James Beeson has the story in the Grocer.
Global brewer Asahi has decided to reduce the strength of Grolsch which is still marketed as a premium pilsner from 4% to 3.4%. Under new duty rules which came into effect in August 2023 that will see Asahi save 23p on each can of 440ml Grolsch sold.
Grolsch dropped out of the UK market when it was a 5% beer and Asahi reintroduced it in 2020 as 4% claiming that people preferred a lower strength beer. Beeson notes that the further reduction appears to relate to a significant slide in sales. Perhaps not surprisingly when other classics such as Pilsner Urquell are at 4.4%.
Engels who was a great pilsner drinker would certainly not have been impressed.
Asahi have form having recently reduced the strength of Dark Star Hophead from 3.8% to 3.4%. I recently tried a pint and to be fair it still tasted decent.
Greene King have also reduced Ruddles bitter from 3.7% to 3.4% much the chagrin of Tim Martin. Wetherspoons sells the beer as part of its core cask range at £1.79 a pint in many pubs. Martin is far from always right but his point that while the brewer got a benefit for this it was not passed on to the drinker in the form of a price cut was spot on
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