Beer?

[No Ta Doctor]

Oh dear oh dear, I've just discovered that this place is two minutes from a factory that I visit every couple of months for work, my wallet could be in for a pasting - https://www.prostbottleshop.uk/prod...uiyjZKAQt8yutCaKL1_aem_wx_WhvcOs8dveYZ1McPscw

Blimey, their prices are.... I live in Denmark, and have paid stupid prices for specialist beers (selling a kidney level) but pretty much everything on their Belgian list I can get cheaper here.

 

[katiewlx]

Blimey, their prices are.... I live in Denmark, and have paid stupid prices for specialist beers (selling a kidney level) but pretty much everything on their Belgian list I can get cheaper here.

pretty reasonable for the UK Id have said, Beautiful Beers in Bury St Edmunds is my goto Belgian beer shop when Im over that side of the county. https://www.beautifulbeers.co.uk/c/beers/belgian

 

[No Ta Doctor]

pretty reasonable for the UK Id have said, Beautiful Beers in Bury St Edmunds is my goto Belgian beer shop when Im over that side of the county. https://www.beautifulbeers.co.uk/c/beers/belgian

I just had a look and I see the UK now has far higher taxes on beer than Denmark, about four times the rate, which if it's on an alcohol percentage basis (as it is in the EU) will be magnified for the strong Belgian brews. I don't know if UK still has alcohol percentage bands - historically they defined e.g. the difference between a best bitter and a premium ale - think there was a boundary at around 4% set around the 2nd WW, but my history is a little ropey

Excise duty on 330ml 5%:
UK: € 0.4187 (36p)
DK: € 0.1078 (9p)

If there aren't alcohol percentage bands and it's just pure rate, then that would be around 72p on a bottle of Chimay Blue in UK, and only 18p in Denmark.

Given it sells at about £3,70 here in supermarkets (with five for 100kr - which is currently £2.32 per bottle) that doesn't seem to account for anything like the price difference I see.

A quick check shows supermarket prices are Duvel for £3.60, a 75cl Westmalle Dubbel for £8,13, so maybe Chimay was a special case there? At £4.90 it was

So is there a specific higher tax rate for strong beers in the UK?

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

I just had a look and I see the UK now has far higher taxes on beer than Denmark, about four times the rate, which if it's on an alcohol percentage basis (as it is in the EU) will be magnified for the strong Belgian brews. I don't know if UK still has alcohol percentage bands - historically they defined e.g. the difference between a best bitter and a premium ale - think there was a boundary at around 4% set around the 2nd WW, but my history is a little ropey

Excise duty on 330ml 5%:
UK: € 0.4187 (36p)
DK: € 0.1078 (9p)

If there aren't alcohol percentage bands and it's just pure rate, then that would be around 72p on a bottle of Chimay Blue in UK, and only 18p in Denmark.

Given it sells at about £3,70 here in supermarkets (with five for 100kr - which is currently £2.32 per bottle) that doesn't seem to account for anything like the price difference I see.

A quick check shows supermarket prices are Duvel for £3.60, a 75cl Westmalle Dubbel for £8,13, so maybe Chimay was a special case there? At £4.90 it was

So is there a specific higher tax rate for strong beers in the UK?

There are higher rates for strong beers. The rates are based on ABV%.

UK Alcohol Duty Rates (from 1 February 2025)

• Up to 1.2% ABV: £0.00 (no duty)
• 1.3% to 3.4% ABV: £9.61 per litre of pure alcohol
• 3.5% to 8.4% ABV: £25.67 per litre of pure alcohol
• 8.5% to 22% ABV: £29.54 per litre of pure alcohol
• More than 22% ABV: £32.79 per litre of pure alcohol

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Northern Monk can be a little light on their flavourings but this Tiramisu Stout goes the full distance. An 8.4% collaboration with Evil Twin (New York) and Beak (Lewes, I think). It's actually an excellent dessert stout.

 

[katiewlx]

There are higher rates for strong beers. The rates are based on ABV%.

UK Alcohol Duty Rates (from 1 February 2025)

• Up to 1.2% ABV: £0.00 (no duty)
• 1.3% to 3.4% ABV: £9.61 per litre of pure alcohol
• 3.5% to 8.4% ABV: £25.67 per litre of pure alcohol
• 8.5% to 22% ABV: £29.54 per litre of pure alcohol
• More than 22% ABV: £32.79 per litre of pure alcohol

but the average Belgian beer tops out at around 8%, which still puts it in the same bracket as a standard English ale at half that abv, yet the Belgian beer will be twice the price, and often half the volume.

Ive been buying quite a few imported Oktoberfest beers recently, as its that time of year, 0.5l bottles for £4-£5, Belgian beers from the same shop £5-£6 for 330ml.

so there is a premium price which isnt all to do with the import duty, I think we lose out in the UK by not really being able to import Belgian beer in bulk, because whilst its popular, it doesnt sell in the millions of pints, like Guinness does and so getting suppliers to handle all the import, and now UK vat registration, just adds to costs.

though you do get some weird edge cases sometimes like Sainsburys sell bottles of Duvel for £2.70 and Le Chouffe for £3, they were selling a 1.5litre bottle of La Chouffe for only like £10 iirc earlier in the year.