If you think beer begins and ends with Budweiser, get ready to experience a huge variety of flavors and strengths in the weird and wonderful beers we’ve rounded up below. After a little “field research” and many two-day hangovers, here’s our list of the strongest beers and ales. Enjoy.
10. Hakusekikan Brewery, Japan (Hurricane, 15% ABV)
Jumping straight into the deep end, we have this lovely beer from Japan. Called a barley wine, it's a strong ale with a sharp aroma, fruity and peppery notes.
and parsley. As is often the case, this barley wine pours "flat", without foam, although it has its own effervescence.
Dark coffee in color, this beer is hazy and deceptively sweet with cinnamon and pear flavors. DO NOT TRUST this beer; at 15% ABV, it will tempt you to drink another, then another – and you’ll stand up and realize it’s taken control of your legs, literally struggling to provide an unsteady ride home.
9. The Bruery, USA (Chocolate Rain, 19.51 TP3T).
Now the big jump to a beer that's almost 20%. Chocolate Rain (yes, it's probably named after a song) is an impressive imperial stout, much like the world-famous Guinness, but stronger, punchier and smoother. The taste is truly chocolatey, with hints of licorice and vanilla. It pours a dark brown and smells like turpentine at first. Once that clears up, a strange raisin and vanilla scent comes through.
To get that unique flavor, they brew a batch of another of their beers, Black Tuesday, and let it sit in a bourbon barrel with cocoa nibs and vanilla beans. Mildly sparkling, this is probably the best beer on this list, and you'll be sorry to finish the bottle. It's something you'll probably break out at Christmas—like mulled wine.
8. Cannabrew LTD, UK (beer with cannabis)
They discovered the benefits of CBD during their semi-professional rugby career back in 2019. Tired of aches and pains, Elliot (their founder) was introduced to CBD. Coupled with his unrivaled passion for craft beer, he set about creating one of the UK’s first CBD-infused craft breweries.
As CBD products become more and more famous on the world stage, it is important to highlight their unusual taste. It is complex and unusual, perhaps due to the process by which it is made. Instead of hops, it is brewed from cannabis. As with all beers, yeast plays a key role in the overall taste and aftertaste of the beer, and they are particularly silent about theirs.
7. De Struise Brouwers, Belgium (Five Squared, 25% ABV)
Now for something completely different and far more nasty. The De Struise brewery in Belgium brewed this special strong ale for charity. These beers, known collectively as Belgian quads, have been brewed for centuries by Trappist monks.
This limited edition was sealed with several candles' worth of wax in an unnecessarily large bottle, as if they were trying to do as much damage to the head, liver, and wallet as possible. It doesn't taste as strong as it is; with a rich, almost toffee-like flavor, this beer is pretty damn drinkable.
This beer is absolutely recommended if you can find it, but be warned; as part of a limited edition, the few remaining bottles will be pricey.
6. Brew Dog, Scotland (Tactical Nuclear Penguin, 32% strength).
One of the true titans of the beer world, this Scottish imperial stout boasts an ABV that would give most spirits a run for their money. Like many stouts, this beer is extremely dark brown in color, viscous with coffee and syrupy flavors. This beer is aged in whiskey barrels, giving it a smoky, dried fruity flavor.
The method for producing a beer with such a brutal ABV is simple and ingenious: after the beer had been sitting in various whiskey barrels, the guys at Brew Dog sent the first batch to an ice cream factory, where it was frozen. All but the alcoholic liquid is frozen in the process, and the remaining liquid is drained and bottled, leaving you with a whopping 32%.
5. Schorschbräu, Germany (Schorschbock, strength 43%).
Talk about a beer with a vengeance. The fine brewers at Schorschbräu weren’t happy with Brew Dog making stronger beer than their own, so they created this short-run beer in retaliation. Known as an Eisbock in Germany and using a similar freezing method, Schorschbock tops out at 43%. That’s a medium-strength whiskey, and unlike its single-strength competitor, it tastes like brandy or scotch.
It pours dead, with no head, and is light to dark brown in color. As you might expect, it's thick, oily, and, like a fine wine, has legs that run down the glass when you swirl it. The flavor is strong, with notes of caramel and woody malt, ending with a strong, sweet bitterness.
4. Brew Dog, Scotland (end of story, 55% ABV).
The war continues. In retaliation, Brew Dog released The End of History as a riposte to their German rivals. Brewed in small batches and priced at £500, it also boasts the title of the most expensive beer in the world. Each bottle was uniquely styled and as eccentric as the brewers who created it.
How eccentric? Well, a simple label wasn't enough for such a strong beer, so the guys at Brew Dog ditched them altogether and instead filled each bottle with various taxidermy animals made from local roadkill.
A lot of forethought has gone into this, and the patience really shows - even the 'name' of the beer has been thought through and is a nod to American philosopher Francis Fukuyama, who suggested that it was 'beer to beer as democracy is to history'. It also hinted that this would be the last of the Brew Dog spirits.
More than a beer, this extremely powerful brew tastes like it's been left to float in a batch of whiskey. The beer itself seems almost an afterthought, though the aftertaste reveals hints of marzipan and raisins: a reminder that underneath the surface, this is still a very good, and actually quite humble, beer.
3. Schorschbräu, Germany (Schorschbock Finis Coronat Opus, strength 57%)
There may have been a reason Brew Dog stopped when they did; its eventual eviction is simply unforgiving, with a Latin name that translates as “the end crowns the work.” This beer is like bitumen: thick, nasty, and likely to do something nasty to your insides. It’s a strong Eisbock, similar to a fine peaty Scotch in the way it burns when you drink it. Frankly, it’s an affront to all five senses, so if you like that sort of thing, drink it.
With warming malt and heavy sugary undertones, there is no head, it is deceptively calm for such a vengeful explosion of drunken power. This is a drink not to be drunk alone, but with friends. If you can handle the bottle, it is certainly an experience.
2. T'koelschip, Netherlands (Start The Future, 60% ABV)
With the competition between Brew Dog and Schorschbräu over, Dutch brewery T'koelschip entered the fray with their own super-strong behemoth of an Eisbock called Start The Future. It's a playful nod to the Brew Bog song "The End Of History." It pours a pale amber color with a very strong, heady aroma. It's viscous, fruity, and has a bitter, floral-hoppy finish.
It's an impressive beer, although once you get close to 60% ABV you start sacrificing flavor for sheer strength. As an experience, this beer will be remembered fondly by both you and the poor souls you coaxed into drinking it.
1. Brewmeister, Scotland (Armageddon, 65 proof %).
This one is downright scary. A crazy new brewery called Brewmeister has created the aptly named Armageddon, which rivals the strength of specialty-batch Scotch whiskies like Edradours' (65%) and Laphroaig's Quarter Cask (62%). It's got the consistency of a weak sauce, and is surprisingly smooth, without the harsh alcohol taste found in other strong beers.
Despite having pulled off such a miracle, Armageddon still has an absolutely sinister 65% APV and is currently the strongest beer in the world. Until someone dares to break the 70 percent barrier. And yes, it is a challenge.
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