Carlsberg unveils 15%abv beer

Artistic credentials: Each label 'unique'

Third in Vintage trinity arrives

Carlsberg today unveiled the final instalment in its trinity of limited edition craft beers, Vintage 3, a 15% abv brew selling at DKK2010 (£243) for 37cl.

Developed by a team of Carlsberg brewers from across Europe, this pale barley wine “tastes as good as the angels sing”, according brewmaster Morten Ibsen, who directed the project.

Only 1,000 bottles of the brew will go on sale, each bearing unique labels devised by a group of contemporary Danish artists.

“The beer has a golden, bubbly appearance,” added Ibsen. “It gives a warm feeling on the palate and has a nearly ‘fat' fullness that reveals the beer’s close kinship with sweet dessert wines.”

The recipe was developed at Carlsberg’s historic Jacobsen Brewery in Copenhagen before further development at the Kronenbourg Innovation Centre in France. The brew was then aged in French wine barrels back in Denmark.

Tasting notes suggest deep oak, vanilla and nutty aromas from the barrel aging process and sweet fruit from natural fermentation. Food pairing suggestions include sweet desserts and cheeses.

The earlier instalments of the Vintage range were released throughout 2009, with the aim of “breaking the boundaries of what beer can be,” according to Carlsberg.