The Strongest Beer In The World?!
March 10, 2010
With beers now apparently reaching 45% ABV this post should ideally be read with the theme from ‘Rocky’ playing in the background, so get those trumpets out… pa paa papa paa papa paa papa pop… The battle for the strongest beer in the world rages on!
I’ve previously written about the Brewdog brewery in the north of Scotland. In the past they courted controversy by brewing ‘Tokyo Extra Stout‘, brewed to a scary 18.2% ABV. Despite this extreme potency, I gave it 5 stars, describing it as “a truly awesome, yet well balanced beer experience”.
Well, while the controversy over the Tokyo Stout was raging, Brewdog were working on an even more audacious and potent brew – ‘Tactical Nuclear Penguin’ – brewed using an ‘Ice Lagering’ process – not unlike how (I am led to believe) ‘Applejack’ and ‘Jersey Lightning’ is made.
‘Penguin’ was certified in November 2009 as having an ABV of 32%, beating the previous record of 31% held by German brewer Schorschbräu.
Schorschbräu responded with Schorschbock at 40%, regaining their world record – for just two weeks. Brewdog have recently launched ‘Sink the Bismarck‘ brewed an eye watering 41% ABV!
Now we’ve seemed to find a Dutch brewery, Het Koelschip from Almere which cranked out a 45%ABV beer called Obilix. Where does it end?
Check out what Google translator does when it mutates Dutch into English!
“OBILIX is a special beer from 45% alc obtained by a cold beer to ship a special way to edit the obtained alc. rate amber beer with a beer a very distinct taste.”
Makes sense, right?
I have a bottle of ‘Tactical Nuclear Penguin’ lined up for a beer review, but I have to confess that at the equivalent of sixty dollars a bottle (or ninety dollars a US pint) I think I’ll pass on ‘Sink the Bismarck’. To me, this is too much to spend on a beer. I have no idea how much Oblix might cost.
Again, I was pleasantly surprised by the complexity of the flavour of the 18.2% ABV Tokyo Stout, but I’m wondering what are your views on this race for the strongest beer in the world? Is it simply marketing and bragging rights, or is there more to it?
-Bob the Brit
Posted in Other Stuff, Views from a Brit
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March 10th, 2010 at 9:16 am
I’ve mentioned on other blogs that while I think its all a bit silly, I think the marketing is excellent. I mean trying to decide what it the ‘best’ beer in the world is up for debate, but there can only be ONE strongest beer in the world. right? Whoever makes the strongest beer will get the attention, at least here in the beer blogoshpere!
I hadn’t heard of ANY of these brewers until this whole ABV thing recently started, so in that regard its an effective way to get noticed.
I also haven’t tried any of these beers yet, but I’ve read good and bad. (I wouldn’t pay that much either!) Nice post Bob.
Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..Founders Breakfast Stout
March 10th, 2010 at 10:10 am
If the beers good, then the beers good. but if the beer is bad, then all it is is good marketing. Budweiser has great marketing–love it or hate it, it works. But, if a brand put’s marketing over flavor, they’ve lost me.
That being said, I still support BrewDog as a brewery, even if they are on the edge with their marketing and antics. Why? Before the ABV games, they’d proven themselves as brewers. If Michael Jackson gave them the thumbs up, I’ll give ‘em credit.
As far as Het Koelschip goes…I’m suspicious.
Great post bob.
nate´s last blog ..Craft Beer Growth
March 10th, 2010 at 11:21 am
This is an interesting question Bob, because to me they have essentially created a new beverage. A Beer Spirit if you will. It is not distilled, but fermented at a very high ABV. Let’s face it at 45% that is 90 proof. We are entering respectable whiskey range there. So is it actually beer? Maybe technically, but in my mind they have created a new fermented but not distilled spirit. It is interesting to me from an intellectual point of view, and I think that as brewers come up with higher ABV brews, the cost will eventually subside. Other brewers will brew these hugh ABV beers and charge less, and that will lower the price for the average consumer (Me) and that will make these brews more accessible. The next hurdle will be in state’s like mine where the State owns the liquor stores, and have prohibited sales of anything over 16% alcohol in anything but State liquor stores. Problem is they also have made a decision to not carry beer at the State liquor stores so as not to compete with other beer retailers. This leaves these high ABV brews in a no mans land in Idaho. Not a big surprise to me.
Don´s last blog ..The Rest Of The Story…
March 10th, 2010 at 11:40 am
@nate – I don’t think Michael Jackson ever actually gave these guys the thumbs, up although the British Wine writer ‘Oz Clarke’ (whom you might have seen on TV with Top Gear’s James May) awarded Brewdog’s 9% ABV Hardcore IPA as ‘Best Artisan Beer’ last year. Much to the disgust of the more traditional beer community.
I think what differentiates Brewdog’s hyper brews is the flavour. Having tasted a number of Belgian brews that all shared the same candy sugar threat of strength in their flavours, the Brewdog brews are full on potent brews. ‘Penguin’ was aged for twelve months in oak casks before being iced.
They’re also (to quote an old Stella campaign) ‘reassuringly expensive. I could buy a bottle of single malt Scotch Whisky , or sixty large cans of premium 5% lager at my supermarket for the price of one bottle of Penguin, so the Brewdog brews won’t becoem the preferred tipple of the bozos.
Bob the Brit´s last blog ..Pancake Day
March 10th, 2010 at 1:06 pm
Hmm. A beer spirit. Sounds haunting Don! Also, I thought Idaho was one of those cool free states without all the Gubment stuff. Its funny how I can get cooler beers here in NJ than you can. Pttttttt!
Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..River Horse Oatmeal Milk Stout
March 10th, 2010 at 2:01 pm
Bob,
I believe that Michael Jackson did compliment them as a brewery. However, I’m with other on the idea that if it tastes good and is still respectable, then drink up. However, the costs are becoming a little absurd. It’s extremely costly to ship it here from the brewery. I would actually love to see some of these beers bottled in a six ounce/185 ml format. I think the cost and strength might be more worthwhile in a smaller vessel. I’m sure that battle will rage on and I’ll have my own beer (although not commercial) to add into the discussion.
Michael Reinhardt´s last blog ..Craft Beer Growth
March 10th, 2010 at 2:14 pm
@Micheal – I almost brought your project up but opted not to. I hope you’re able to pull it off! Small bottles would be neat, and would potentially make trying the beers more palatable from a financial standpoint. Some ‘extreme beer sampler’ or something.
Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..Southern Tier Porter
March 10th, 2010 at 2:30 pm
A contact in the Netherlands tells me that this new 45%er actually has whisk(e)y added, so he called it a fake
If true, it’s not quite the same as the Eis-method beers offered by BrewDog and Schorschbraeu, although some don’t count those as beers either 
I can’t find hard facts on this, but I can’t imagine a beer getting to 45% on yeast power alone, so if they aren’t using the Eis method, I’m wondering how they’d get to 45%.
Have to say, I baulk at the idea of paying 50-99 Euro for a bottle of beer, no matter how rarified.
Barry M´s last blog ..When is a Kölsch not a Kölsch?
March 10th, 2010 at 2:44 pm
I bow to you Michale
It was a chance encounter with the late whisky and beer critic Michael Jackson that led to the founding of BrewDog.
“He took one sip of our beer and advised us to give up our jobs and open a brewery,” says Watt. “So we did.”
http://www.brewdog.com/blog-article.php?id=202
March 10th, 2010 at 4:22 pm
@Barry – interesting stuff, I think that’s what Don was talking about too in his own special way.
You can see here then that the notoriety of having ‘the strongest beer’ works, even if it doesn’t turn out to be real beer in the end. I guess we will see.
As they say, there’s no such thing as bad publicity but if its bogus they risk their reputation, no?
Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..Beer Review -Yards Extra Special Ale (ESA)
March 11th, 2010 at 5:38 pm
Bob,
We are nowhere near even on the bowing. I think I’ve owed you quite a few…I’m just glad that we are getting some good beer. However, I’m still waiting to see the verdict on this one.
March 11th, 2010 at 10:55 pm
“Eis”-beers are crap. Chilling the fermented brew to the point where the water freezes and crystalizes–but not the alcohol–and then scooping out the ice in order to leave more alcohol is not a good way to get a good-tasting beverage (Eis-ing only detracts from the flavor, and offers nothing). It’s not even a good way to make a strong beverage. You’d be better off distilling if that is what you’re after.
This stuff isn’t beer by any standard. It barely qualifies as malt liquor. Even the strongest high gravity ale yeasts of any reasonable quality cannot stay active in environments above 25%. Any further processes constitute distillation, IMHO. I would call these “ice distilled spirits” at this point.
But it’s all great marketing, and I’m sure that all parties involved will continue to make big profits off this pissing contest.
May 31st, 2010 at 3:22 am
Concentrating the alcohol by freezing or by distillation makes no difference. You CAN NOT ferment alone to such a strong drink! It’s cheating. Show me your super yeast that can survive such concentrations! You can’t.
May 31st, 2010 at 11:45 am
I’m not sure where you’re coming from @waitew, this is fermented to the limit of the yeast’s capabilities – up to around 18% and then the alcohol concentration increased by freezing off the ’surplus’ water.
Whether you consider it to be cheating, it’s a time honoured method by which the strength (%age of alcohol by volume) of an alcoholic drink can be increased.
Bob the Brit´s last blog ..Welcome
June 1st, 2010 at 6:42 pm
I do think Skrambled and waitew raise an interesting point. To what extent is a beer defined as being produced purely by the fermentation process? Does the freezing constitute a distinct process, perhaps an “ice distilled spirit” like Skrambled suggests?
None of this is to say that freezing beer is “invalid” – who’s to determine validity anyway? The real question is whether it makes a beverage that’s worth drinking. By the sound of your Tactical Nuclear Penguin review and subsequent disinterest in tasting Sink the Bismarck!, it seems that while this arms race makes for a nice story, it doesn’t result in a compelling beer/spirit/whatever.
Still, I like what they did with the Tokyo. If they can push THAT envelope further, with flavor and complexity and depth, I’ll definitely try it.
Royce´s last blog ..Music Tuesdays via Grace Boyle – F*cked From Above 1985 by the Bloody Beetroots
June 1st, 2010 at 7:47 pm
Interesting comments from all! I think its part of what makes this beer interesting, and also I think, what has made the beer a success. People will debate its merits regardless of it being a tasty beer or not. Great PR for Brewdog I think!
Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..Rogue Brewery Dead Guy Ale
July 15th, 2010 at 11:17 pm
Actually, I preferred the Sink The Bismarck over the Tactical Nuclear Penguin. It’s very warming from the first sip, and the big notes of citrus and piny hops are complimented by sweet malt, honey, and spices with a resiny finish. Despite its obvious firepower, Sink The Bismarck is a wonderfully complex and thoroughly enjoyable quadruple IPA.
Cheers,
Bill Z.
Bill Z´s last blog ..Draft Horse
July 16th, 2010 at 8:38 am
@Bill Z – thanks for sharing! It seems that the ’strongest beer’ thing has died down a bit recently, but I’m wondering who will fire the next salvo and how high of an ABV it will be. Beyond that though, will it even be drinkable???
Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..Sierra Nevada Kellerweis