The Suffolk-based brewery Adnams has announced a reduction in abv across four of its core beers, avoiding alcohol duty hikes. 

The brewer, which is best known for its Ghost Ship beer, has lowered the abv of products including Southwold Bitter and Ease Up IPA to 3.4%, dipping just below the 3.5% duty boundary. 

Under the present duty rules, this means a £9 per litre charge, compared to the much more costly £22 per litre duty for drinks above 3.5% abv. 

In a report released yesterday [27 May], Adnams commented that the move had been profitable for the business. 

It said: “The company reported success with its recent abv reduction of four core products, with its on-trade business outperforming the market by eight percentage points in the first two months of 2026.” 

Elsewhere in its results, the brewer said that its revenue for 2025 reached £63.7m, down from £68.1m the previous year. 

Brewery volumes fell by 6% year-on-year, which was a slight improvement on the 8% drop the year before. Meanwhile, off-trade volumes grew by 1%. 

Positively, the report noted a decrease in debt owed by Adnams, which fell from £15.3m in 2024 to £9.2m at the end of 2025. 

On the changes, the company said the decrease in revenue reflected very challenging market conditions. It also pointed to a series of board changes throughout the year, including the appointment of Andy Driscoll as CFO and Simon Townsend as chair. 

Aiming for further improvement in 2026, the chair’s statement said: “The extremely challenging market conditions that the entire hospitality industry continues to face have delayed the positive financial impact of the actions taken thus far. 

“Notwithstanding the outcome in our 2025 results, the company has made further significant progress across a number of fronts.  

“In particular, the repair to our balance sheet now provides us with solid foundations from which to restore our financial performance and to rebuild value for shareholders.”