UK - UK's 'strongest beer' condemned

[chillinwill]

A Scottish brewery has been branded "irresponsible" after launching what it said was the UK's strongest beer

With an 18.2% alcohol content, a 330ml bottle of Tokyo*, made by BrewDog, contained six units of alcohol - twice the recommended daily limit.

The company insisted the beer's high quality would help tackle the country's binge-drinking culture.

But Alcohol Focus Scotland branded the Fraserburgh-based brewer's argument "deluded".

The brewing company's latest product uses jasmine, cranberries, malts and American hops, and is then fermented with a champagne yeast to make the high alcohol content.

A bottle of the beer will be priced at £9.99.

BrewDog founder James Watt said: "Mass-market, industrially-brewed lagers are so bland and tasteless that you are seduced into drinking a lot of them.

"We've been challenging people to drink less alcohol, and educating the palates of drinkers with progressive craft-brewed beers which have an amazing depth of flavour, body and character.

"The beers we make at BrewDog, including Tokyo*, are providing a cure to binge beer-drinking."

But Alcohol Focus Scotland chief executive Jack Law warned high alcohol percentage beer could cause as much damage as drinking to excess.

"This company is completely deluded if they think that an 18.2% abv, (alcohol by volume), beer will help solve Scotland's alcohol problems," he said.

"It is utterly irresponsible to bring out a beer which is so strong at a time when Scotland is facing unprecedented levels of alcohol-related health and social harm.

"Just one bottle of this beer contains six units of alcohol - twice the recommended daily limit."

Branding complaint

A spokeswoman from the British Liver Trust added: "The notion of binge-drinking is to get drunk quick, so surely this beer will help people on their way?"

BMA Scotland warned a "high percentage" of the population was regularly drinking more than the recommended amount.

BrewDog ran into controversy recently when drinks industry watchdog the Portman Group said its Speedball drink should be withdrawn from sale until its marketing was changed.

Speedballing is the name given to combining heroin and cocaine.

BrewDog has produced a run of 3,000 limited edition bottles of Tokyo*.

July 27, 2009
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/s...st/8170813.stm

[Sven99]

People with drink problems aren't going to spend £9.99 to get six units when they can buy a bottle of vodka with 30 units for the same price. The companies advertising strategy is full of shit, and so is alcohol focus Scotland.

[buzzman]

9.99, are they having a F-ing laugh

[Nature Boy]

Originally Posted by Sven99

People with drink problems aren't going to spend £9.99 to get six units when they can buy a bottle of vodka with 30 units for the same price. The companies advertising strategy is full of shit, and so is alcohol focus Scotland.

Agreed. This drink sounds intriguing if anything and as long as people think of it as comparable to a strong wine or a liquer, I don't see the problem in releasing such a strong beer on the market. I'll bet it tastes nothing like regular lager and does not have much potential for abuse.

[Birkill]

Swim has a drink problem but would never spend that amount on 1 beer!!!

[LostCelestial]

I'd quite agree. The price is so high that it will probably only be of any real interest to gormet ale drinkers.

I'd certainly be interested in trying some, don't get me wrong, but depending on how generous the local off-liscences are being, a tenner can get me 10-12 beers, which is not only more actual alcohol, but I can also spend a few hours with my house mates enjoying them over the course of the evening.

Imagine trying to do the same with this stuff... 330mil to last the same time as 4 or 5 beers...

[Birkill]

Swim normally drinks white cider which can be as cheap as 2.50 for 3ltrs which is 22 units so a tenners worth of cider = 88 units while a tenners worth of this beer = a mere 6 units!!!

[FlashGear]

Any one tried this?

[missparkles]

Why do people assume that because it's called beer people are gonna knock it back like beer? You can get wine that has a very low alcohol content and some that is extremely strong, but people who drink it know that you don't have to drink as much.
Jesus, it's not like kids are gonna be spending pocket money on this stuff.
The only people able to enjoy this (that don't have to go into debt to buy it ) won't be treating it like beer.

[Potter]

The brewing company's latest product uses jasmine, cranberries, malts and American hops, and is then fermented with a champagne yeast to make the high alcohol content.

AND 18.5% to boot! This stuff sounds awesome! Going to have to see if my local beer merchants can mange to import some of this stuff to the states, though with that short of a run...

[Frond]

First, BeerAdvocate lists this brew at 12% alcohol, not 18.2%. I would believe BA over some news article, though of course ABV will vary from batch to batch when it comes to craft beer, sometimes a lot. This is also a Double Imperial Stout, a style that takes the already very strong Russian Imperial Stout (which is usually around 10% ABV but sometimes much higher) even further.

Second, Dogfish Head routinely brews beers of this strength and beyond - the "120 Minute IPA" clocks in at 21% alcohol though it sure doesn't taste like it. Craft beers of this strength are nothing new, at least in the USA. This is just more political correctness and politicians trying to make careers from inciting public outcry.
Of course I don't know the details, and if the brewery advertised this beer specifically for it's high alcohol content and in an irresponsible fashion, then there could be something to this after all.

The Brave Knight's (currently) favorite beer - Trappistes Rochefort 10 - clocks in at 11.2% ABV. Thank God for high-ABV craft beers! (in this case literally, since it's brewed at a monastery!)

[thepieman1]

I can't imagine this being very popular or tasting very good. Also the price is 'a bit steep'.

Just another example of the media trying to give people the impression that less legislation means more idiots getting drunk, taking drugs, and causing crime.

On another note:

The companies advertising strategy is full of shit, and so is alcohol focus Scotland.

Get tae!!