Brewmeister Snake Venom Tops the Charts as World’s Strongest Beer

Scotland- based Brewmeister, a company known for going to extremes, has topped its own record for the world’s strongest beer.

 

 

The new product is aptly named Snake Venom and it weighs in at a whopping 67.5 percent alcohol by volume. This beats the previous record set last year by another Brewmeister  beer, Armageddon, which contained a mere 65 percent alcohol by volume.

 

Brewmeister brewing duo John McKenzie and Lewis Shand created Snake Venom in part as a response to consumers. Customers stated that the previous strongest beer, Armageddon, wasn’t strong enough in flavor. It’s hard to imagine a beer containing 65 percent alcohol not being strong, but apparently its taste did not correspond closely enough to its high percentage of alcohol by volume.

 

“Some even said they didn’t believe it was 65 percent, so this time we thought we’d go full out. We were too nice last time,” said Shand.

 

This new beer, Snake Venom, is brewed smoked peat malt and two varieties of yeast, one of which is champagne yeast. The beer is frozen at different points in the fermentation process, helping to push the alcohol by volume ever higher.

 

At 67.5 percent alcohol by volume, Snake Venom is almost as scary as its name and it is one of the few beers to actually carry a warning label. Consumers are cautioned to sip it slowly and drink only small quantities. It is about 13 times stronger than the average beer, so even a single 12 ounce can- size serving is highly inadvisable. The advice is to consume only a few ounces at a time, to avoid potential issues and adverse bodily reactions.

 

With an alcohol level this high, some may ask…..why? What is the point of brewing a beer that is so different from the beverage most of us associate with the term? At Great Beer Now, we have similar sentiments and concerns. Beer was never really meant to compete with liquor, either in taste or alcohol content. It is meant to be milder, easier- drinking, refreshing, and less threatening. With an alcohol level this high, Snake Venom can only be consumed in small quantities, defeating the purpose of what beer was meant to be. If I want high alcohol, I would rather sip on a small glass of fine scotch or bourbon than drink a small, juice- size glass of beer. But at the same time, it is interesting how Brewmeister continues to push the boundaries and I have to admire their creative ambitions, at least to an extent.

 

Those who are curious can find Snake Venom for sale online through the Real Ale Company web site. If the alcohol level and other factors don’t choke you up, the price certainly will, as this beer retails for around $80 for a 275 ml bottle.

 

Buy and consume, if you dare.