The race to create the world's strongest beer has, mercifully, died down after brewers ice-distilled (freezing off liquid) full batches down to less than a case of ridiculously strong beer. In the meantime, another handful of masters of malt perfected ales and lagers within the normal bounds of yeast, creating full-flavored, burn-free stouts, bocks, and barleywines that you could (slowly) sip all night long.
For our list of the strongest brews, we ruled out the super-rare novelties, brewed-once experiments, and gasoline-like failures not worth your liver. Every beer on our list is complex, textured, and intricately balanced — beer that's as sophisticated as a good Burgundy or a fine single-malt Scotch. So go ahead, seek these beers out, serve them at cellar temperature, and enjoy with your favorite drinking partners.
