Do we have your attention now? Good. First, we need to address a few things about this photo, which we must admit, we find quite hilarious.
#1) No live animals were harmed. These taxidermied critters—a stoat and a squirrel—had previously met their demise before they had bottles of what was, at the time (July 2010), the strongest beer in the world—an unbelievable 55% ABV—stuffed into them.
#2) This is real, not a joke. The beer in question is called The End of History, and it was made by Scotland’s Brew Dog. Only a dozen bottles were made, which sold for ridiculous prices. Sorry, freaks, it’s no longer available.
#3) We have no idea how a beer can be “brewed” to 55% ABV, because yeast just can’t survive those conditions.
That out of the way, we can tell you that this insane endeavor was spurned by a “friendly” competition between Brew Dog and German brewer Schorschbräu (who have recently released a 57.5% ABV beer, Schorschbock 57—take that Brew Dog!). This video pretty much tells the whole sordid tale, in typical Brew Dog fashion.
The End of History from BrewDog on Vimeo.
Brew Dog, if you couldn’t tell already, are one of the most irreverent craft brewers in the world, always stirring up trouble. But they back it up by making damn fine beers like Punk IPA, Trashy Blonde, Hardcore IPA and 77 Lager, as well as other ridiculously high ABV beers like Tokyo Intergalactic Fantastic Oak Aged Imperial Stout (18.2%), Tactical Nuclear Penguin (32%), Sink The Bismarck! (41%). None of which are stuffed into any dead forest creatures.
The question remains, however, if the Brew Dog crew will once again rise to the challenge that Schorschbräu has thrown down, and come up with a beer that further stretches the bounds of what may be considered a “beer.” And will there be taxidermy involved?
We hope so. On both counts.
