How Much Tax Is in Your Pint?

Alcohol duty went up again in February 2026. The government raised beer duty by 3.6% and wine duty by a whopping 22%. Here's exactly how much of your weekly pub spend is going straight to HMRC.

Your typical week

per week
per week (175ml)
per week (25ml)
per week (330ml)
(UK avg: £6.50)

Tax you pay per week

£0
That's 0% of your total spend going to HMRC

Where your money actually goes (per pint)

🔴 Alcohol duty + VAT = tax 🟢 What you're actually paying for

Your annual tax bill on booze

£0
Since February 2026, that's £0 MORE than last year thanks to the duty increase

What your yearly booze tax could buy instead

The 2026 duty rates (what HMRC takes per drink)

DrinkDuty per unitDuty per serve+VATTotal tax
Pint of beer (4.2%)21.5p/unit51p+20% VAT-
Glass of wine (13%)67.6p/unit£1.55+20% VAT-
Single spirit (40%)31.6p/unit32p+20% VAT-
Can of beer (330ml, 5%)21.5p/unit35p+20% VAT-
AF beer (0.0%)0p0p+20% VATVAT only
The AF beer loophole: Alcohol-free beer (under 0.5% ABV) pays zero alcohol duty. None. The only tax is standard VAT - same as buying a sandwich. So every pint you swap for AF, you're keeping about 50p that would've gone to HMRC. Over a year of swapping just 2 pints a week, that's £0 back in your pocket from duty alone - before you even count the cheaper hangovers.

I've been getting into AF beers lately and the whole zero-duty thing was news to me. IMPOSSIBREW does a Triple Hopped IPA that's genuinely good - like proper good, not "good for AF" good. If you fancy trying it, here's a referral link that saves you a tenner.

FAQ

How much did alcohol duty go up in 2026?

Beer duty increased by 3.6% from 1 February 2026, in line with RPI inflation. Wine duty rose by approximately 22% as transitional relief ended. Spirit duty increased by 3.6%. The Treasury raised an estimated £13.1 billion from alcohol duty in 2024/25.

How much tax is in a pint of beer?

For a typical 4.2% ABV pint at £6.50 in a pub, approximately £1.59 goes to the government - about 51p in alcohol duty plus £1.08 in VAT. That's roughly 24% of what you pay going straight to HMRC.

Do you pay duty on alcohol-free beer?

No. Beer under 0.5% ABV is classified as "small beer" and pays zero alcohol duty. You still pay standard 20% VAT (same as any soft drink or food), but there's no excise duty at all. This makes AF beer significantly cheaper to produce - and that saving should be passed on to you.

How much would I save switching to AF beer?

In pure duty savings, swapping one pint of 4.2% beer per week for an AF alternative saves about £26.50 per year in alcohol duty alone. Swap 4 pints a week and that's over £106. Plus you save on everything else - no hangover taxis, no recovery takeaways, no lost productivity.