The Beer 'Armageddon'

NEW YORK (TheStreet) - Beer consumed in the United States, on average, contains approximately 5% alcohol. For instance, Budweiser (BUD) contains exactly 5%, while Bud Lite has 4.2%. Boston Beer's (SAM) offerings range from 4.05% (Sam Adams Lite) to a whopping 17.5% for its Triple Bock.

But none of the hundreds of beers currently on the market, in this country, can come anywhere close to competing with a new offering from Scotland's Brewmeister company. It calls its beer 'Armageddon'. It contains an astounding 65% alcohol. That's 130 proof.

To give you an idea of just what that means, most popular Scotch whiskeys we drink here are diluted down to somewhere between 40%-46% "bottling strength". Special "cask strength" Scotch whiskeys contain 50%-60% alcohol.

Armageddon comes in 330 ml (11.14 fluid ounce) bottles and retails for 40 GBP ($64.39 USD). That's not a misprint. Sixty-five bucks for an 11 ounce bottle of beer.

The Brewmeister people say the beer is quite tasty. They describe the brew as tasting "slightly sweet, hoppy, malty and retaining much of the yeast present during fermentation". But, because of the sky-high alcoholic content they recommend that people drink the beer in 35 ml (that's only a drop or two more than one ounce) portions. And they suggest you share the bottle with friends so the contents don't go flat.

The Brewmeister Web site claims they'll ship their goods (they make more than just Armageddon) to the United States. But, they're warning the demand has been so great that you'll have to wait at least 2-3 weeks for delivery.

--Written by Gary Krakow in New York.

>To submit a news tip, send an email to: [e-mail].

Gary Krakow is TheStreet's senior technology correspondent.