330ml bottle of beer for £9.99 - 18.2%!

[Shaolin]

Heard about this on the radio:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/north_east/817...

Forget the binge drinking blox, can this really be like beer? I had a bottle of "Hardy's Ale" (think that was what it was called) a while back about 9% it just tasted of "strong". Just seems like a publicity gimmick to me.

[uncinqsix]

Hardy's Ale is around 12% - if you have it too young it just tastes of strong and is a bit crap, but with a few years on it (at least 4-5) it starts to taste really good, almost port-like.

18.2% is just nuts though. You can't even call that a beer!

[Lefty Guns]

Good advertising for them.

It's just the usual hysterical media in this country. Scumbags aren't going to buy one bottle of this when you get a case of lager or bottle of vodka in any supermarket for £10.

It really pisses me off, the evil corporations selling products that people might use irresponsibly

If somebody's stupid enough to guzzle 5 of these on the trot then they deserve all they get.

Edited by Lefty Guns on Tuesday 28th July 08:45

[Plotloss]

Why the premium?

SKU28 which was 17.2% was the same price as normal beer.

[shirt]

hardy's is good stuff if you can find it, but as already mentioned it needs to be aged. i bought a supply for myself when i had a summer job at wetherspoons as the customers just weren't buying it. sadly run out now, but it was great whilst it lasted [hic!].

[shoggoth1]

Plotloss said:

Why the premium?

SKU28 which was 17.2% was the same price as normal beer.

I think you may mean EKU28. Not seen that anywhere for a long time, but you're right, it wasn't stupidly expensive.

[bazking69]

I think the strongest beers you can lay your hands on readily are the Belgian beers like Chimay and Duvel at between 8.5-9%. That is quite enough for me.
18 odd percent beer! Yikes!

[okgo]

As said you can get a bottle of Gin for £6 that would blow you into the weeds, so I think the article is a bit st.

[mattley]

BBC in st article shock :O

[As_Bo]

We need some Absinthe like everyone else is allowed to have

[Shaw Tarse]

As_Bo said:

We need some Absinthe like everyone else is allowed to have

I thought we could buy it?

[As_Bo]

Not sure,in Spain it's something like 70-80%..is there somewhere to buy it then?

[Scotfox]

shoggoth1 said:

Plotloss said:

Why the premium?

SKU28 which was 17.2% was the same price as normal beer.

I think you may mean EKU28. Not seen that anywhere for a long time, but you're right, it wasn't stupidly expensive.

Yeh it was EKU. It was like drinking treacle !!

[Oystercatcher]

uncinqsix said:

Hardy's Ale is around 12% - if you have it too young it just tastes of strong and is a bit crap, but with a few years on it (at least 4-5) it starts to taste really good, almost port-like.

If you can wait that long, it gets really good after 10 years. I have some 1998 & 1999 which I'm just starting to sample

shirt said:

hardy's is good stuff if you can find it

My local Waitrose has the modern O'Hanlon's version. I bought a few to see how they compare to the original. Just need a second mortgage, three forms of ID and a hell of a lot of patience...

[kiteless]

The finest liquid knock-out drop I've tasted was the original Samiclaus brewed by Hurlimann in Switzerland. 14% in 180ml nip bottles. Alcoholic Christmas Pud in a glass, and it was sensational. The recipe changed a few years ago, and it's now (literally) a pale imitation of its former self, and is like Carlsberg Elephant beer with added volts and less finesse. 'orrible.

EKU28 Original Pale is very good, but has never carried its alcohol very well IMO.

Never tried it, but The Frog & Parrot (??) in Sheffield (?) used to brew something called Roger & Out occasionally, at about 12%.

[otolith]

kiteless said:

Never tried it, but The Frog & Parrot (??) in Sheffield (?) used to brew something called Roger & Out occasionally, at about 12%.

Some friends and I skived off sixth form one afternoon in 1991 and drove from Stalybridge to Sheffield to sample that stuff.

It tasted, as I recall, like a mixture of sherry and treacle. Revolting.

[Google [bot]]

kiteless said:

Never tried it, but The Frog & Parrot (??) in Sheffield (?) used to brew something called Roger & Out occasionally, at about 12%.

That used to be the record holder(like 15 years ago) up there at about 18% or so, but if I recall correctly another pub came out with a stronger beer on tap, and they gave up and brought it down to 12-14% or so rather than selling a stronger, crappier tasting beer.

You used to get it in 1/3 pint glasses and you were only allowed 3, by which point you received a certificate and were allowed no more. Roger & Out that is. They didn't seem to mind if you continued with pints of their 7% ish other beers...

A trip to Sheffield uni for an 'open day' uncovered the above info and resulted in many happy years spent in ol' Sheff...

[uncinqsix]

Oystercatcher said:

uncinqsix said:

Hardy's Ale is around 12% - if you have it too young it just tastes of strong and is a bit crap, but with a few years on it (at least 4-5) it starts to taste really good, almost port-like.

If you can wait that long, it gets really good after 10 years. I have some 1998 & 1999 which I'm just starting to sample

I had one of my last two remaining 1999s recently. Was very, very good.

I also have some Chimay Blues from 2002, 2003 and 2004 awaiting consumption