Brewery Rowe

We’d never really understood the appeal of ultra-high-alcohol beers. Sam Adams Utopias (25 percent), for instance, strikes us as a splendid cognac — but it’s twice as expensive as Courvoisier and half as enjoyable as Sam Adams Boston Lager. What’s the point?

But after sampling BrewDog’s astonishing 41 percent India Pale Ale, Sink the Bismarck, we’ve had to re-examine our anti-high-octane prejudice. The point of this brew, reportedly the world’s strongest: it’s possible to make a brew that has the kick of a fine whiskey and the flavors of a superb beer. 

“We want to challenge people’s perceptions of what beer is and how it can be enjoyed,” said James Watt, co-founder of the three-year-old Scottish brewery.

Visiting Stone World Bistro and Beer Gardens last weekend, Watt noted that he and co-founder Martin Dickie wanted to make a potion with the alcohol content of a fine single malt Scotch that still retained a beer’s distinctive blend of malts and hops.

They started with a double IPA of 10 percent alcohol and a whopping 100 bittering units. Then they chilled the beer to a frosty -4 Fahrenheit and removed the ice, concentrating the booze and the flavors. 

The result, Sink the Bismarck, succeeds on all fronts. Amarillo hops provide a huge herbal nose; on the tongue, Columbus and Centennial hops add a spiky, spicey jolt; the malts are rich and fat. There’s no hiding the alcohol, which warms the throat and helps balance this battlewagon’s massive hop broadside.

The beer’s name? Watt said it’s a tongue-in-cheek challenge to the great German breweries. There’s a new dog in town — and BrewDog is one of the fastest growing breweries in Europe, thanks to creative brews like this one and Tactical Nuclear Penguin, its 32 percent imperial stout.

Only 100 bottles of Sink the Bismarck have been sproduced; a handful will be available in the States next month. The suggested retail price: $70.