When I lived in Portland, Oregon I loved all the different breweries within walking distance. Summer was a magical time. The days were long, the weather was sunny-ish, and there were a plethora of brew fests to choose from. One of the first ones I attended was with my friend Mandie who was visiting from Hawaii. Oregons Brewer’s Festival is the last full weekend in July every year. We showed up on the first day, ready to roll and wanted to make sure we got our money’s worth. That day we decided to only drink high alcohol content beers by volume (ABV).

There’s no real definition of what is considered high ABV. So we began our day with anything 6% and above. That year there were quite a few and we definitely felt the effects of our choice. The following year we tried to do the same thing, but those beers were roped off and you had to pay extra to get them. I guess other people had the same idea we did!

High ABV beers are great if you’re looking for something with a strong kick. These beers are often styles that are brewed to emphasize their strength. I find that most of my favorites are Belgians with Delirium being one of my top choices. This one being my favorite so far. Here are some types of high ABV beers you might want to explore:

Imperial Stout

These are rich, dark beers with intense flavors of roasted malt, chocolate, and coffee. They can easily have ABVs ranging from 8% to 12% or even higher.

Beer Advocate’s Top Rated Imperial Stouts

Russian Imperial Stout

A stronger version of the imperial stout, often with an ABV of 10% to 12% or higher. These are very robust and are often aged to develop more complex flavors.

Beer Advocate’s Top Rated Russian Imperial Stouts

Barleywine

Known for their strong malt profile, barleywines can be either English style, which is more balanced and less hoppy, or American style, which is usually hoppier. These often range from 8% to 12%, ABV but some can be even stronger.

Beer Advocate’s Top Rated American Barleywines

Belgian Quadrupel

These are strong, dark Belgian ales with complex flavors of dark fruit, caramel, and spice. ABVs typically range from 10% to 12%, though some can exceed 12%.

Beer Advocate’s Top Rated Quadrupels

Double IPA (DIPA) / Imperial IPA

These are hop-forward beers with a higher alcohol content than standard IPAs, often ranging from 7.5% to 10% ABV or more. They balance bitterness with strong hop flavors.

Beer Advocate’s Top Rated Imperial IPAs

Tripel

This is a strong Belgian ale, golden in color, with fruity and spicy notes. The ABV usually ranges from 8% to 12%.

Beer Advocate’s Top Rated Tripels

Eisbock

A strong German lager that has undergone a freezing process to concentrate its alcohol content. This technique involves freezing the beer and removing the ice, which primarily consists of water, to concentrate the alcohol and flavors. The end result is ABVs from 9% to 14% or higher.

Beer Advocate’s Top Rated Eisbocks

Fortified Beers By Adding Spirits

All of the beers above have been in the range of 8% – 14% and have various processes raising their alcohol content. Another style of fortified beers involves blending beer with a distilled spirit, such as whiskey, brandy, or a liqueur, to raise the alcohol content. When I was looking up high ABV beers I first searched: “what is the strongest beer in the world?”. The beers that came up had ABV’s as high as 67.5%! I thought that was nuts! There’s no way that a beer could have that much alcohol in it. I realized that these beers were fortified with spirits, often being made by distilleries. An example of one of these beers is Snake Venom by Brewmeister with that 67.5% ABV.

Safety First With High Alcohol Content Beers

If you’re new to high ABV beers, it’s a good idea to start slowly and savor the flavors, as the higher alcohol content can sometimes be quite warming and potent. These high ABV beers can sneak up on you if you’re not careful. Make sure to take care of yourself and if you end up not feeling so great the next day, try some of these hangover cures. Happy drinking!