Article written by Tina Danze

Most people can't imagine paying $294.99 for a bottle of beer. But six North Texans consider themselves lucky to snag a 9-liter bottle of Piraat Ale for that price at Sigel's Fine Wine and Great Spirits.

The beer is a limited release from Belgium's Van Steenberge Brewery; only 10 bottles were allocated in Texas.

We caught up with David Eishen of Duncanville, who picked his up on Thursday. Picture taken by SONYA N. HEBERT/DMN

"You look for the things that are unusual, and Piraat is one of the most highly valued beers in the world," he said. He plans to share it with a group of friends.

Piraat Ale is a Belgian strong (tripel) ale, in the India Pale Ale style. Because it undergoes a secondary fermentation in the bottle after packaging, the beer has a lot of carbonation and pours a big, foamy head. Its flavor is complex and rich, with a spicy sweetness balanced by bitter hops.

Although the 9-liter bottles are gone, you can still buy a 750-ml. cork-finished bottle for $14.99 at select Sigel's stores (Greenville Avenue and North Fitzhugh locations in Dallas, the Inwood Road location in Addison and the Centennial Boulevard location in Richardson). The per-ounce cost goes down if you buy the 11.2- ounce bottles, which sell for $6.49 each, or $17.99 for a four-pack at Sigel's on Greenville and in Addison. The small bottle is not cork-finished.

The lucky handful who got the big bottles can count on getting about 25 servings of ale.

Tina Danze