<p>News brewed on 14 // 10 // 15</p><p>WORLD’S STRONGEST CANNED ALE: BREWDOG UNLEASHES 12.7% ABV CANNED BREW ON CRAFT BEER FANS</p><p>- Craft brewery BrewDog launches world’s strongest canned ale today - Black Eyed King Imp is a 12.7% ABV Vietnamese coffee-inspired Russian imperial stout, matured in bourbon casks and aged on vanilla pods and coffee beans - The release claims a new title for BrewDog, which previously held the world record for the world’s strongest bottled beer </p><p>Scotland’s largest independent brewery has once again broken records and boundaries in beer in a bid to continue converting more people to the craft beer revolution, with the release of a world record smashing canned beer of 12.7% ABV. </p><p>The Russian Imperial Stout, named Black Eyed King Imp, is the biggest ale ever consigned to metal, fresh off the new canning line at the Aberdeenshire-based brewery. The fearsome Black Eyed King Imp, which breaks the record for the world’s strongest canned ale, also delivers heartily on flavour. The beer combines intense strength with equally huge, bold and complex flavours and aromas that elicit an invasion on the palate. Canned Black Eyed King Imp is a Vietnamese coffee edition of the incredibly popular iteration released in 2014. The imperial stout has been matured in bourbon casks before being further aged with vanilla pods and coffee beans from artisanal roastery, Dear Green. The oaky vanilla elements from the wood, and the balance of espresso and cacao add layers of complexity to the finish, giving it a spicy aroma with brandy notes.</p><p>James Watt, co-Founder of BrewDog commented: “We love big beers, big flavours, and challenging people’s perceptions of beer. Black Eyed King Imp is the ultimate embodiment of that philosophy, in every dimension. This beer is super intense and twistedly complex, rocking intense notes of vanilla, rich espresso, smooth molasses and bitter chocolate with a spicy, oaky underpinning. All barely contained by the metal wrapped around it. We've barrel-aged this opulent dark liquid for over a year to create a massive monster of a beery beast!”</p><p>Cans are a great way to showcase craft beers. Light, easy to ship and recyclable, they perfectly protect the beer ensuring it reaches customers in great condition.”</p><p>BrewDog has a history of brewing up a storm with perception-altering brews, including Tactical Nuclear Penguin, brewed at 32% ABV, Sink the Bismarck, which notched up 41% ABV, and the even stronger limited edition The End of History, clocking in at 55% and packaged within the taxidermy bodies of squirrels and stoats. The latter sold for up to £700 per bottle, and only 12 were released, all of which were sold within four hours of launch.</p><p>The aluminium-clad marvel is available from BrewDog’s online shop (brewdog.com/shop) from today for £9.50 a can, and will launch in BrewDog’s UK bars from 6pm on Thursday 15th October. The beer is a celebratory brew to mark the installation of the new canning line at the brewery in Ellon, Aberdeenshire. The irreverent company is known for scaling up via crowdfunding from beer fans, with its latest round of Equity For Punks hitting a cool £10m just last week – also a world record. </p><p>James Watt continued: “Black Eyed King Imp is exactly the type of eccentric, artisanal beer we aim to invest in with the backing of our 35,000 equity punk shareholders. It takes time to tailor such a colossal, complex beer but with the support of the people who love our beer, this is what we can achieve. Our business model shortens the distance between us and the people who enjoy our beer, and gives us the opportunity to scale up without selling out. With this kind of support, we can continue pushing the brewing process to extremes to create something our Equity Punks want to drink and enjoy.” </p><p>BrewDog is the UK’s fastest-growing food & drinks brand and its phenomenal domination in the beer market has resulted in the opening of 34 bars worldwide since 2010, export to 55 countries and the hire of more than 365 staff. BrewDog’s rapid growth is in-part down to its game-changing crowdfunding scheme, Equity for Punks, the fourth round of which went live in April this year.</p><p>Over 35,000 shareholders have invested over £17million over four rounds of Equity for Punks to date, which is more money taken through crowdfunding than any other business on record. The money raised will fund new bar openings across the globe, with upcoming bars include Dog Eat Dog in Islington, DogHouse in Glasgow and BrewDog Soho in London. With an increased annual turnover of a huge 63 per cent to over £29.6million in 2014, compared to £18million in 2013, the offer is attracting a lot of interest from potential investors. </p><p>Alongside the continued expansion in BrewDog’s homeland of Scotland, the brewery plans to roll out across Europe with further openings in the UK, Germany and Italy planned for 2015. More information on BrewDog can be found at brewdog.com/bars.</p><p>--- ENDS --- What is BrewDog? Bored of the industrially brewed lagers and stuffy ales that dominated the UK market, school friends James Watt and Martin Dickie established BrewDog in 2007. They decided the best way to fix this undesirable predicament was to brew their own beers. Both only 24 at the time, BrewDog’s cofounders leased a building, got some scary bank loans, spent all their money on stainless steel and started making hardcore beers.</p><p>“We are dedicated to making cool, contemporary and progressive beers showcasing some of the world’s classic beer styles. All with an innovative twist and customary BrewDog bite.” James Watt and Martin Dickie</p><p>For more information please contact: The Romans Jack Davy t. 0207 0121 883 e. [email protected]</p>