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

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Where is Red Stripe brewed?

By Mark Porter Last checked 5 September 2026 How we check

Sold as foreign, brewed in Britain Verified Last checked 5 September 2026

Red Stripe is sold as a beer from Jamaica. It is brewed in Britain, at Manchester.

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.

4.7%
UK
2.7 units a pint
4.7%
Jamaica
2.7 units a pint
The UK version matches the strength sold in Jamaica.

Every beer on the shelf by strength · How the units are worked out

Brewed for the UK in
Manchester (Royal Brewery, Hulme/Moss Side)
Brewed in Britain
Sold as a beer from
Jamaica
'Jamaican Lager' on pack, stubby bottle, Jamaican flag colours and Kingston heritage
Brewed in (country)
United Kingdom
Brand owner
Heineken N.V. (via Desnoes & Geddes Limited, Kingston)
HQ: Amsterdam, Netherlands
UK strength
4.7%
2.7 units a pint
Strength at home (Jamaica)
4.7%
2.7 units a pint. UK Red Stripe is 4.7% ABV, the same nominal strength as the Jamaican original.
What the UK label says
“Country of origin United Kingdom; brewed by Heineken UK Limited”
Source: www.tesco.com
More about the brand: rights, style, when it was created, where it is brewed at home
UK rights held by
Heineken UK Limited (owned)
Style
Lager
Brand created
1928, Jamaica
Brewed at home in
Kingston, Jamaica (Desnoes & Geddes)

In short

On the shelf, Red Stripe presents as Jamaican: 'Jamaican Lager' on pack, stubby bottle, Jamaican flag colours and Kingston heritage. The UK supply comes out of Manchester, brewed by Heineken UK. It is the same strength here as at home: 4.7%. The brand belongs to Heineken N.V. (via Desnoes & Geddes Limited, Kingston). On the recipe: UK production means British water and malt rather than Jamaican; Heineken publishes no recipe comparison. The label says: "Country of origin United Kingdom; brewed by Heineken UK Limited."

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.

What to buy instead of Red Stripe

Red Stripe is sold as Jamaican and brewed in Britain, at Manchester, at 4.7%.

Beer Why it is on the list Strength here
Budweiser Budvar OriginalThe same style, genuinely imported from elsewhere Brewed at Ceske Budejovice in the Czech Republic. 5.0% here, 0.3 percentage points stronger than Red Stripe. 5.0%
Peroni Nastro AzzurroThe same style, genuinely imported from elsewhere Brewed at Rome, Padua and Bari in Italy. 5.1% here, 0.4 percentage points stronger than Red Stripe. 5.1%
Pilsner UrquellThe same style, genuinely imported from elsewhere Brewed at Plzen in the Czech Republic. 4.4% here, 0.3 percentage points weaker than Red Stripe. 4.4%
Tsingtao Premium LagerThe same style, genuinely imported from elsewhere Brewed at Qingdao, Shandong in China. 4.7% here, the same strength as Red Stripe. 4.7%
Bitburger Premium PilsThe same style, genuinely imported from elsewhere Brewed at Bitburg in Germany. 4.8% here, 0.1 percentage points stronger than Red Stripe. 4.8%
Krombacher PilsThe same style, genuinely imported from elsewhere Brewed at Kreuztal, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. 4.8% here, 0.1 percentage points stronger than Red Stripe. 4.8%

Chosen by rule, not by taste, and no beer pays to appear: how the list is made.

Who has brewed it here

YearsBrewerSiteSource
? to 2015Diageo-controlled Desnoes & Geddes supply; UK production under Diageo's arrangements before Heineken took controlJamaica and UK contract sitesthedrinksbusiness.com
2016 to nowHeineken UKManchesterbeerguild.co.uk

Questions people ask

Where is Red Stripe brewed?

The beer sold in the UK is brewed at Manchester by Heineken UK.

Is Red Stripe brewed in the UK?

Yes. It is brewed at Manchester.

Is Red Stripe really Jamaican?

The branding is Jamaican, but the beer sold in Britain is brewed in the UK at Manchester.

Who owns Red Stripe?

Red Stripe is owned by Heineken N.V. (via Desnoes & Geddes Limited, Kingston), headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands. In the UK the brand is handled by Heineken UK Limited.

What strength is Red Stripe in the UK?

Red Stripe is 4.7% ABV in the UK. In Jamaica it is 4.7%. A UK pint is 2.7 units.

Is Red Stripe weaker in the UK than in Jamaica?

No. It is 4.7% in both the UK and Jamaica.

See also

Dragon Stout
Imported from Jamaica · 7.5% · sold as Jamaican
Genuine import Verified
Amstel
Mixed supply · 3.4% · sold as Dutch
Verified
Birra Moretti L'Autentica
Manchester · 4.6% · sold as Italian
Brewed here Verified
Birra Moretti Sale di Mare
Manchester · 4.8% · sold as Italian
Brewed here Verified
Cruzcampo Sevilla
Manchester · 4.4% · sold as Spanish
Brewed here Verified
Cruzcampo Sevilla Orange
Manchester · 3.3% · sold as Spanish
Brewed here Verified

Every beer sold as Jamaica · What else is brewed at Manchester · Every brand owned by Heineken N.V.

Sources

  1. Tesco (tesco.com), 5 September 2026: 4.7% vol, brewed by Heineken UK Limited, country of origin United Kingdom
  2. British Guild of Beer Writers (beerguild.co.uk), 1 January 2025: Red Stripe is brewed at Heineken's Manchester brewery
  3. The Drinks Business (thedrinksbusiness.com), 1 December 2015: Heineken acquired Diageo's 57.9% stake in Desnoes & Geddes, taking its total to 73.3%; UK ordering from Heineken from 30 December 2015 with first deliveries 2 January 2016
  4. Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
  5. Heineken UK (heineken.co.uk)
  6. petebrown.net

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