BrewDog Launches the World’s Strongest Beer

Reads 23061 • Replies 113 • Started Thursday, November 26, 2009 2:27:12 AM CT

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Message wunderbier beers 1434 º places 17 º 23:56 Thu 11/26/2009 Originally posted by Jeppe Originally posted by cgarvieuk http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/north_east/8380412.stm And sorry to James and the rest of the brewers involved for all the Jantelov on Ratebeer! You should see the love fest on BA! (Oh hey, the reply page has changed...cool!)
Message TimE P beers 8459 º places 409 º 00:07 Fri 11/27/2009 Originally posted by cgarvieuk http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/north_east/8380412.stm Where’s the backlash? Kind of disappointing there isn’t a bigger uproar. Tim
Message kappldav123 beers 8891 º places 10 º 00:34 Fri 11/27/2009 That’s awesome. The test used and results would be nice and I assume they would bolster sales of this product. The same is true of the German beers making the same claim. Here’s the lab result of the Schorschbock 40%: http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/6518/labresult.jpg

Message SilkTork P beers 7741 º places 111 º 00:44 Fri 11/27/2009 Originally posted by Cletus Originally posted by JamesBrewDog Puzzl - This was lab tested at Heriot Watt University brewing Department using 2 different methods. The samples were conducted by Jim Mackinlay who is an Alalytical Technician at the brewing school. You can email him on - j.mackinlay@hw.ac.uk The results were 32.18% and 31.95% ABV I am unsure why you would accuse us of lying here and claim that the beer is 25% James, BrewDog Post the actual lab results and test used, please. No one is calling you a liar. This is simply an instance where we’ve all heard it before and are skeptical as to the actual validity of the lab results. I’ve never heard of the lab you used, so I have no idea how reliable they are, or if they were paid to give an unbiased result, or one of a chain of labs that were used until you got the results you desired for your marketing campaign. At times like this it is usually best to do a quick Google. Or even take a look at the references section in a few brewing books in your house. Heriot-Watt University’s International Centre for Brewing and Distilling is highly respected. And not the sort of place that takes bribes!
Message SilkTork P beers 7741 º places 111 º 01:01 Fri 11/27/2009 Originally posted by wunderbier Originally posted by Jeppe Originally posted by cgarvieuk http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/north_east/8380412.stm And sorry to James and the rest of the brewers involved for all the Jantelov on Ratebeer! You should see the love fest on BA! (Oh hey, the reply page has changed...cool!) I just looked at the BA thread - seems to be following similar lines here - people talking about a) if this really counts as a beer, and b) the nature of the marketing (and claims made). Having had a quick look at a few beer blogs, it appears that the common question is: Is it a beer? I’ve stuck it on the Beer article on Wikipedia as the strongest beer in the world as it uses the eisbock technique, so on the surface appears to quality under the existing understandings we have. But is it worth thinking about it more closely? I’d be interested in the strongest fermented beer - but I’m not interested in a beer that is then distilled or has alcohol added to it to build up the alcohol content. The freeze-distilling process has nothing to do with beer-making, and the concentration of alcohol derived from such a method would not be beer alcohol, which comes from the action of the yeast.
Message SilkTork P beers 7741 º places 111 º 01:04 Fri 11/27/2009 I think this is a fortified beer. The 10% Imperial stout was a fermented beer. When they freeze-distilled it it became a fortified beer. As such I don’t think this classes as a beer anymore.
Message danielst beers 422 º places 12 º 01:30 Fri 11/27/2009 Originally posted by SilkTork I think this is a fortified beer. The 10% Imperial stout was a fermented beer. When they freeze-distilled it it became a fortified beer. As such I don’t think this classes as a beer anymore. Wouldn’t it be for the Eisbock tradition, I think many people would agree with you. But since it’s a traditional method to concentrate beer, I don’t think we should exclude them from the category.

Message cgarvieuk P beers 37611 º places 457 º 01:34 Fri 11/27/2009 Originally posted by SilkTork I think this is a fortified beer. The 10% Imperial stout was a fermented beer. When they freeze-distilled it it became a fortified beer. As such I don’t think this classes as a beer anymore. I think i agree there. But im still looking forward to it. But yeah im not convinced and of these 30% monsters can really be classed as beer anymore. saying that, i think they have a place here, just the same way we have a place for cider, meads and sake
Message HaStuMiteZen99 beers 1111 º places 27 º 02:01 Fri 11/27/2009 Originally posted by SilkTork I think this is a fortified beer. The 10% Imperial stout was a fermented beer. When they freeze-distilled it it became a fortified beer. As such I don’t think this classes as a beer anymore. It’s not fortified because they haven’t added any spirits to stop fermentation. As has been mentioned, the freeze distillation technique is, for historical reasons, a legitimate way of raising the alcohol because it leaves behind all the beery stuff whereas distillation removes all the beery stuff. Why would it matter how high the alcohol went? Why is freeze distilling up to 20% any different than 30%? In my opinion it is clearly beer.
Message SilkTork P beers 7741 º places 111 º 02:26 Fri 11/27/2009 Originally posted by GarethYoung Originally posted by SilkTork I think this is a fortified beer. The 10% Imperial stout was a fermented beer. When they freeze-distilled it it became a fortified beer. As such I don’t think this classes as a beer anymore. It’s not fortified because they haven’t added any spirits to stop fermentation. As has been mentioned, the freeze distillation technique is, for historical reasons, a legitimate way of raising the alcohol because it leaves behind all the beery stuff whereas distillation removes all the beery stuff. Why would it matter how high the alcohol went? Why is freeze distilling up to 20% any different than 30%? In my opinion it is clearly beer. Well, my thinking on the matter is that is a beer has been fermented to 10% it is a beer. Some freeze distilling would be acceptable, as long as the beer character dominates. Typically Eisbock increase by around 25% of the original strength so you get a 12.5% beer from a 10% base, or a 9% beer from a 7.5% base, etc. My feeling is that when over 50% of the alcohol in a beer doesn’t comes from fermentation of the malt source, then it goes out of the Eisbock tradition and becomes a fortified product. So a beer that ferments to 10% and is then freeze distilled to 21% had become more spirit than beer. I think that is fairly clear cut and easy to understand.