International laboratory reports commissioned by Peter Fowler, 58, show his eight per cent beer The Hop is more bitter than any known beer anywhere on the planet.
Yesterday, he was toasting his success at his local, the Royal Oak in Wantage, where the beer has gone on sale, as he awaits confirmation from Guinness World Records.
Mr Fowler, of Pitstop Brewery in Grove, took on the challenge after a beer tasting with friend Nick Gould, 52.The pair had been supping a particularly bitter beer when Mr Gould challenged the brewer to make something hoppier.
Mr Fowler approached Guinness World records and they set him certain criteria to meet, which he now thinks he has.
Two independent laboratories in Sunderland and Kalamazoo, Michigan, have confirmed The Hop is more bitter than any other beer on sale that has been tested.
To claim the world record, Mr Fowler used powerful hop varieties Simcoe, Centennial and Chinnok, and added hop extract Isolone to preserve the extreme bitterness.
American laboratory Kalsec Inc rated its bitterness at 323 International Bittering Units (IBUs); the highest previously recorded is around 200, for an American beer Devil Dance Triple IPA.
Mr Fowler, who has been brewing since 1975 and opened Pitstop two years ago, said: “It is always nice to beat the Americans and put a British flag on the bitterest pint.
“The US is producing some excellent and different beers. Most British brewers, with some exceptions, stick with the same old stuff – 4.1 per cent or thereabouts with a bit of hops.“I don’t want to be like that. I want to be able to make any beer as a challenge.”
He added: “Anyone with the right technology and the will to do it can beat this.“I have no doubt that once this is ratified, some US brewer will try to beat me, but I’m already ready with my riposte.”
But he admitted: “To be honest, I can only drink it in halves. To finish an evening it is fine, but the taste lasts with me for four hours at a time.”
