British Breweries to Sell Weaker Beer at Cheaper Prices

Under new government measures, Britain's biggest breweries are developing weaker strength beers at cheaper prices.

The changes, which will come into effect as of Oct. 1, will result in the average cost of a beer falling by 50. However that will reportedly be offset by weaker alcohol, according to the Daily Mail.

In March, the Chancellor announced the 50 percent duty reduction on beers of 2.8 percent alcohol by volume or less back in March, sparking much experimentation amongst UK breweries in anticipation of a high demand for the lower-level beer.

The tax cut could make a less strong beer up to 50p a pint cheaper than its higher-strength counterpart.

"It's certainly a challenge. Alcohol content comes from the malt. The more malt you use, the more alcohol content you have, and malt gives flavour," head brewer John Keeling of Fuller's, the London brewery which runs 361 pubs across the UK, told the Independent. :If you want to brew a weak beer, you can't use lots of malt."

He added: "People want to drink different strength drinks at different times of day. With lunchtime drinking increasingly frowned upon, drinkers want a weaker beer with their lunch than they would after work or at home."

A recent survey by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) showed that 52 percent of drinkers would happily switch to low-alcohol beer if the taste remained on a par with their usual pint and if it were available in their local pub.

However Derek Moore, brewer at Glasgow's Kelburn brewery, warned: "There's a big difference between low-alcohol and no-alcohol beers. You can't drink six pints of two percent beer and drive home."