established, now 3 x 330ml bottle: imported, 5.9%; 12 x 250ml bottle: brewed in Britain, 5.9%; 650ml bottle: brewed in Britain, 5.9%; 10 x 330ml can: brewed in Britain (source)
- 6 September 2026: home-market strength was not established, now 5.9% (source)
- 6 September 2026: is pretender was yes, now no (source)
- 6 September 2026: country brewed in was "United Kingdom", now "Mixed" (source)
- 6 September 2026: UK supply was brewed in Britain, now mixed supply (source)
- 5 September 2026: home-market strength was 5.9%, now not established
Questions people ask
Where is Desperados brewed?
The UK supply is split between imported stock and stock brewed in Britain.
Is Desperados 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 Desperados really Mexican?
Only partly. Some UK stock is brewed in Britain and some is imported, so it depends which pack you pick up. The brand itself was created in France, not Mexico.
Who owns Desperados?
Desperados is owned by Heineken N.V. (created by Fischer/Brasseries Heineken France), headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands. In the UK the brand is handled by Heineken UK Limited.
What strength is Desperados in the UK?
Desperados is 5.9% ABV in the UK. In Mexico it is 5.9%. A UK pint is 3.4 units.
Is Desperados weaker in the UK than in Mexico?
No. It is 5.9% in both the UK and Mexico.
See also
Every beer sold as Mexico · Every brand owned by Heineken N.V.
Sources
- Tesco (tesco.com), 5 September 2026: 5.9% vol, brewed by Heineken UK Limited, country of origin United Kingdom
- petebrown.net
- famvandermeer.com
- Morrisons (groceries.morrisons.com), 6 September 2026: Desperados Tequila Lager Beer Bottles 3 x 330ml, re-read 2026-09-06: 5.9; country of origin Netherlands; distributor Heineken UK Limited, 3-4 Broadway Park, Edinburgh, EH12 9JZ.
- Morrisons (groceries.morrisons.com), 6 September 2026: Desperados Original Beer Lager Bottles 12 x 250ml, re-read 2026-09-06: 5.9; country of origin United Kingdom; 'Heineken UK Limited, 6 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh, EH2 2BD. HBBV, Tweede Weteringplantsoen 21, 1017 ZD Amsterdam, NL.'
- Morrisons (groceries.morrisons.com), 6 September 2026: Desperados Tequila Lager Beer Bottle 650ml, re-read 2026-09-06: 5.9; country of origin United Kingdom; Heineken UK Limited, 6 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh, EH2 2BD.
- Asda (asda.com), 6 September 2026: Original Beer Lager Cans 10 x 330ml: Country of Origin United Kingdom (product index record; the listing's producer block was not shown).
- Asda (asda.com), 6 September 2026: Original Beer Lager Bottles 3 x 330ml: Country of Origin Netherlands (product index record; the listing's producer block was not shown).
- Heineken France (heinekenfrance.fr), 6 September 2026: Heineken France's nutrition page for Desperados Original: 'ALCOOL 5,9% vol'.
- Asda (asda.com), 6 September 2026: Desperados Original Beer Lager Cans 10 x 330ml, product page read 2026-09-06: 5.9; Country of Origin United Kingdom; 'Heineken UK Limited, 3-4 Broadway Park, Edinburgh, EH12 9JZ. HBBV, Tweede Weteringplantsoen 21, 1017 ZD Amsterdam, NL.'
- Sainsbury's (sainsburys.co.uk), 9 September 2026: 12 x 250ml bottle, read on 9 September 2026: 5.9%; country of origin Netherlands; 'Brewed in: Heineken Brouwerijen BV, Tweede Weteringplantsoen 21-1017 ZD, Amsterdam, Netherlands.'
- Sainsbury's (sainsburys.co.uk), 9 September 2026: 3 x 330ml bottle, read on 9 September 2026: 5.9%; country of origin Netherlands.
- Sainsbury's (sainsburys.co.uk), 9 September 2026: 650ml bottle, read on 9 September 2026: 5.9%; country of origin United Kingdom; Heineken UK Limited, 6 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh.
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