When their customers complained that some of their beers were too weak, two brewers thought they’d take things to the other extreme… by concocting one that’s 67.5 per cent proof.
Lewis Shand and John McKenzie, who own Brewmeister, spent nine months creating Snake Venom. It’s so strong it comes with a warning label on the neck of the bottle.
They said: ‘This is not a beer to be drunk like all the other ones, you’re not supposed to drink more than 35ml in one sitting.
‘It’s a great thing to buy someone for Christmas though, as it’s difficult to buy presents for guys and I’m sure they’ll appreciate the chance to say they’ve drunk the world’s strongest beer.’
If it isn’t the beer that gives you a hangover, the price might. A 275ml bottle of Snake Venom costs £50 – the equivalent of £6.25 per serving.
Mr Shand, 27, claimed the beer was like nothing avid drinkers have ever tasted before, adding: ‘It tastes like a liquor rather than a beer and has a whole host of different flavours, ranging from bubblegum to caramel.’
Although the pair have clinched the honour of world’s strongest beer for now, it’s likely their crown will be snatched away quite quickly – breweries have been battling for the title for years.
Brewdog fired the starting pistol with their Tactical Nuclear Penguin, which boasted 32 per cent proof. Then a German brewery entered the race with Schorschbock at 40 per cent. Brewdog nudged ahead with Sink The Bismarck a short time later, with an ABV of 41 per cent.
More recently, beers such as ‘t Koelschip, Start The Future and Armageddon nudged the strength up to an eye-watering, mouth-stinging 65 per cent.