THEY don’t normally trust us British with strong beer. The UK staple Stella Artois, ‘hilariously’ known as Wife-Beater at its post-Millennium peak, was famously cut from 5.2 per cent to 4.6 per cent, angering Brits who moaned the result ‘tasted of nothing’.
The Belgium brewer cited ‘evolving’ drinking trends in the UK and a wish to capitalise on the popularity of a ‘wellness movement’ as their reason for knocking out cans of dishwater.
Fortunately the boom of craft beer has seen an explosion of great-tasting brews alongside a return of bumper ABVs. Thankfully now there are plenty of reasons to raise a glass, and plenty of decent tipples to fill that glass with.
READ THIS NEXT: Why is the UK version of Stella Artois so much worse than that enjoyed on the Continent?
Swift Half stopped for a swift half to showcase a selection of some of the best burly beers from Blighty.
Without further ado, in alphabetical order…
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Beithir Fire
Laying claims to the world’s strongest beer, Beithir Fire from Edinburgh’s 88 Brewery, weighs in at a whopping 72 per cent ABV and is quite rightly sold with a warning label.
The Scots didn’t hold back when making this beast, but don’t forget your wallet as this big puncher will set you back around £41.99 for a 300ml bottle.
Sink the Bismark
Sink the Bismarck is an immensely potent quadruple IPA crafted with four times the hops, four times the bitterness, and frozen – yes you’ve guessed it – four times over. The result is in an astonishingly high alcohol by volume of 41 per cent.
The BrewDog beer is so powerful that just one gulp will put you over the drink-drive limit and it works out at a heady £95 per pint.
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The label warns: “This is an extremely strong beer; it should be enjoyed in small servings and with an air of aristocratic nonchalance – in exactly the same manner that you would enjoy a fine whisky, a Frank Zappa album or a visit from a friendly yet anxious ghost.”
Unfortunately it appears this beer is no longer available which may not be a bad thing.
Snake Venom
Also laying claims to being the world’s strongest beer, I guess after a few sips you lose the ability to count, is Snake Venom from Brewmeister clocking in at 67.5 per cent.
Lewis Shand of Brewmeister said: “Snake Venom is not like other beers in that we would not recommend drinking a whole bottle in one go. It should be savoured in small measures in a similar way to a fine whisky or brandy.”
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It is made using two different yeast strains – ale and champagne – and freeze-concentrated to secure its incredibly strong alcohol content.
Again this grog is a pricey one, costing drinkers £51.95 a 330ml bottle (but I guess a few of you can always share one at that strength)
Strength in Numbers
After a spat between two rival breweries BrewDog and Schorschbrau, the beer-makers combined forces to make yet another claim to the ‘World’s Strongest’ beer.
The 57.8 per cent ABV Strength In Numbers is produced through the classic Eisbock technique, this unique beer undergoes a freezing process where chunks of ice are extracted to create a highly concentrated, high ABV liquid.
Additionally, the beer incorporates a mixture of BrewDog’s exclusive Death or Glory, a Belgian golden ale that has been distilled through freezing and aged in whisky barrels for a decade.
If you can get hold of it it is sold in 40ml bottles for around £35, equivalent to nearly £500 a pint.
Tactical Nuclear Penguin
The beer that kickstarted the much-hyped alcohol arms race between Scottish brewer BrewDog and the German Schorschbrau brewery, Tactical Nuclear Penguin is a kick-arse 32 per cent ABV.
The two breweries spent years trying to out do each other by continually releasing stronger and stronger beers until they finally joined forces on the aforementioned beer Strength in Numbers.
Tactical Nuclear Penguin was specifically created to take the title of the World’s Strongest Beer from the Schorschbrau brewery.
The German beer makers initially held the title with their 31 per cent ABV Schorschbock, but was topped by Tactical Nuclear Penguin by the slim margin of just one per cent.
Schorschbrau responded by increasing the ABV of their Schorschbock to 43 per cent, prompting BrewDog to release their renowned 55 per cent ABV End of History (lead image), which was famously sold inside a taxidermied squirrel.
Again, this is another beer that seems hard to track down these days but when it was available it retailed at £45 for a 375ml bottle.
Last orders
Yes you’ve spotted it, it appears that our entire list of the UK’s strongest beers all hail from the Scots. And while it may be to the detriment of kilt, Irn-Bru and deep-fried Mars Bar production, we are eternally grateful for their efforts.
READ THIS NEXT: Why is the UK version of Stella Artois so much worse than that enjoyed on the Continent?
