Most Expensive Beer

Beer is one of the oldest drinks known to man—and one of this writer’s favorites. While many people enjoy drinking light beer and less expensive beer, some beer drinkers are still connoisseurs even though they don’t sip wine. The world’s most expensive beers are proof enough of that.

Carlsberg Vintage No.1 - $395 per bottle

The Carlsberg Group, a brewing company founded in 1847 and named after founder J. C. Jacobson’s son Carl, is best known for their light-bodied lager, Carlsberg Pilsner (also known as Carlsberg Beer or Carlsberg Hof). Recently, however, Carlsberg introduced another beer guaranteed to be linked to the Carlsberg name in the public consciousness. That’s because they’re Vintage No. 1 is one of the most expensive beers in the world.

Vintage No. 1 will be sold at three different restaurants in Copenhagen. The 10.5 proof beer’s introduction is meant to capitalize on the growing luxury market in Denmark, as the country’s population of 5.4 million people includes 16 billionaires. Only 600 bottles of the beer were made and each bottle holds four-fifths of a pint.

The price of the beer, 2,008 Danish kroner, reflects the year it was introduced. The brewer plans to introduce a similarly priced beer in 2009 and another in 2010. There are no plans to export the expensive beer, though individual bottles may be available on the brewer’s website.

Due to the undisclosed amount of time taken to brew it, the Carlsberg Group does not expect to make a profit on the expensive beer.

Samuel Adams Utopias - $100 per bottle

Vintage No. 1 may be four times as expensive as Samuel Adams/Boston Beer Company’s Utopias, the former most expensive beer, but Utopias still holds a Guinness World Record for being the strongest beer at 50 proof.

Utopias was brewed with a blend of high-quality hops and sold in an ornate copper-plated brew kettle and offers a flavor unlike any other expensive beer or beverage in the world. The sweet flavor is richly highlighted with hints of vanilla, oak and caramel. The expensive beer is non-carbonated and should be served at room temperature.

Production of Utopias was limited to 8,000 bottles.

Tutankhamun Ale - $52 per bottle

This expensive beer has a peculiar history. It’s brewed in a Cambridge laboratory from a recipe discovered in the Queen Nefertiti’s Temple of the Sun in Egypt. The beer is named after the queen’s stepson, more commonly known as King Tut. The temple, which housed a brewery, is believed to have been built by King Akenhaten, Tut’s predecessor and likely father. This beer is also limited and may be purchased for $52 per bottle.