There's no way around it: Taxidermy is cool. We also happen to think beer is pretty cool, too. When we heard that a beer that included taxidermy, we had to find out more. We love wild game, we love strong booze, and we are so sad we didn't get to try this road kill beer.
When most of us think of breweries, we picture craft beer and IPAs, maybe a lager or pilsner too. The craziest thing that happens is usually a heated round of pool or a few lads having a debate over citra vs. amarillo hops. When it comes to BrewDog, there's a whole new level to the weirdness.
BrewDog and The End of History
This controversial brewery was founded by James Watt and Martin Dickie in Scotland in 2007. Always one for pushing boundaries, at BrewDog the beer is (more appropriately, was) The End of History. The video below shows you that the geniuses behind this concept are filled with personality. Learn more about how this beer comes stuffed in a squirrel carcass.
Here's what BrewDog has to say:
"The End of History: The name derives from the famous work of philosopher Francis Fukuyama, this is to beer what democracy is to history. Fukuyama defined history as the evolution of the political system and traced this through the ages until we got the Western Democratic paradigm. For Fukuyama this was the end point of man's political evolution and consequently the end of history. The beer is the last high abv beer we are going to brew, the end point of our research into how far the can push the boundaries of extreme brewing, the end of beer."
So how high is The End of History's alcohol level? It sits at an astronomically high 55% ABV. No, there's no decimal between those two fives.
That's fifty-five percent booze. American Girls With Guns calls this the "world's strongest and most expensive beer," saying that a "bottle of this weird brew will set you back $20,000."
While the strongest beer is no longer available, the brewery still makes ridiculous brews. They've made other high ABV options, notably a 32 percent Tactical Nuclear Penguin as well as a beer called Sink the Bismarck! sitting at 41 percent. Our minds are blown, so let's get back to that mad squirrel thing we mentioned earlier.
Road Kill Beer
We told you that the road kill beer was discontinued, and that's because only twelve were ever bottled. We promised you wild game, and now we're giving you it.
According to the BrewDog, each bottle "comes with its own certificate and is presented in a stuffed stoat or grey squirrel. The striking packaging was created by a very talented taxidermist and all the dead animals used were road kill."
We love this road kill beer, and we're sad we didn't get to see it in person. We're beyond excited by the idea of booze coming stuffed in some sort of game animal.
We're envisioning kegs stuffed in a bison head or a boar body, wearing funny little hats. Who knows? We challenge you, though, to top this.
Watch: The 11 Award-Winning Texas Breweries
This post was originally published on March 13, 2019.
