Salford-based Marble Beer has announced that its flagship pale ale ‘Pint’ is to be restored to its original ABV of 3.9%.

This follows a previous decision to reduce the beer’s ABV (alcohol by volume) to 3.4% following the introduction of new duty legislation by the UK government in August 2023.

With the brewing industry facing immense financial pressures throughout the supply chain, lowering the alcohol content of beer to 3.4% offered a potential solution to breweries looking to claw back precious margin, and keep their businesses afloat.

However, Marble has listened to both its trade and retail customers, and based on their feedback has made the decision to return the beer to its original recipe, at its full strength.

Commenting on the decision, Marble Beer’s sales director Paul Plowman said: “On the back of the change to duty relief made by the government, Marble made the decision to drop the ABV of Pint from 3.9% to 3.4%.

“The intention was to give us some breathing space when it came to our duty bill. While we were happy with the 3.4% version, it became apparent many of our loyal customers were not.

Although we never compromised on quality, sometimes things just shouldn’t be messed with. As a result we’ve gone back to the original 3.9% recipe, which hopefully will return Pint to one of the most loved and respected pints in the country!”

Pint is an easy-drinking, sessionable ale that features an all pale malt bill and of New Zealand and US hops, giving it a fresh, zesty flavour reminiscent of grapefruit and gooseberry, and subtle aromas of lemongrass. The beer is available in both cask and keg formats, and also in cans, where (for reasons that should be obvious) the brewery affectionately refers to it as ‘Metric’.

Photo credit: Matthew Curtis