Bad taste? The beer with dead animal bottles

15:12 23 July 2010

A notorious new beer which is served in bottles wrapped in stuffed animals has sold out in hours and sparked fierce controversy.

The End of History range, made by Fraserburgh firm BrewDog, is 55% alcohol, and came in 12 bottles made using dead stoats, squirrels and a hare, with a price tag of £500.

The Aberdeenshire firm said the beer was both the world's strongest and most expensive, but that didnÂ’t hinder sales of all 12 bottles within four hours.

The Scottish beer has drawn criticism from Advocates for Alcohol, who branded the use of animals as a “stupid marketing gimmick”.

BrewDog's co-founder James Watt said: "We want to show people there is an alternative to monolithic corporate beers, introduce them to a completely new approach to beer and elevate the status of beer in our culture."

However, Advocates for Animals policy director Libby Anderson told the BBC Scotland: "It's pointless and it's very negative to use dead animals when we should be celebrating live animals.

"This seems to be a perverse idea. It's just bad thinking about animals, people should learn to respect them, rather than using them for some stupid marketing gimmick.

"I think the public would not waste £500 on something so gruesome and just ignore it."

Barbara O'Donnell, director of services at Alcohol Focus Scotland, said: "This is another example of this company pushing the boundaries of acceptability all in the pursuit of cheap marketing tactics."

The BrewDog alcohol company has felt the scorn of critics in the past, with its superstrong 32% (Tactical Nuclear Penguin) and 41% (Sink The Bismarck!) strength beers being cited as excessive.