LC Geezer

Taken from The Observer newspaper.

Joanna Walters in New York
Sunday May 11, 2003
The Observer

It may prompt real ale enthusiasts to choke on their pints, but America's newest drinking phenomenon is about to cross the Atlantic.
After the popularity of extreme sports, American youngsters are now turning their attention to the concept of extreme beer - in the form of the world's strongest ale.

Dogfish Head WorldWide Stout weighs in at a staggering 23 per cent strength - the same alcohol level as some spirits. Sam Calagione, who makes this potent brew in tiny vats behind his restaurant in Milton, Delaware, is about to sign a deal with the Safeway supermarkets to launch it in Britain in the autumn.

'I have a pretty high tolerance for booze, myself, but this is not for frat-boy swilling - it should be savoured, like Cognac,' he said.

With what is normally considered 'strong' beer coming in at about eight per cent and the average pub lager at four, what is the point of making a beer so extreme? Calagione believes it takes ale to a new level: 'It would stand comparison with Bollinger or the finest red wine.'

Safeway beer manager Glenn Payne said: 'It comes down to quirky tastes. It will be on sale in our 250 top stores. We always tell people to drink wisely.'

The strength of Dogfish Head is way ahead of its nearest European rival, the recently-revived 15 per cent Austrian Samichlaus, brewed just once a year in the Alps for the Christmas market.

Calagione uses a secret combination of six yeast strains, including English ale yeast and champagne yeast, to make Dogfish Head, which is fermented for seven months. He despises the mass-market brands for 'padding' out their hops with cheaper ingredients such as rice and corn and putting in chemicals, with the unintended side effect of encouraging hangovers.

He hopes discerning British drinkers will appreciate his stout as 'a labour of love'. It is sold only in 12oz (341ml) bottles for $10 (about £6.23), so you do not drink yourself under the table after one round.

In the Blind Tiger Ale House in New York yesterday 24-year-old teacher Stacey Berkowitz's face lit up as she tasted it. 'Wow. Mmmm. Wooo. This is not a drink, it's a meal,' she said. She swallowed some more. 'If you only had a short amount of time to get the party going. Like, really short.'

Theatre director Warren Monteiro, in his fifties, loved it, praising its 'wonderful sherry consistency'.

Strict Prohibition-era laws prevent the beer being advertised as the world's strongest. Its brewer hopes, however, there will be no such problem in Britain.

daiscooby

Will tramps and Big Issue sellers now get loyalty cards at Safeway ?.

ajm

we had some 21% beer at the Bristol Brewhouse for years.... dunno if they still do it, but it was like drinking port!

GaryK

Typical of the americans! Come along with this like its something new and they invented it! Ive had belgium beers from years back that were 18%, also wasnt mad dog 20/20 sold over here, a kinda fruit beer/wine that was 20%, sure its alot but it's hardly anything revolutionary, mind you everyone knows that yanks cant drink soup!

Gary

David Lock

"but I only had a couple of pints, occifer"

ajm

I thought it was quite ironic as American beer is typically weak as pi$$!

scooby_si

hmmmmm drink sounds like the ideal hangover cure
Si

Gordo

surely it's not technically beer? I thought the max you could get from a normal beer brewing process (e.g. Duval etc in Belgium) was 8-9%.

wine is max about 13% from a normal process (i.e. the yeast dies above this)

to increase it again (into the realms of spirits and fortified wines) you have to distill it or add liquer to it don't you?

in other words, I could buy a pint of Stella, say, add lots of vodka and - behold! I'm as clever as an American and can produce very strong beer. Let's call it dog's **** and see who'll buy it....

Mark Miwurdz

Try a pint of that ***** with an Absinthe chaser - holy schmoly, Batman!!

bigsinky

what about those home brew beer kits. i seem to remember stuff i made that would induce tempory blindness if consumed in quantity. **** me was that stong. think i put way to much sugar in

cheers

big sinky

Mark Miwurdz

Too much? Nah.....never too much

Stealth

iTrader: (4)

MMMM strong beers