Babylonian clay tablets from 4300 BC show detailed beer recipes and beer was also brewed by the ancient Chinese, Assyrians, Incas and in ancient Egypt. In 1996, Scottish and Newcastle breweries in the UK used a 3,200-year old recipe found in the sun temple of Queen Nefertiti to brew a thousand bottles of Tutankhamun Ale:

Back in the eighties and nineties, the alcohol content of beers climbed steadily. Vetter 33, for example, has a 10.5% abv, while Samichlaus, produced in Switzerland, was at one time considered the world’s strongest beer at 14% abv. The strongest beer brand in current production is Eisbock from Germany, which has 14% ethanol by volume.