World's Strongest Beer

Bidley

I had a couple of bottles of Brewdog's Tokyo, which is 18%. Really quite nice, actually. Not a session beer, but very tasty.

ICBM

You can certainly get excellent beers up to about 8%. Beyond that, I don't think I've ever tasted one that wasn't at best an 'interesting' taste. Some aren't bad but you get the impression the alcohol content is starting to take precedence over the flavour.

Phil_aka_Pip

If you're above 7,5% you're probably in Barley Wine territory. Long time ago I used to like one now and again, maybe in with a half of bitter ... but I can't even remember how long it is since I last saw it on sale. (Must have been good)

Recently drank 500ml of Aspal Imperial Cider (8,2%) and rather liked it.

bertie

Bidley said:

18%. .......................... Not a session beer, 

no shit ?

OilCityPickups

PolarityMan said:

Some absinthe's can be quite nice.

That's because 'absinthe makes the heart grow fonder' 
er
I'll get my coat ... again

Basher

ICBM said:

You can certainly get excellent beers up to about 8%. Beyond that, I don't think I've ever tasted one that wasn't at best an 'interesting' taste. Some aren't bad but you get the impression the alcohol content is starting to take precedence over the flavour.

One of my favourite beers is Duvel and that's about 8.5% IIRC.

Unusually for a Belgian ale it's generally served chilled. It has a lovely sharpness and a hint of pear drops in the taste.

We've a bit of an odd attitude to stronger beers in this country. Maybe it's our pint culture? 

There's not that much more alcohol in a 330ml bottle of Duvel than there is in a can of Marstons Pedigree or similar "premium" bitter. If I had 6 of them nobody would blink an eye but say you've had half a dozen Duvels and some people stare in disbelief. Odd.

DiscoStu

Bidley said:

I had a couple of bottles of Brewdog's Tokyo, which is 18%. Really quite nice, actually. Not a session beer, but very tasty.

Sorry, I was working today and then went to the pub at 5pm for a works night out so not replied to my own thread!

Right, to get things in context: once you get beyond 10-15% you need to stop thinking of it as beer.

The amount of times today I've had folk going  "but does it actually taste like beer?" and it pisses me off. Of course it doesn't taste like beer!
Have you tried Carling? What about a bit stronger and try Stella? Been on holiday and tried Duvel? It was nice, wasn't it? But hardly twice the strength of Carling yet a completely different beast.

Well multiply and multiply and keep going til you get to 65%. No, of course it isn't going to taste of beer. If it did, what's the point?

I have had a bottle of BrewDog Tokyo (I'm a shareholder) and it was a fantastic night in. I watched Dave Grohl's Sound City film and it was finished before the Tokyo was, that's how strong it was flavour-wise. A mental sensory experience!

I know my mates were curious about Armageddon but that they would never buy it individually to try it, so I bought it to mark a personal landmark and to give them an experience they would otherwise never have. Job done.

strumjoughlamps

Lixarto said:

Pointless.

Once it's over 5%ish, it will only start tasting worse.

not sure about that one, for me my fave choices of beer seem to come in between 5.7-6.6%

same goes for my ginger beer which I have been partial to this summer, nothing wrong with the 4% ers but Crabbies do an longer matured one that comes in at 6%, much much nicer.

mike_l

bertie said:

Bidley said:

18%. .......................... Not a session beer, 

no shit ?

That's the morning after....