The Scottish brewery made headlines this week for producing a 55%-alcohol beer, ominously named the End of History.

“This blond Belgian ale is infused with nettles from the Scottish Highlands and fresh juniper berries,” the proprietors say on their blog.

Only 12 bottles of the stuff have been made. Oh, and did I mention that each one comes stuffed in either a dead stoat or the corpse of a grey squirrel?!

This is not a joke. Here’s the promo clip:

“The striking packaging was created by a very talented taxidermist and all the animals used were road kill,” the company reassures customers. “This beer is an audacious blend of eccentricity, artistry and rebellion; changing the general perception of beer one stuffed animal at a time.”

If you think that sounds intriguing enough to try, you’re too late. Those dozen bottles sold out right away and the brewer doesn’t plan to produce any more.

The dead-animal thing is a rather odd/gross marketing gimmick, but BrewDog says it’s goal is to “push the boundaries and challenge people’s perceptions about what beer is and how it can be enjoyed. We ultimately want to show people that there is an alternative to the mainstream, generic beers and make other people as passionate about craft beer as we are.”

End of History is BrewDog’s latest, and last, in a line of extreme-alcohol beers that also includes Tactical Nuclear Penguin (32% ABV) and Sink the Bismarck! (41% ABV). Whoever is in charge of naming these things deserves a raise.

The thought of drinking beer with that much alcohol sounds nasty to me, but apparently these super-brews are meant to be sipped slowly, like a fine whiskey.

BrewDog describes the End of History bottles – the ones that come in dead squirrels and stoats – as “at once beautiful and disturbing.”

I’ll say. I don’t know what’s more disturbing: the idea of drinking 55%-alcohol beer out of a stuffed rodent, or paying more than $1,000 for the pleasure. Fortunately, it looks like I’ll never get the chance to decide.

ryan@roadtostarrdom.com