Red Stripe is Jamaica in a bottle, and it is the beer the literary Bond occasionally orders. A 4.7% pale lager made by Desnoes & Geddes, Red Stripe is easy to find in the United States and the United Kingdom and is the obvious drink to pair with Fleming’s Jamaica.
In the books
Bond enjoys beer on several occasions in Ian Fleming’s novels, and the catalogue records that he occasionally orders Red Stripe. The local Jamaican brew also appears in the film Dr. No, with Sean Connery’s Bond.
Drinking it now
Drink it very cold, from the small bottle that Red Stripe introduced in 1965, with something grilled. Red Stripe dates to 1918 in Jamaica, and its lager is brewed in Jamaica and the Netherlands; since 2015 Heineken has also brewed it in the United Kingdom under licence. Retailers in our research sell it in six-packs and twelve-packs, one listing at US$9.99 for twelve bottles. The bottles are 11.2 fl oz. See also our books and media section and the films page for Dr. No.
Specifications
| Brewer | Desnoes & Geddes |
|---|---|
| Style | Jamaican pale lager |
| Strength | 4.7% ABV |
| Bottle | 11.2 fl oz |
| Established | 1918 |
| Price | US$9.99 for 12 bottles at one US retailer, October 2026 |
Questions
Is Red Stripe in Dr. No?
Our catalogue records the Jamaican brew as seen in Dr. No. Check the scene before you rely on it for a quiz.
Where is Red Stripe brewed?
In Jamaica and the Netherlands, and since 2015 also in the United Kingdom under licence from Desnoes & Geddes.
