Alcohol By Volume (ABV) is the standard measure for alcohol content, representing the percentage of pure ethanol in the total volume. Most commercial beers fall within a relatively narrow range, typically between 4% and 6% ABV. However, a small, competitive group of craft brewers has engaged in a long-running contest to push this limit far beyond what was once considered possible. This pursuit of extreme strength has resulted in beers that blur the line between traditional brewing and spirit production.
The World’s Strongest Beer: The Current Record Holder
The title of the world’s strongest beer is currently held by Scottish Beithir Fire, a brew from 88 Brewery in Scotland, which boasts 75% ABV. This alcohol content places the product firmly in the territory of strong distilled spirits like rum or whiskey. The brewery achieved this potency by blending a two-month-old Scottish ale with a high-purity distilled spirit, a process known as fortification.
This method of adding pure alcohol is debated among purists, but it allows the beer to reach strengths far beyond natural fermentation limits. Before this, the record was held by Brewmeister’s Snake Venom, which reached 67.5% ABV, also through fortification. These products are sold with warning labels, recommending consumption in small, measured servings, much like a liqueur.
The history of this record is marked by a rivalry, primarily between Scottish and German breweries. This competition began in earnest in the late 2000s, with breweries constantly leapfrogging each other with stronger releases. The result is a category of specialty, limited-run products focused on challenging technical boundaries rather than mass-market appeal.
The Science of Strength: How Extreme ABV is Achieved
Achieving alcohol levels above 20% ABV requires techniques beyond the capabilities of standard yeast strains. Most brewing yeasts, specifically Saccharomyces cerevisiae, naturally cease fermentation when alcohol concentration reaches about 12% to 15% ABV, as the ethanol becomes toxic to the yeast cells. To push past this biological barrier without fortification, brewers employ freeze concentration, also known as the Eisbock method.
This technique relies on the difference in the freezing points of water and ethanol. Water freezes at 32°F (0°C), while pure ethanol remains liquid until -173.2°F (-114.1°C). By chilling a fully fermented beer below freezing, the water content crystallizes into ice, leaving the alcohol and flavor compounds in a concentrated liquid form.
The brewer removes the ice, which is essentially frozen water, resulting in a liquid with a higher alcohol percentage and a more intense flavor profile. This process is repeated multiple times to achieve the highest ABVs, with each cycle removing more water and concentrating the remaining beer. While this method is technically concentration rather than distillation, it is often regulated similarly in some jurisdictions due to the resulting high alcohol content.
Beyond the Record: Other Notable High-ABV Beers
The pursuit of the strongest beer has created a lineage of notable, high-ABV contenders that have each held the record at one point. German brewery Schorschbräu has been a consistent player, releasing several versions of its Schorschbock. One entry, Schorschbock 57, reached 57.5% ABV, a strength achieved entirely through the traditional Eisbock freeze concentration method.
Scottish brewery BrewDog also played a significant role in escalating the competition with publicized releases. Their 55% ABV beer, The End of History, gained notoriety not just for its strength but for its unique presentation, as each bottle was packaged inside a taxidermied squirrel or stoat. The Dutch brewery Koelschip briefly held the title with Start the Future, a 60% ABV beer that was a direct response to BrewDog’s earlier efforts.
These extreme beers are often priced at a premium due to the complex, time-consuming production methods and small batch sizes. The high alcohol content can lead to them being classified and taxed as spirits rather than beer in certain markets. This classification contributes to their high cost and reinforces their status as novelty collector’s items rather than everyday beverages.