Drink watchdog set to call time on strongest beer ever brewed in UK

Published on Monday 9 November 2009 21:51

THE strongest beer ever produced in Britain is set to be banned – weeks after a Scottish brewery launched the brew as a "cure" for binge drinking.

The Fraserburgh microbrewery BrewDog was condemned as being "utterly irresponsible" by health campaigners three months ago after unveiling plans to market a beer with an alcohol content of 18.2 per cent.

Each 330ml bottle of Tokyo*, an oak-aged stout, contains the equivalent of six units of alcohol – twice the recommended daily limit. The owners of the brewery claimed the super-strength beer would cure binge drinking, because it would encourage people to drink less.

But alcohol watchdog the Portman Group is set to ban the beer after its independent complaints panel agreed to provisionally uphold a complaint from Alcohol Focus Scotland that the beer did not promote a positive message of safe and responsible drinking.

The panel has also provisionally ruled the "unwise" labelling on each bottle is "advocating excessive consumption".

The beer's label reads: "Everything in moderation, including moderation itself. What logically follows is that you must, from time to time, have excess."

The brewery has until 25 November to submit a written representation to the Portman Group before a final decision is taken.

BrewDog managing director James Watt yesterday accused the watchdog of "insulting the intelligence" of consumers by threatening to take Tokyo* off the shelves.

He said: "The Portman Group spoke out against the Scottish Government's proposals for a minimum price per unit for alcohol while we were the first brewery company to publicly back the government.

"And sensible pricing and better education would do far more good to prevent binge drinking instead of this continual insulting of consumer intelligence that the Portman Group seem to focus on."

Mr Watt also defended the labelling on the bottles. He claimed: "When we were talking about excess in the label we were talking about the ingredients we have packed into the product. I am not suggesting that people should drink to excess."

The initial batch of 2,000 bottles of Tokyo*, each priced at 9.99, has already sold out.

A spokesman for the Portman Group said: "The independent complaints panel continues to investigate complaints about Tokyo* beer. No final decision has been made and we expect the panel to make its ruling in the next six weeks."

He added: "We wouldn't comment on any correspondence between ourselves and any company."

In January another of BrewDog's beers, Speedball, was banned by the Portman Group after the group's independent complaints panel decided the marketing of the beer promoted illegal drugs.