Beverage Dynamics is the largest national business magazine devoted exclusively to the needs of off-premise beverage alcohol retailers, from single liquor stores to big box chains, through coverage of the latest trends in wine, beer and spirits.
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B ack in the days when mainstream lager owned the beer market, a persistent urban myth held that Ca- nadian beer—if you could get it—wasn't like ours. It was really strong. Turns out it wasn't: their national brands were pretty much indis- tinguishable from ours, but the method of measuring alcohol content gave Canadian brands a higher number. When Americans became aware that certain traditional Eu- ropean styles truly were appreciably stronger than our usual selections, it sparked curiosity. Those lucky enough to actually taste these beers learned about three things more important than their alcohol content: the beers were generally meant for special occasions, not daily quaffi ng; they could be quite ex- pensive; and many were delicious. In other words, they were nothing like the fabled "strong" beers of Canada or the cheap malt liquors on our own shelves, the high-impact versions of pale lager. Rather, they were sophisticated beverages that deliv- ered unusual fl avors. American craft brewers began playing with these unfamiliar styles: old ales and barley wines, Belgian dubbels and tripels, Baltic stouts. The strength was clearly part of their novelty, with some approaching double the alcohol content of standard 4.5% lagers. And the styles expanded American drinkers' tastes. But there was, it seems, a technical ceiling to the strength of beer. Smashing that ceiling became a challenge; doing so with panache, even more so. Today, beer in the range of 12-18% ABV, once impossible, is available (though still uncommon). And even more potent beers with alcohol levels that test credi- bility have launched a new war of the strongest. Why do brew- ers choose to put the extra time and expense into these beers, and who's buying them? Exploring the Boundaries of Brewing. 34 Beverage Dynamics • July/August 2017 www.beveragedynamics.com STRONG BEER STRONG BEER STRONG BEER STRONG BEER STRONG BEER STRONG BEER STRONG BEER STRONG BEER STRONG BEER STRONG BEER STRONG BEER STRONG BEER STRONG BEER STRONG BEER STRONG BEER STRONG BEER VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY BY JULIE JOHNSON