Big brewers have taken the unusual step of watering down their beer in Britain, and they're hoping customers won't notice.

The reason comes down to taxes. The "beer duty" is incredibly steep; about a third of a pint's total price goes to taxes, the BBC reports.

But there's a twist: The stronger the beer, the more taxes brewers have to pay. So the brewing industry is hoping to cut its tax burden with weaker beer, but not so weak as to lose customers.

Anheuser-Busch Inbev (BUD) has cut the potency of Stella Artois, Becks and Budweiser, the BBC reports. OK, you can have a minute to joke about what a weaker Budweiser would taste like. Got it out of your system? Let's move on.

The reduction could save Anheuser-Busch $13.6 million a year in taxes. Another brewer, Carlsberg, has cut the alcohol by volume of one of its beers, Carlsberg Export, to 4.8% from 5%, the BBC reports. It's a small reduction, one that probably will go unnoticed by most drinkers.

Speaking of beer -- and with St. Patrick's Day just around the corner -- the following video shows you the proper way to pour a Guinness. But you just might want to make a mad dash for the pub after watching it.

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The government has been piling taxes on beer and cider in a move that it says is to encourage responsible drinking. It's only pure coincidence that the government happens to be in dire need of cold hard cash as well, right? Any beer with an alcohol-by-volume percentage of more than 7.5% was hit very hard by duty rates, while those with very low alcohol volumes got a break.

The British Beer and Pub Association now estimates that the profit a brewer makes on one pint of beer is a measly 0.4%.

One London brewer, Fuller's, has gone so far as to develop a beer with 2.8% alcohol by volume. It's been a challenge, the company's head brewer told the Independent. "Alcohol content comes from the malt," John Keeling told the newspaper. "The more malt you use, the more alcohol content you have, and malt gives flavor."

Some British are open to weaker beer, he added, especially during the workday. Lunchtime drinking is increasingly frowned upon, so a lighter beer could be popular then.