Super strong ale packaged in the bodies of dead animals

Fraserburgh - A Scottish brewery is selling very strong and expensive ale packaged in the bodies of dead animals. BrewDog’s The End of History, with an alcohol content of 55%, costs £500 a bottle.

“Only 12 bottles have been made and each comes with its own certificate and is presented in a stuffed stoat or grey squirrel,” it says on the BrewDog web site. “The striking packaging was created by a very talented taxidermist and all the animals used were road kill. This release is a limited run of 11 bottles, 7 stoats and 4 grey squirrels. Each ones comes with its own certificate of authenticity.” Some of the animals are dressed in outfits such as a jacket and top hat, and a kilt. There are people who consider the packing to be a cheap marketing tactic. Ross Minett, campaigns director for the charity Advocates for Animals, was quoted in The Telegraph a saying, "Using shock tactics to get attention is terribly out of date, especially when this involves exploiting or degrading animals. "The modern approach is to celebrate the wonders of animals and respect them as individual sentient creatures. I'm sure this would have much greater appeal with the animal-loving public.” Barbara O'Donnell, director of services at Alcohol Focus Scotland, told the paper that this is another example of a company pushing the boundaries of acceptability. BrewDog is proud of its new ale, which is says is infused with nettles and juniper berries. The ale was created by freezing the liquid to separate water from the solution, over and over. This means it took hundreds of litres of beer to produce one 330ml bottle. The makers of the ale recommend that it be served in a shot glass and enjoyed like fine whisky. The BrewDog web site calls the beer “an audacious blend of eccentricity, artistry and rebellion; changing the general perception of beer one stuffed animal at a time” and claims, “The bottles are at once beautiful and disturbing – they disrupt conventions and break taboos, just like the beer they hold within them.”