The 15 most expensive beers in the world not only come with a hefty price tag but are also available in limited quantities. Beer is the most popular alcoholic beverage in the U.S and many other countries across the globe, with per capita beer consumption being highest in the Czech Republic. According to Allied Market Research, the global beer market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 1.8% from 2019 to 2025, driven by an increase in disposable income and consumerism.
Beer comes in a variety of flavors and brands, with craft beer generally being more expensive than lagers, as they are loaded with ten-times more flavor. The art of making good beer is a science that encompasses painstakingly chosen quantities of ingredients such as malted cereal grains, yeast, and hops, which impart different flavors. A few brands of beer also add flavoring ingredients such as herbs, fruits, coffee beans, and chipotle peppers to impart a unique flavor. They are then aged in old whiskey barrels for years, which further enhance their taste. Breweries often issue special editions of their unique creations, which people are willing to buy for exorbitant prices.
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Beer is a refreshing drink that is enjoyed by millions of people worldwide, ranking as the third-most consumed beverage after tea and water. Being a preferred choice of the masses, one would not think that beer has a luxurious side that could rival some of the prestigious wines in the world. Indeed, there exists a range of beers that could end up with you needing to pay installments just to enjoy a bottle. The 15 most expensive beers in the world are extremely limited, providing a once-in-a-lifetime experience for their owners. People are willing to pay extraordinary sums of money for the chance to own and experience something that few others are able to.
Our list of the 15 most expensive beers in the world has been collated using various sources, including Thedailyrecords.com, Luxatic.com, and Thrillist.com, and have been ranked based on their prices. Check out the list to find out how much it will set you back to try one of these very special brands of beer. Afterward, be sure to check out our list of 16 luxury alcohol brands in the world.
15. Sapporo’s Space Barley
Price – $11 per six-pack
Space barley was created by Japanese and Russian scientists who tested growing barley in space. It was brought back to Earth after five months, at which point Japanese brewer Sapporo fermented the world’s first space beer.
14. Pabst Blue Ribbon 1844
Price – $30 per 500 ml
Pabst Blue Ribbon 1844 is a lager made from German caramel malts and aged in American whiskey barrels. Pabst Blue Ribbon 1844 is only sold in China and comes in a fancy-looking glass bottle. It is popularly known as the “world-famous spirit” in China.
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13. Crown Ambassador Reserve
Price – $60 per 500 ml
Ranking 13th on our list of the 15 most expensive beers in the world is Crown Ambassador Reserve, a rich lager-style beer bottled in a champagne-style bottle and aged in French oak barrels for 12 months.
12. Tutankhamun Ale
Price – $75 per 500ml
A team of archaeologists from Cambridge University discovered traces of ancient beer residue from the buried Queen Nefertiti’s Royal Brewery. They later teamed up with Scottish Breweries and created Tutankhamun Ale, which has an ABV of 6%.
11. BrewDog’s Sink the Bismarck
Price – $120 per 500 ml
Sink the Bismarck contains four-times the hops, four-times the bitterness and is frozen four times, allowing it to become one of the world’s strongest beers at 41% ABV. It has a smooth texture for all that and comes at a cost of $120 per 500 ml.
10. Samuel Adams Utopias
Price – $200 per 500 ml
Made with the world’s finest ingredients, Samuel Adams Utopias follows a multi-step procedure of brewing, blending and aging. The rich, ruby color is imparted by the special blend of two-row pale malt combined with Munich and Caramel. In order to balance the sweetness of the malt, three varieties of German Noble hops are added. The beer costs $200 for 500 ml and is produced at two-year intervals. Its alcohol by volume content is 28%. Boston Beer Company Inc. (NYSE:SAM) is the parent firm of Samuel Adams.
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9. Schorschbrau’s Schorschbock
Price – $420 per 500 ml
Schorschbock, made at the German brewery Schorschbrau, is one of the world’s strongest beers at 57.5% ABV, due to special brewer’s yeasts, a lot of malt and a minimum four months of storage. Schorschbrau beers are brewed classically and Schorschbock is popular for its smoky and nutty flavors. It comes with a price tag of $420 for every 500 ml.
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8. Carlsberg Jacobsen Vintage
Price – $540 per 500 ml
Fermented by Jacobsen Brew House for six long months, Carlsberg Jacobsen Vintage is brown in color and tastes like cocoa and vanilla. The beer was launched to target upscale restaurants in Copenhagen, Denmark and undergoes a rigorous brewing process. The beer is available only in Denmark at a cost of $540 per 500ml.
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7. The Lost Abbey Cable Car Kriek
Price – $620 per 500 ml
Ranking seventh on our list of the 15 most expensive beers in the world is Lost Abbey Cable Car Kriek, which was the most expensive American-made beer sold at Skinner Auctions. With an ABV of 7% this beer comes with a strong cherry and cranberry aroma and has both a sweet and sour taste.
6. De Cam/ Drie Fonteinen Millennium Geuze 1998
Price – $625 per 500 ml
Launched in 1998 as a collaboration between De Cam and 3 Fonteinen in preparation for the upcoming (at the time) millennium celebrations, Millennium Geuze has 7% ABV content and has the authentic taste of Belgian beer.
5. BrewDog the End of History
Price – $1,100 per 500 ml
The End of History by BrewDog is another strong beer, with an alcohol by volume content of 55%, achieved by distilling and freezing the beer numerous times. This beer takes seven months to be made and is sold in taxidermies of animals’ (squirrels, weasels, and hares) corpses.
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4. Cantillon Loerik 1998
Price – $1,725 per 500 ml
Cantillon Loerik 1998 is one of the most expensive beers, and comes with 5% ABV. It was sold at Boston’s Skinner Auctions at a high price tag of $397 for a 12oz bottle, owing to its high quality and special crafting process.
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3. Nail Brewing’s Antarctic Nail Ale
Price – $1,815 per 500 ml
Water from Antarctica is used by Nail Brewing in Perth for the brewing of this beer. Only 30 bottles of this beer were made, with them being sold starting in 2011. They have an ABV of 10%.
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2. Allsopp’s Arctic Ale
Price – $5,131 per bottle
Brewed in 1875, this 140-year-old bottle of beer, which was brewed for an Arctic expedition, was sold at an auction for a whopping $5,131. The bottle was discovered in a garage, making it all the way to the Arctic and then back again without being drunk. Vigorous fermentation of the malt imparted an exquisite flavor to this drink.
1.Brasserie Caulier Vieille Bon Secours Ale
Price – $750-800 per 12oz bottle
Topping our list of the 15 most expensive beers in the world is Brasserie Caulier Vieille Bon Secours Ale. It is a strong dark Belgian ale with an ABV of 8%. It can only be bought at a London bar.
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