Best High-Alcohol Beers

A standard beer in the U.S. is typically 5% alcohol by volume (ABV), according to the National Institutes of Health. These U.S. craft breweries are pushing boundaries with inventive beers featuring high-alcohol volumes of at least 7% ABV (alcohol by volume) and going as high as 11.3% ABV.

Stone Espresso Totalitarian Imperial Russian Stout
Definitely not wimpy at 10.6% ABV, this lightly bitter, chocolaty stout has a distinct coffee note, which is unsurprising given that it was brewed together with several hundred pounds of espresso beans. It lifts you up even as it relaxes you. If you can’t find this one, Stone Smoked Porter is a mighty fine alternative (and about half the alcohol by volume).

Deschutes Black Butte XXV
In honor of this Oregon brewery’s 25th birthday in 2017, it released twice as much of its annual anniversary beer as usual. A potent imperial porter at 11.3% alcohol, it was brewed with cocoa nibs, figs and dates, and gets its vanilla notes from a portion of it being aged in bourbon barrels. An excellent, easier-to-find alternative is Deschutes’ regular Black Butte Porter, and the 30th anniversary Black Butte XXX came out at 13.6% ABV.

Smuttynose Rhye IPA
Part of the Smuttynose “Big Beer” Series — they come in 22-ounce bottles, hence the name — this aromatic, citrus-hoppy IPA gets an unexpected spiciness from 30% rye malt. It’s 7% ABV; not wildly strong, but a notch stronger than usual. Another option: the grapefruity, regular-release Smuttynose IPA.

Samuel Adams Tetravis
A Belgian quadruple ale that’s part of the Sam Adams Barrel Room collection — a limited series of barrel-aged beers fermented with a special blend of yeasts the Sam Adams folks call “Kosmic Mother Funk” — this is a caramelly, dense, ruby-hued ale, 10.2% ABV. There’s no real alternative to it, but the annual, reliably tasty Sam Adams OctoberFest is also worth checking out.