Certainly for as long as I can remember (not long I’m only 27) High Alcohol Content beers have always had a bit of a bad reputation.
It is the opinion of many that high alcohol beers are produced not for flavour and to savour, but for the sole purpose of getting you wham bham off your face drunk!
Unfortunately, this view has been re-inforced by the likes of Carlsberg Special Brew, and Tenants Super… Super Lagers that in my opinion taste like someones dropped a couple of shots of Vodka into their already bland tasting lower ABV derivatives. The need for Supermarkets to seperate the higher ABV beers from their counterparts also adds to the stigma.
I think it’s time to set the record straight… balance the books as they say;
High ABV beers are not a new thing, not a ploy by greedy breweries to encourage alcoholism, and not a sign of the deterioration of a wholesome society!
Beer has a long history of being strong, punchy, and weighty, and it’s actually the lower session ales which are the newcomers! Breweries want people to drink lower ABV beers as customers can drink more of them before they’re 3 sheets to the wind!
Pilsner Beers, Abbey Beers, Wheat Beers, Mead, Grog, Porters… They all have a history of being stong, robust, and delightlfully tasty, and who are we to judge these as being for the drunks!
The point is that giving a beer a higher alcohol content, say 8, 9, or even 10%, lets you do so much more with it.
Alcohol in itself has a flavour, a texture, a kick to it that is difficult to achieve in a session ale.
Secondly, the longer you brew a beer the more flavour you can give it, and it gives a beer a depth and a complexity, a maturity.
These higher alcohol beers are there to savour, drink them like a fine wine, sip and discuss them.
You wouldn’t down a pint of wine, a half pint of whisky, a jug of pimms, and as long as you respect the strength of the ales I suggest you go an try as many of them as you can… Just not in one night!
Greg Beresford
Beer Brain 
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