The ABV Atlas

The Minotaurs · 6.0–6.9% ABV

Minotaurs within the shadowed stone passages of a labyrinth, representing strong, muscular beers from 6.0% to 6.9% ABV.

The Minotaurs

Beers from 6.0–6.9% ABV

Where beer grows horns! Strong, broad-shouldered and no longer to be taken lightly.

The 6.0% to 6.9% band, the frontier where "strong beer" truly begins. Bigger IPAs, robust Belgian ales, export stouts and hearty continental styles live here. Beers with muscle, warmth and weight, no longer built for drinking all afternoon.

The Minotaur, bull-headed, man-bodied, born of a curse and shut within the winding Labyrinth of Crete, was a creature no hero faced lightly. It was raw power given a monstrous shape, waiting at the heart of a maze. As the first truly formidable guardian of the Atlas, it marks the boundary the earlier creatures never crossed. Beyond here, strength is something to be reckoned with.
Powerful bull-headed minotaur standing in dim light - emblem of Hop Horizons' 6.0–6.9% ABV strong beer category, The Minotaurs.

The tone changes with the entry into the 6s. Below it, including the regal Griffins, all the beers were still essentially friendly — beer that one could down a couple of. The Minotaur is the first guardian of the Atlas that poses real threat. Strong, hallowed and caged in the labyrinth, it is strength personified. And 6-point-whatever is precisely that: the range where beer develops brawn, where warmth enters the finish, and where "just one more" becomes ill-advised.

Where strong beer begins

It depends on the individual, but for most, this is where a beer starts to be considered strong. The alcohol is now a distinct flavour and sensation — a mild burn, an increased body, a fuller sweetness from the additional fermentables. Beer styles that were merely robust a band earlier become bold: bigger IPAs and the first double/New England IPAs, export and foreign extra stouts, substantial Belgian dubbels and bocks, strong ambers and reds. They are beers that make an impression — beers that declare themselves.

The maze of balance

Strength creates another challenge for the brewer — too much audibly strong ale, and the result is a beer which is too hot, harsh or overly sweet. The best of the Minotaurs manage to conceal their strength; they have a 6-point-something percentage of alcohol in such perfect balance that you are surprised at the strength that comes creeping into you under cover of malts and fruit and hops rather than shouting through them. The maze of keeping a big beer balanced and drinkable is certainly one for the brewer to navigate.

Beers to reflect on

This is where beer demands some of your attention rather than merely your company. A 6.5% IPA or a Belgian dubbel is a beer you should take your time over and think about, not slam back down your throat; it is an evening's focus more than an evening's accompaniment. It is here that the quantity of a beer moves over into the realm of the special occasion, and the Atlas beer becomes a true monster.

Below is whatever Hop Horizons has logged in the 6.0–6.9% range, ranked and broken down strength by strength.

This category at a glance

4164
Unique beers
4002
Scored
60.6%
Mean score
62.1%
Median score
128
Styles
1481
Breweries
64
Countries

Score range 8.78%–86.72%, standard deviation 11.23 (population, over 4002 scored beers). Most common style: New World IPA (1129). Most represented country: England.

Top beers across 6.0–6.9%

Unique beers by exact strength

1449
6.0
162
6.1
383
6.2
191
6.3
196
6.4
1021
6.5
186
6.6
152
6.7
297
6.8
127
6.9

Average score by exact strength

Bars are on a 0–100% scale; a missing bar (—) means no scored beers at that strength, not a score of zero.

58.1
6.0
59.6
6.1
59.7
6.2
60.7
6.3
61.3
6.4
62.6
6.5
62.8
6.6
62.9
6.7
62.9
6.8
63.6
6.9

Style distribution

New World IPA
1129 (27.1%)
New England IPA
307 (7.4%)
Belgian-style pale ale
199 (4.8%)
cider
175 (4.2%)
sour beer
167 (4.0%)
saison
115 (2.8%)
DDH IPA
112 (2.7%)
New World pale ale
91 (2.2%)
New World porter
84 (2.0%)
traditional stout
75 (1.8%)
traditional strong ale
67 (1.6%)
traditional IPA
64 (1.5%)
Other (116 styles)
1579 (37.9%)

Every strength in this range

6.0% ABV

1449 unique beers · average score 58.12% · 61 not yet scored

Show all 1388 scored beers at 6.0%
6.1% ABV

162 unique beers · average score 59.63% · 7 not yet scored

Show all 155 scored beers at 6.1%
6.2% ABV

383 unique beers · average score 59.74% · 17 not yet scored

Show all 366 scored beers at 6.2%
6.3% ABV

191 unique beers · average score 60.68% · 6 not yet scored

Show all 185 scored beers at 6.3%
6.4% ABV

196 unique beers · average score 61.28% · 10 not yet scored

Show all 186 scored beers at 6.4%
6.5% ABV

1021 unique beers · average score 62.58% · 27 not yet scored

Prime territory for the bigger IPA and Belgian dubbels... strong enough to have real warmth and weight. Balanced enough to still drink beautifully. Some of the most characterful strong beers in the collection cluster right around here.
Show all 994 scored beers at 6.5%
6.6% ABV

186 unique beers · average score 62.78% · 7 not yet scored

Show all 179 scored beers at 6.6%
6.7% ABV

152 unique beers · average score 62.86% · 8 not yet scored

Show all 144 scored beers at 6.7%
6.8% ABV

297 unique beers · average score 62.90% · 13 not yet scored

Show all 284 scored beers at 6.8%
6.9% ABV

127 unique beers · average score 63.63% · 6 not yet scored

Show all 121 scored beers at 6.9%
← The Griffins
Atlas hub
The Manticores →