(GERMANY) – And then German television added insult to injury . . .

An arms race began between BrewDog and Schorschbräu last year with the introduction of Tactical Nuclear Penguin. The two breweries have gone back and forth with BrewDog Sink the Bismarck! reclaiming the title of World’s Strongest Beer this past winter at 41% ABV.

That title has now been taken back by Germany.

According to a statement on the Schorschbräu website:



“In our graciousness, We had decided, not to begrudge the Others, the little joy of holding the title for a few weeks. Let’s not overdo this – from now on, the World’s Strongest Beer lives again where it belongs: in Franconia! Schorschbock 43% Vol., ’cause Frankonian Men don’t dress like girls.”

According to these lab results, the new brew tips the scales at 43.38% ABV.

A limited run of .33 liter ceramic bottles are now available for purchase directly from the brewery. This beer won’t be available in the U.S. Each is hand-numbered and signed by the master brewer.

Even more interesting than this latest development is the controversy around the validity of Sink the Bismarck! being 41% ABV in the first place. A Germany-based RateBeer user started a thread yesterday quoting a German TV report that a Berlin lab tested had tested Sink! at only 29% ABV.

That has scandal written all over it but BrewDog’s James Watt quickly came into the forums to put out the fire:

“Every single batch of TNP is tested by the laboratory at Herriot Watt University in Scotland, they have the most high tech brewing lab and most competent people in the UK. We have full ABV certification from Herriot Watt on every single batch of both TNP and Sink!”

…Conspiracy theory?

“It was either a faulty test or perhaps a mischievous German adding some water to our bottle to restore some national pride?”

Schorschbräu’s Georg Tscheuschner also paid a forum visit to defend his brewing rivals:

“These Scottish guys are professional brewers and there must be a mistake in lab or maybe a few bottles got a sip of water through filling station. My opinion: let’s wait for further tests and give them a chance to find out what happened.”

One thing is for sure. We are inching ever closer to the first-ever 50% ABV beer.