Where is Modelo Especial brewed?
The UK supply of Modelo Especial is split between imported stock and stock brewed in Britain. Check the small print on the pack.
Listed by Tesco, Asda and Morrisons when last checked. The product pages are among the sources below.
| Format | UK strength |
|---|---|
| 355ml bottle | 4.5% |
| 620ml bottle | 4.5% |
| 4 x 440ml can | Not established |
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.
The split is verified by The Grocer reporting Budweiser Brewing Group's own format-by-format breakdown, which names Magor, and now by two packs read at Morrisons on 2026-09-06: the 12 x 355ml bottle prints Country of Origin Mexico with the Cervecería Modelo address and its four Mexican breweries, and the 620ml bottle prints Country of Origin United Kingdom with the AB InBev UK address, both at 4.5%. Not yet read from a pack: the 4 x 440ml can, whose Tesco listing states no strength, origin or producer, and the Mexican-market strength.
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 Modelo Especial is split: some of what reaches the shelf is imported and some is brewed here. By format, the record says 355ml bottle: imported; 620ml bottle: brewed in Britain; 4 x 440ml can: brewed in Britain. The can in your hand could be either, so check the producer address in the small print. The UK version is 4.5%; the home-market strength is not established. Ownership of the brand is split by territory: Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (Grupo Modelo; US rights held separately by Constellation Brands).
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 355ml bottle | Imported | Country of Origin: Mexico. Brewed in: Zacatecas, Tuxtepec, Mérida, Ciudad de México, Mexico. By: Cervecería Modelo de México, S. de R.L. de C.V., Lago Alberto 156, Colonia Anáhuac, Mexico City 11320, Mexico. |
| 620ml bottle | Brewed in Britain | Country of origin: United Kingdom. AB Inbev UK Limited, EC4A 1EN. Inbev Belgium, BD Industriel 21, B-1070 Brussels, Belgium. |
| 4 x 440ml can | Brewed in Britain | The Tesco listing states no strength, origin or producer (read 2026-09-06). |
Who has brewed it here
| Years | Brewer | Site | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 to now | Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I; part imported, part brewed at Magor | Magor, South Wales and Mexico | thegrocer.co.uk |
What changed
- 6 September 2026: pack wording was "4 x 355ml bottle: Country of Origin: Mexico. Produced by: Cervecería Modelo, S. de R.L. de C.V., Lago Alberto No. 156, Col. Anáhuac, 11320 CDMX, Mexico.", now "4 x 355ml and 12 x 355ml bottles: Country of Origin: Mexico. Produced by: Cervecería Modelo, S. de R.L. de C.V., Lago Alberto 156, Colonia Anáhuac, 11320 CDMX, Mexico. 620ml bottle: Country of origin: United Kingdom. AB Inbev UK Limited, EC4A 1EN." (source)
- 6 September 2026: details by pack format was 355ml bottle: imported, 4.5%; 620ml bottle: brewed in Britain, strength not established; 4 x 440ml can: brewed in Britain, strength not established, now 355ml bottle: imported, 4.5%; 620ml bottle: brewed in Britain, 4.5%; 4 x 440ml can: brewed in Britain, strength not established (source)
- 5 September 2026: home-market strength was 4.4%, now not established (source)
- 5 September 2026: details by pack format was not established, now 355ml bottle: imported, 4.5%; 620ml bottle: brewed in Britain, strength not established; 4 x 440ml can: brewed in Britain, strength not established (source)
- 5 September 2026: pack wording was not established, now "4 x 355ml bottle: Country of Origin: Mexico. Produced by: Cervecería Modelo, S. de R.L. de C.V., Lago Alberto No. 156, Col. Anáhuac, 11320 CDMX, Mexico." (source)
Questions people ask
Where is Modelo Especial brewed?
The UK supply is split between imported stock and stock brewed in Britain. The British share is brewed at Magor, Monmouthshire, South Wales. The imported share comes from Grupo Modelo breweries in Mexico.
Is Modelo Especial 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 Modelo Especial really Mexican?
Only partly. Some UK stock is brewed in Mexico and some in Britain.
Who owns Modelo Especial?
Modelo Especial is owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (Grupo Modelo; US rights held separately by Constellation Brands), headquartered in Leuven, Belgium. In the UK the brand is handled by Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I under licence.
What strength is Modelo Especial in the UK?
Modelo Especial is 4.5% ABV in the UK.
What does the Modelo Especial label say about where it is brewed?
The UK label text on record reads: "4 x 355ml and 12 x 355ml bottles: Country of Origin: Mexico. Produced by: Cervecería Modelo, S. de R.L. de C.V., Lago Alberto 156, Colonia Anáhuac, 11320 CDMX, Mexico. 620ml bottle: Country of origin: United Kingdom. AB Inbev UK Limited, EC4A 1EN."
See also
Every beer sold as Mexico · What else is brewed at Magor, Monmouthshire · Every brand owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV
Sources
- The Grocer (thegrocer.co.uk), 2025: 355ml glass bottles imported from Mexico; 620ml glass bottles and 4x440ml cans brewed at BBG's Magor brewery in Wales; low-key grocery launch in late 2024
- The Beerhive (thebeerhive.co.uk), 5 September 2026: 355ml UK stock described as brewed in Mexico and imported, 4.4% ABV (secondary source)
- Westmeath Whiskey World (blog) (westmeathwhiskeyworld.wordpress.com), 30 April 2026: 620ml format listed at 4.5% (secondary source, lead only)
- Asda (asda.com), 5 September 2026: Modelo Especial Mexican Lager Beer Bottles 4 x 355ml: alcohol by volume 4.5; Country of Origin Mexico; manufacturer 'Produced by: Cervecería Modelo, S. de R.L. de C.V., Lago Alberto No. 156, Col. Anáhuac, 11320 CDMX, Mexico.' A separate 620ml bottle appeared in the same search.
- Morrisons (groceries.morrisons.com), 6 September 2026: Modelo Especial 12 x 355ml: 4.5; Country of origin Mexico; 'Brewed in: Zacatecas, Tuxtepec, Mérida, Ciudad de México, Mexico. By: Cervecería Modelo de México, S. de R.L. de C.V., Lago Alberto 156, Colonia Anáhuac, Mexico City 11320, Mexico.'
- Morrisons (groceries.morrisons.com), 6 September 2026: Modelo Lager 620ml: 4.5; Country of origin United Kingdom; 'AB Inbev UK Limited, EC4A 1EN. Inbev Belgium, BD Industriel 21, B-1070 Brussels, Belgium.'
- Tesco (tesco.com), 6 September 2026: Modelo Especial Cerveza 4 x 440ml, read 2026-09-06: the listing states no strength, country of origin or producer.
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