In brief
- BrewDog’s The End of History sold for about £500 (around $832) per bottle in 2010.
- Carlsberg Jacobsen Vintage No. 1 was priced at £224 for a 375ml bottle.
- Samuel Adams Utopias 2025 reached 30 percent alcohol and costs $240.
- Sapporo Space Barley sold 250 six-packs by lottery at 10,000 yen each.
As of October 2026, the most expensive beer on our list is BrewDog’s The End of History, which sold for about £500 (around $832) a bottle when it was released in 2010. Rare auction lots such as Lost Abbey Cable Car Kriek and strong limited releases from Carlsberg, Schorschbräu and Samuel Adams follow.
High beer prices come from tiny production runs, very high alcohol content, long barrel ageing and, at auction, scarcity. Prices below are launch prices or reported sale prices, as noted, and bottle sizes vary, so they are not perfectly comparable.
Most expensive beers at a glance
| Rank | Beer | Brewery, country | Reported price | Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BrewDog The End of History | BrewDog, Scotland | £500 (about $832) at launch | 330ml |
| 2 | The Lost Abbey Cable Car Kriek | The Lost Abbey, US | About $620 at auction | Bottle |
| 3 | Carlsberg Jacobsen Vintage No. 1 | Carlsberg, Denmark | £224 (about $374) | 375ml |
| 4 | Schorschbock 57 | Schorschbräu, Germany | £165 (about $275) | 330ml |
| 5 | Samuel Adams Utopias | Boston Beer Company, US | $240 (2025 edition) | Bottle |
| 6 | Three Floyds Dark Lord | Three Floyds, US | $150 to $200 for three bottles | Bottle |
| 7 | Sapporo Space Barley | Sapporo, Japan | 10,000 yen (about $96) | Six-pack |
| 8 | The Bruery Papier | The Bruery, US | Collector prices vary | 750ml |
| 9 | Three Floyds Barrel-Aged Dark Lord | Three Floyds, US | Collector prices vary | Bottle |
1. BrewDog The End of History: £500
Scottish brewer BrewDog released The End of History in 2010 as a 55 percent alcohol blond Belgian-style ale, flavoured with Highland nettles and juniper. The strength came from repeatedly freezing the beer and removing the ice.
Also readMost Expensive Chocolates in the World 2026: Top 9 RankedOnly about a dozen bottles were made, each placed inside a taxidermied stoat, squirrel or hare. The Drinks Business reported a price of £500 per 330ml bottle, about $832, with some bottles priced higher. It sold out quickly and was not repeated.
2. The Lost Abbey Cable Car Kriek: $620
Cable Car Kriek is a sour cherry ale from The Lost Abbey in San Marcos, California, made in small batches for the Toronado pub in San Francisco. It was aged in oak barrels with cherries and has sweet and sour fruit flavours.
Because it was rarely sold to the public, bottles became collector items. Insider Monkey reported a sale at about $620 a bottle at Skinner auctions, one of the highest prices for an American beer.
3. Carlsberg Jacobsen Vintage No. 1: £224
Carlsberg released Jacobsen Vintage No. 1 in Denmark in 2008. It was a barley wine aged for months in French and Swedish oak barrels, with fewer than 1,000 bottles produced.
Each bottle had a label featuring a hand-pulled print by Danish artist Frans Kannik. The Drinks Business listed it at £224, about $374, for a 375ml bottle.
4. Schorschbock 57: £165
German brewery Schorschbräu released Schorschbock 57 in 2011 with a claimed alcohol content of 57.5 percent, making it one of the strongest beers ever sold. It is an eisbock, concentrated by freezing.
Only 36 bottles were made. The Drinks Business reported a price of £165, about $275, for a 330ml bottle.
5. Samuel Adams Utopias: $240
Utopias is the strongest regular release from the Boston Beer Company, maker of Samuel Adams. It is released every two years, blended from beers aged in a range of spirit and wine barrels, and served like a port or Cognac.
The 14th edition, released in October 2025, reached 30 percent alcohol, the highest yet, with a suggested retail price of $240, the Boston Globe reported. Its strength means it cannot legally be sold in 15 US states.
6. Three Floyds Dark Lord: $150 to $200
Dark Lord is a Russian-style imperial stout from Three Floyds Brewing in Munster, Indiana. It is mainly sold once a year at the brewery’s Dark Lord Day event, where entry tickets include an allocation of bottles.
Buyers typically pay about $150 to $200 for three bottles through the event, according to beer site Brulosophy. Resale prices for older vintages can be higher.
7. Sapporo Space Barley: about $96
Japanese brewer Sapporo made Space Barley from barley grown from seeds that had spent five months on the International Space Station in 2006. It was produced with Okayama University and the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Only 250 six-packs were sold in 2009, by lottery, at 10,000 yen each, about $96. Proceeds went to science education.
8. The Bruery Papier
Papier was released by The Bruery of Placentia, California, to mark its first anniversary in 2009. It is a strong old ale aged in bourbon barrels, and later anniversary beers followed the same idea.
Bottles of the original release now trade between collectors. We could not confirm a recent sale price, so none is listed here.
9. Three Floyds Barrel-Aged Dark Lord
Three Floyds also releases barrel-aged versions of Dark Lord, matured in bourbon, brandy or other spirit barrels. These variants are made in much smaller numbers than the standard stout.
They are usually only available to Dark Lord Day attendees or through limited lotteries, and resale prices vary widely by year and barrel type.
How we ranked these
We ranked beers by the price per bottle reported at launch or at a documented sale. Where a beer is sold in packs or as part of an event ticket, we used the total reported price. Two beers without a verified recent price are placed at the bottom. For stronger spirits, see our lists of the most expensive alcoholic drinks and the most expensive wines.
Sources: The Drinks Business, Boston Globe, Insider Monkey, Brulosophy.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most expensive beer in the world?
BrewDog’s The End of History is one of the most expensive beers sold at retail. Released in 2010 at 55 percent alcohol, about a dozen bottles were made, each inside a taxidermied animal, and sold for about £500 (around $832) per 330ml bottle, The Drinks Business reported.
How much does Samuel Adams Utopias cost?
The 2025 edition of Samuel Adams Utopias has a suggested retail price of $240, according to the Boston Globe. It is 30 percent alcohol, the strongest Utopias so far, and cannot be sold legally in 15 US states because of its strength.
What is the strongest beer on this list?
Schorschbock 57 from German brewery Schorschbräu is the strongest, with a claimed 57.5 percent alcohol. BrewDog’s The End of History follows at 55 percent. Both were concentrated by freezing the beer and removing ice, a method used for eisbocks.
Why are some beers so expensive?
Prices rise when beers are made in very small numbers, aged for long periods in barrels, brewed to unusual strength or sold in special packaging. At auction, rarity and age push prices higher, especially for limited sour and barrel-aged beers.
What was Sapporo Space Barley?
Sapporo Space Barley was a beer made from barley grown from seeds kept on the International Space Station in 2006. Only 250 six-packs were sold in 2009, by lottery, at 10,000 yen each, about $96, with proceeds going to science education.
See more Wealthy Garage stories on Google
Add us as a preferred source and our stories will show up more often in your Top Stories.
Add Wealthy Garage as a preferred source on Google
