These Are The 14 Strongest Beers In The World

Beer strength is measured in alcohol by volume (ABV), and a typical beer falls in the 3% to 5% range. Miller Lite has an ABV of 4.2%, for example. According to the Beer Judge Certification Program, an ABV of 6% to 9% is considered a high-strength beer, and anything higher than 9% is very high strength. Belgian monks have brewed strong beers for hundreds of years, but for most of beer's long history, ABVs have rarely exceeded 10%.

That all changed in 2008 when two European craft brewers challenged the notions of what was possible. The breweries competed for the title of the world's strongest beer, producing some of the most extreme brews the planet has ever seen in the process. Many of the ensuing beers were even made using methods that are considered distilling in the United States. Some of the highest ABV brews challenge the concept of what beer is, but they fit the broadest definition and are included in this list. Many were limited releases that are nearly impossible to find today (and certainly not a cheap beer if you do), but others are more readily available. These are some of the strongest beers in history.

Contrary to what you might think, Samuel Adams beer wasn't created by the Founding Father. Instead, it was started by Jim Koch, who is regarded as the founding father of American craft brewing. In 2002, the Sam Adams brewery set a milestone by releasing Utopias. The beer boasted a world-record-setting ABV of 24%, significantly higher than anything else on the market. "At a time when light beers are growing in popularity –– we wanted to introduce a rich-tasting and unique beer that would rekindle interest in the other side of the beer spectrum," Koch shared at the time of Utopias' release (via realbeer.com). 

Samuel Adams achieved the high ABV in Utopias by using a blend of yeasts, including one typically used in champagne. The brewery referred to another as ninja yeast due to its ability to survive and ferment in high-alcohol environments. Utopias has a rich and malty flavor, sharing a similar smoothness to port or cognac. The strong beer is released every other year in limited batches, including the latest release in 2023, which was aged for up to 30 years and boasted an ABV of 28%. In the early 2000s, Utopias was the undisputed strongest beer on the market. While it still packs a heftier punch than other American beers, it is barely hanging on as one of the world's strongest. 

BrewDog was founded by two 24-year-old Scotsmen who were fed up with the U.K. beer industry. The brewery first made headlines when one of its beers, Speedball, was temporarily banned amid allegations the bottle's label promoted the use of illegal drugs. The brewers pushed back against the allegation, arguing it was another example of the industry trying to stomp out competition from craft brewers.

Technically, BrewDog's Tactical Nuclear Penguin was a counterpunch in the fight for the world's strongest beer. A German brewery, Schorschbräu, first claimed the crown in 2009 with its Schorsbock that set a new record at 31% ABV. However, BrewDog's brash marketing pushed the contest into the spotlight. Tactical Nuclear Penguin was brewed with one goal: to take the title of world's strongest beer from the Bavarian brewer. BrewDog proudly announced its beverage with a video that included a brewer wandering a sub-zero warehouse in his birthday suit while explaining the role a commercial ice cream factory played in the fermentation process. A warning on Tactical Nuclear Penguin's label read: "This is an extremely strong beer, it should be enjoyed in small servings and with an air of aristocratic nonchalance. In exactly the same manner that you would enjoy a fine whisky, a Frank Zappa album or a visit from a friendly yet anxious ghost."

Schorschbräu was founded in 1995 by Georg Tscheuschner in the Franconian Lake District, where a unique brewing process known as the eisbock method is rumored to have originated in 1890. According to the legend, an apprentice neglected to move a cask of fermented beer inside on a freezing night. The water in the beer froze, but when the brewers removed the ice, they discovered the remaining concentrated beer tasted pleasant and sweet.

Eisbock brews were traditionally potent, with an alcohol content that made the beer comparable to wine. However, Tscheuschner proved that by tweaking the process, the potency and flavor could be amplified while still adhering to the German Beer Purity Law. The extreme alcohol content in Schorschbräu's brews is obtained using only water, hops, malt, and yeast.

Georg Tscheuschner was committed to brewing the world's strongest beer, and reclaimed the title in January 2010 with a Schorschbock that packed a whopping 40% ABV. There was no video or headline-grabbing antics to mark the release, but it was clear that the German microbrewery was not backing away from the competition spurred by BrewDog. As for flavor, Schorschbräu's Schorschbock 40 is a dark beer without any head. Tasters compared it to brandy, with deep notes of caramel and apricot in addition to a strong alcohol burn. Despite its unprecedented potency, the Schorschbock was not destined to stay in the top position for long. 

Most of the world's strongest beers come from Scotland or Germany, but those aren't the only places in the world to find high-alcohol brewing. Baladin is an Italian brewery run by innovative brewer Teo Musso. The brewery is located in northwestern Italy, in a wine region renowned for producing barbera and nebbiolo varietals. Baladin applies principles from wine culture into its approach to beer, working with Michelin-starred chefs from around the world to design specific food and beer pairings.

High-alcohol brewing is part of Baladin's repertoire. At the time of its release in 2011, Esprit de Nöel ranked among the strongest beers on the planet with 40% ABV. While many high-strength beers are dark and port-like, Esprit de Nöel was not. It was a bright and transparent yellow, described as incredibly smooth with hints of wood and chocolate. The brewer recommended enjoying it like grappa, as a unique digestif after dinner.

In 2025, Zox Super High Gravity successfully claimed the title of strongest beer in Brazil. What's impressive about this high-alcohol brew is that the base beer uses a special yeast and undergoes an extended fermentation process, resulting in an initial 25% ABV. The brewery then uses a freeze-distillation process to push the base's alcohol content even higher.

Since it's a new brew and there aren't many reviews available, we have to take Zox's word for the flavor. The brewery described it as a brew for sipping and savoring, designed for those who enjoy unique beers that push the envelope not only in alcohol content but also in flavor and the beer-making process. Super High Gravity is one of the most potent beers on the market today, and the brewer is intent on going higher. It's a reminder that there is still an interest in this niche corner of craft brewing, and Zox could reignite a competition many considered dormant.

When Schorschbräu's world-record-setting Schorschbock 40 was released in 2010, BrewDog had already been working on an even stronger beer. Barely two weeks after the Schorschbock release, BrewDog introduced Sink the Bismarck!, a quadruple IPA that registered one percentage point higher in ABV (41%). BrewDog didn't miss the opportunity to gloat. The release was accompanied by a video, which overtly leaned into the Germany versus U.K. theme. In fact, the beer was named after the sinking of a famous German World War II battleship. In the video, the BrewDog brewers alternate between parodies of bumbling German brewers and members of the British navy as the comedic mockumentary tracks the moves in the competition for the world's strongest beer.

In an interview with The Full Pint, BrewDog founder James Watt downplayed the rivalry, commenting, "This was about the beer and not the number ... Living in the North-East of Scotland we are constantly under the shadow of the whisky industry and we also huge whisky fans. We were fascinated by the idea of making an IPA of whisky ABV and that would be enjoyed in the same way as a top single malt."

In mid-2010, Schorschbräu reclaimed the title of world's strongest beer by introducing a version of its Schorschbock with 43% ABV. The release wasn't paired with any war imagery; in fact, brewer Georg Tscheuschner was clearly uncomfortable with the theme when he gave an interview to New Atlas. "In essence, I don't want to continue with the war theme," Tscheuschner said. "I don't think [BrewDog's owners] Martin and James realize that I cannot go down that path with them ... please understand it is not considered good manners for a German to joke about war." However, he did compliment the BrewDog duo for their humor.

Tscheuschner was optimistic the ABV could be pushed higher, but was also cognizant of the rising challenge. Obtaining 43% ABV required freezing and filtering the beer 15 times, with diminishing returns on each filtration. Tscheuschner said that toward the end of the process, a single rotation might yield less than 1% rise in ABV. This extreme concentration also leaves very little beer to bottle. For the Schorschbock 43, Schorschbräu was left with about 5% of the original volume.

The End of History was a swan song for BrewDog. On the brew's product page, the brewery stated, "[This is] the last high abv beer we are going to brew, the end point of our research into how far [we] can push the boundaries of extreme brewing, the end of beer." To achieve the astonishing 55% ABV, the brewery needed both an ice cream factory and a medical-grade cryogenic freezer. Only 12 bottles were produced for public sale. In typical BrewDog absurdity, the bottles of beer were sewn into taxidermied road kill: seven stoats, four squirrels, and one hare. Bottles cost between £500 and £700 (roughly $700 to $1,000).

Bottles sold out in minutes, but one British booze blogger was able to attend a tasting at a London brewery event. The blogger reported that the base beer was a Belgian blond, giving it a rich, golden color. While it's easy to assume the extreme alcohol content would make the beer harsh and overpowering, the taster was complimentary about the flavor, praising the beer for its sweet citrus flavor and long finish. BrewDog's final entry in the ABV arms race maintains its legendary reputation as one of the world's strongest beers.

BrewDog's The End of History didn't hold onto the title of world's strongest beer for long. Just one week after its release, Dutch brewer Koelschip introduced Start the Future, an overt reference to BrewDog's creation. Koelschip's beer came in at a staggering 60% ABV, higher than most spirits like vodka, whiskey, or gin. 

Between the roadkill bottles and fortified beers, it's easy to lose sight of the unbelievable advances that occurred in extreme brewing. Less than a decade earlier, Sam Adams had brewed what was then considered an astonishingly high ABV of 24%. Suddenly, alcohol content was rocketing past 50% and there were debates about what distinguished beer from spirits. Some considered it an audacity to have a beer label displaying such high ABVs. As for flavor, not all high-alcohol beers tasted great. While there are only two reviews for Start the Future on Beer Advocate, one of them described, "The taste is awful. somewhere between rock gut whisky and a cheap tequila. It burns and leaves a most unpleasant sweetness in my mouth."

BrewDog might have thrown in a rodent, but its chief rival Schorschbräu wasn't walking away from the fight. In 2011, Schorschbräu released its strongest beer yet, a Schorschbock with an ABV leaping to 57%. Since BeerDog had retreated from the competition after releasing The End of History, Schorschbräu wasn't forced to return to the ice vault to defend its title. While other brewers have produced beers with higher alcohol contents, Schorschbräu continues to market Schorschbock 57 as the strongest beer in the world.

Unlike The End of History, Schorschbock 57 wasn't a special release and is still available for purchase. One online store praised the brew for being delicious, but customers are less enthusiastic in their reviews. The beer has more than 400 reviews on Untappd, with an average rating of 3.1 (out of five). Most reviewers agree that the beer is decent, but the appeal lies more in the thrill of tasting one of the world's strongest beers. Trying the beer is also a way of toasting Schorschbräu's founder Georg Tscheuschner, who played a pivotal role in pushing the limits of brewing.

After retiring from the high-alcohol game, BrewDog focused on building a global brand that currently has five breweries across three continents and multiple bars. BrewDog even has a boutique chain of craft beer hotels, which are attached to the brand's bars or breweries and feature amenities like shower coolers and in-room beer taps. Georg Tscheuschner from Schorschbräu continued running his brewery, which was thriving due to the increased attention from the strongest beer competition.

While the high-alcohol beer craze mostly fizzled and craft brewing attention moved in other directions, the two old rivals maintained fond memories of the competition. In a show of mutual respect, they collaborated on a 2021 special release to commemorate the good times. Strength in Numbers was brewed with the eisbock freezing-fermentation process, using a Belgian golden ale that BrewDog aged in whiskey casks for 10 years. Although there is only one review on Beer Advocate, it's a mostly positive one. "The palate punches you in the face with aggressive ethanol burn," the review commented. "That said, the flavor profile is actually very good; Raisinet candy, molasses, dry chocolate, and umami."

Brewmeister is a Scottish microbrewery that was established in 2012 as a late participant in the strongest beer competition. It came out of the gate swinging, with a bold claim that its 65% ABV Armageddon dethroned the previous high-alcohol beers. However, the claim didn't hold up to scrutiny and was a bit scandalous in European craft brewing circles. Independent testing included samples that tested as low as 15.2%, an abysmal score at this stage of competition.

Although the beer is fortified with ethanol to achieve its potency, Brewmeister made a half-hearted attempt to claim that Armageddon was more than a frat house elixir like Jäggermeister. The brewery recommended enjoying the beer the same way one would sip an expensive whiskey. However, Lewis Shand also told STV that, "[the beer delivers] a supersonic-charged explosion and conveys the taster to Drunksville," (via the International Business Times). Armageddon's claim as the world's strongest is dubious, but it set the stage for a more serious contender from the brewer.

Brewmeister made Snake Venom to wipe away any doubts about its potential to brew the world's strongest beer. The aptly named Snake Venom delivered a scorching 67.5% ABV, shattering previous records and changing perceptions of what beer could be. The secret Brewmeister stumbled on to achieve the astonishing numbers was blending grain alcohol into the beer until it reached the desired potency.

It is currently available online, advertised as one of the world's strongest fortified beers. A fortified beer means distilled spirits have been added to the brew to increase its potency. Snake Venom comes with a shot glass and has a yellow warning attached to the neck of the bottle. Beer drinkers may debate whether fortified beers are actually beer, but there is no arguing that Snake Venom is potent. Be warned, this beer is strong and has a whiskey-like burn as it goes down. 

Another Scottish brewery, 88 Brewery, took the title of strongest beer from Snake Venom when they upped the alcohol content to 75% with Beithir Fire. To achieve this extreme alcohol content, the brewery created a formula combining more distilled spirits and less beer. Although Beithir Fire is fortified, it's technically still a beer, rightfully claiming its place as the current strongest brew in the world, if not the strongest of all time.

Beithir is a fire-breathing dragon in Scottish folklore that also packs a venomous sting. That's an appropriate description of the flavor. Some tasters even claimed that they lost feeling in their tongues. 88 Brewery's CEO Andrew Chapman told the Daily Mail, "I've never personally felt my tongue go numb when drinking Beithir Fire. However, it is stronger than a cask-strength whisky and should be treated as such. I'm more likely to sip the beer slowly rather than taking a large mouthful."