Strongest beer in the world?

[Asalpaws]

Was in good old Austria recently, was in a bottle shop and saw this. Schloss Eggenburg - Samichlaus. A considerable 14 % ABV. To be fair it calls itself a malt liquor but certainly tastes like a barley wine, the alcohol note is present but not offensive. Anyone else found any decent > 12 % brews?

 

[Vossy1]

That brings back memories of about 23 years ago when I was a wee nipper (16) on the P in Manchester (I don't condone it :whistle: )...I had a bottle of that and they were giving out free cheese baguettes with it to savour the taste...I tasted the baguette twice...once on the way in...and once on the way out :sick:
Tokyo by Brew Dog at 18.2% is a nice drink, for me :drink:...so's alemans or muddydisco's RIS

 

[ArmChair]

I think brew dog make the strongest beer in the world

 

[Asalpaws]

Cool, must get a bottle of that! Judging by the name I assume it uses Saki yeast ?

 

[calumscott]

Tokyo* is a belter of a beer. It's the inspiration behind the RIS I have conditioning at the mo. I only managed 10.5% though.

Brew dog have just released ghost deer in bottles, it actually is the worlds strongest beer at a massive 28%.

I WILL have a bottle...

 

[Vossy1]

They'll be a split coming, I can see it, beers fermented naturally and those with increased abv by 'other' methods :whistle: :lol:

 

[Asalpaws]

OK I have to ask, what are "other" methods? Do you boil off some of the water from the fermented beer, like distillation?

 

[Asalpaws]

Well it looks like "tactical nuclear penguine" ABV 32 % is made using an ice method. At £35 a 330ml bottle it's more expensive than many decent whiskeys!

 

[calumscott]

OK I have to ask, what are "other" methods? Do you boil off some of the water from the fermented beer, like distillation?

Careful!! *WE* don't do anything like that. *THEY* sometimes do because they are licenced and pay the appropriate duty.

Brewdog freeze out the water for Tactical Nuclear Penguin, Sink the Bismark and End of History so technically not "beers", more "hopped whisky".

And that is where we'll leave that.

Ghost Deer on the other hand is unadulterated beer fermented right to the very limits. I'm guessing they use multiple yeasts, belgian I would assume to start with, maybe wine and maybe finishing up with some of the more mental alcotecs? They also state that they drip feed sugars...

 

[Vossy1]

Thanks for clearing that up calum...very well handled :grin: :thumb:

 

[calumscott]

:lol: I'm getting the hang of it...

 

[GREBO75]

Had some EKU 28 years ago, not sure it was quite 12% but must've been close. Was sweet and syrupy and generally yuk.

Strongest I had was Trompe La Mort, not the generally available German version but one brewed by a tiddly brewery in south of France, picked mine up in a shop near the Paul Ricard race circuit when I was down there for the Bol D'or bike race. It was 14% and lovely, definiely a sipping beer though.

No idea if it's still made (about 14 years since I had mine) or if you would have any chance of buying any over here.

 

[Shug]

There are yeasts that can ferment over 80%, but they tend to be used to make biofuel.

 

[calumscott]

There are yeasts that can ferment over 80%, but they tend to be used to make biofuel.

:hmm: really?


EDIT: Ah, are you perhaps confusing attenuation with alcohol tolerance??

 

[ArmChair]

On the 22nd July 2010, we released The End of History which was 55% ABV and packaged in taxidermy. We only produced 12 bottles and they sold out within 30 minutes of launching on our online shop priced at £700 per bottle.

Although End of History has recently been surpassed by Schorschbrau with a 57% beer, we are happy with our efforts here and how we helped shape brewing history. One of the 12 bottles of The End of History is proudly on display at the amazing MONA museum of new and old art in Australia. Maybe, just maybe, behind all the headlines, we did achieve our goal of fusing beer and art after all.

 

[calumscott]

See above. Not technically a beer...

...still nothing produced by fermentation alone that surpasses Ghost Deer...

 

[Shug]

There are yeasts that can ferment over 80%, but they tend to be used to make biofuel.

:hmm: really?


EDIT: Ah, are you perhaps confusing attenuation with alcohol tolerance??

Nope. Saw it on a program about biofuel. Was engineered in a brazilian lab as they are big on biofuel over there.

 

[calumscott]

Sorry, still don't buy it.

80% ABV is fundamentally toxic at the cellular level.

I can't find anything at all giving any hint at research into GM research into increasing tolerance of yeasts for biofuel production. All the tech being developed is to improve fermentation rates from other substrates like xylose which is more appropriate for countries where sugar cane production isn't viable.

 

[Devonhomebrew]

they used to make this but dont anymore because hmrc sued them http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJDO1_nt5b8

 

[Frogfurlong]

Other than the challenge of achieving the world record I don't understand why very high ABV "beer" exists. :wha:

If I want a spirit I drink whiskey, if I want beer I drink beer :drink: