After their record-breaking 65% alcohol beer was considered “too weak” by their hard-core fans, Scottish brewers Lewish Shand and John McKenzie came up with an even stronger concoction, aptly named ‘Snake Venom’. This new beer contains a whopping 67.5 percent alcohol by volume, considerably more than whiskey or vodka.
Last year, Shand and McKenzie of Brewmeister Brewery, in Banffshire, created the strongest beer the world had ever seen, called Armageddon, which had a staggering 65 percent alcohol by volume. After buying about 60,000 bottles, fans around the world were disappointed that Armageddon’s high alcohol content was disguised by the flavors of the brew. Some people didn’t even believe it was 65%. “We thought if it was too strong, people wouldn’t like it. But the problem we found is that people said we shouldn’t have tried to cover up the intensity,” Shand says. “This time we thought we’d go full out. We were too nice last time.”
The two went back to the drawing board and, after only nine months, managed to create Snake Venom, a beer with 67.5% alcohol content and a kick that explains its name. “Snake Venom is definitely sharper in taste. With Armageddon, we actually tried to disguise the taste by making it quite oily,” Lewis says. The new almost-deadly brew is so strong that it even comes with a warning label stating that it should be drunk in small portions, as if it were whiskey. Nonetheless, despite its high alcohol content, the two assure us it still has the beloved taste of beer rather than that of a spirit. According to the creative lads, “It’s hoppy, malty and very pleasant.”
If you consider yourself brave enough to taste Snake Venom, you can buy it online for about $81 per 275ml bottle. Damn, if the alcohol doesn’t make your heart stop, the price will.
