As the beer’s own catchphrase famously states, ‘It’s good but it’s not quite Carling”. And it’s an advertising slogan that they’ve literally taken to heart with the admission that they purposely weakened their beer for tax reasons but never changed the percentage on the label.
Carling has confessed that it reduced the alcohol content in its beers from 4% to 3.7% - and they did so all of five years ago!
The brewers Molson Coors reduced it because by doing so it meant they could pay lower tax duty bills in the UK.
The reduction came to light after the taxman brought Molson Coors to court seeking an outstanding half a million in pounds that would’ve been due if the beer had an actual alcohol level of 4%.
But the brewers was able to produce documentation that showed that their beer had been cut to 3.7% all the way back in September 2012.
However, Molson Coors insists that they did not mislead consumers because its labelling was “entirely consistent with the law”.
A spokesperson for the brewery stated: “Due to their natural ingredients, all beers are permitted to have a slight variation between the finished product and the alcohol content stated on the label. For most beers, the allowed variation is 0.5 per cent.”
Carling isn’t the only beer to have been cut alcohol levels in recent years. John Smith’s Bitter has been reduced from 3.8% to 3.4% and Strongbow cider has gone from 5.3% to 5%. And the lagers Stella Artois, Budweiser, Cobra and Carlsberg Export have all been cut from 5 to 4.8%