88 Brewery in Edinburgh, Scotland has claimed that their Scottish Ale Beithir Fire is the “World’s Strongest beer,” weighing in at 75% abv. But there’s a catch. The beer is blended with Scottish spirits, so that not all of the alcohol in the “beer” is derived from fermentation of the beer itself.
Being a blended alcohol beverage defies the definition of malt beverage and would not be considered “beer” in many circles, including in most states in the US where regulatory agencies would regulate and tax the beverage as spirits.
According to the company’s web site, the beverage “starts life as a high ABV Scottish style barley ale with a brewing process that lasts approximately 2 months. The beer is then blended with the purest Scottish spirit to create a 75% liquid. After fermentation the beer is filtered 3 times removing any impurities.”
The beverage is named after the legend of the Beithir, which is a serpent or dragon-type of creature that is a popular Scottish folklore character.
The beverage was released in 2021 but has gained both mainstream media and social media attention in recent months, triggering a number of inquiries to this reporter about the validity of the claim. One review in the Sun stated, “it’s like swallowing a wasp. Drinking it is not a wholly pleasant experience, as colleagues who tried it like a normal beer found out.”
Sales of the drink have reportedly soared in recent months, with more bottles shipped from the brewery in the first eight months of 2024 than in 2023 and 2022 combined.
Don’t expect to see this product on shelfs in the US. But I guess their publicity is helping them sell more beer…..I mean alcoholic beverage.