How a fair profit worked for the baker
Heineken reduces strength of Fosters to 3.4% Time for the Assize of Ale & a ‘fair profit’
According to reports in the Grocer and the Morning Advertiser global brewer Heineken is set to reduce the strength of Fosters lager from 3.7% to 3.4% in February 2026. Heineken claim it’s to meet demand from health conscious drinkers who want lower strength beers.
Heineken will save a considerable amount on duty- lower at 3.4% but the Grocer reports that off-sales were down 13.7% earlier in 2025.
The brewer claims that work has gone into making sure that Fosters retains whatever taste etc it has and given the scale of the brewer’s operations I’m inclined to believe them. An article in the Financial Times earlier in 2025 underlined the lengths Heineken went to ensure that its brands maintained the same quality etc across the globe.
Of course Fosters is far from the first beer to see a reduction in strength. Carlsberg Pilsner and Grolsch have met the same fate and on the cask side so have Greene King IPA and Dark Star Hophead. I’ve tried the 3.4% version of the latter and it was actually fine.
The issue here is whether the drinker is being ripped off getting a lower strength product but at the same price.
In pre-market society where as we know supply and demand determine price..there were attempts to regulate the price of essential foodstuffs. Bread was the key focus but beer, often safer than water to drink, was also involved.
The aim of an Assize was to look at various beer types and qualities and determine how much the cost of raw material- malt and hops would be. Stronger beers of good quality would cost more to brew and attracted a higher price. Every day beers would be less strong but still of an acceptable quality, that is unadulterated.
Out of all this came the concept of a fair profit. The brewer needed to cover costs of brewing and selling. They also needed premises to brew and live in and the ability to look after their family. They did not need to amass large savings or capital sums any more than those who drank their beer did or could.
Hence the Assize was about price and quality and ensuring fairness for both drinkers and brewers
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