A beer so high in ABV that it’s illegal in 15 states, Samuel Adams Utopias is back for 2023.
The 13th release in this line clocks in at 28% ABV. Its ruby black color and lack of carbonation suggest a vintage port, while its high alcohol level begins to approach a Cognac.
“We are delighted to announce the arrival of Utopias 2023, which continues our tradition of surprising beer lovers,” says Samuel Adams Founder and Brewer Jim Koch. “It is brewed not distilled, and it is definitely beer!”
“In the 1990s, the big brewers competed to make lighter and lighter beers, but I was drawn to the darker, richer end of the beer spectrum,” he adds. “We brewed Samuel Adams Double Bock in 1988, and then a Triple Bock in 1994. These beers are pioneers in the Extreme Beer movement. After the 1999 release of Millenium, we challenged ourselves to create an even stronger, more distinctive beer. Enter Utopias in 2001!”
Now released every two years, Utopias is a blend of multiple batches of the brewery’s earlier Extreme Beers, which age further in multiple types of barrels. Utopias has always aged in charred whiskey casks, and this year the Sam Adams brewers expanded the kinds of barrels to explore different flavors.
In addition to American bourbon barrels, the brewery used imported Scotch and peated whisky barrels. Peated Scotch barrels added a note of smoke, according to the brewery, while Ruby Port and Carcavelos casks from Portugal and Cognac barrels from France brought dark fruit notes. New to Utopias 2023 are barrels from Pineau des Charentes: a fortified French aperitif wine from western France.
Utopias is brewed and fermented at the Samuel Adams Cincinnati Brewery, moved to the cask room at the Samuel Adams Pennsylvania Brewery for aging, then sampled and blended with previous vintage Utopias in the Samuel Adams Bier Keller at the Boston Brewery. Finally, it ships to the Dogfish Head Brewery in Delaware for bottling.
Utopias comes packaged in ceramic bottles made by Brazilian artisans that look like a classic copper brew kettle.
This barrel-aged beer has recommended serving size of a two-ounce pour at room temperature in a sniffer. Samuel Adams Utopias 2023 rolls out to select retailers starting October 30 for a suggested retail price of $240 per 24.5-oz. bottle.
Many states have laws regulating the maximum legal ABV for beer. Accordingly, Samuel Adams Utopias 2023 is illegal in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont and West Virginia.
This follows news of Samuel Adams seeing two of its other brands enter our Beer Growth Brands Hall of Fame this year.
