Photo: Sam Adams.
"This is the Starship Enterprise of beers," says Jim Koch, founder of Sam Adams. "We're taking beer where beer has never gone before."
Since the weightlifter-strength Utopias (yes, the plural is correct) first appeared in 2002, they've demonstrated that beer can be as complex and warming as port. Each biannual release (2003, 2005, etc.) is concocted from a blend of beers made with caramel and Munich malts, then aged in scotch, bourbon or perhaps sherry wooden barrels -- each year's recipe is slightly tweaked, though the sky-high ABV remains the same.
But we've blathered too much about the booze. Does Utopias deliver in the taste department? Yes, but only if you alter your definition of beer. The latest batch (limited to 10,000 bottles and costing an eye-bulging $150) pours a thick, cloudy caramel with no carbonation. There's an intense aroma of oak and maple syrup, backed by vanilla-drenched dark fruit. The taste follows the smell, finishing with a sweet, warm bloom that recalls an after-dinner brandy.
This isn't beer. This isn't booze. This is utopia.
Joshua M. Bernstein has written about brews, bars and booze for New York Magazine, Time Out New York, ForbesTraveler.com and the New York Times.
Think Utopias is too expensive? A worth-it splurge? Spill your thoughts in the comments.
11-17-2009 @12:39AM Laura K said... Supposedly they occasionally give tastings of Utopias if you take the brewery tour in Jamaica Plain. But all the times I went on the tour (which is awesome) they never had it. I guess you have to get lucky.
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12-28-2009 @2:56PM Kyle said... They do occasionally offer tastings at the brewery, but only at special event tours. If you are on their newsletter and volunteer for special surveys and customer feedback, you will sometimes get an invite to these events. However, they don't always offer the Utopias. They have only offered it at one of these that I know of.
11-17-2009 @11:27AM Eric Tsuei said... Agreed
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11-17-2009 @12:07PM jason said... they were pouring utopias at the great american beer festival this year. it was pretty good. not something i'm going to rush out and buy (retailing for $200 at a wine merchant nearby), but definitely a must for serious collectors.
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11-17-2009 @4:01PM foxdude0486 said... On a day when I can throw away the money to purchase it, I may get a bottle. I may then spend years wondering when I should pop it open to actually give it a taste and finally see whether the money was worth it.
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11-20-2009 @4:42PM Grammar freak said... I've had it. It's truly incredible, it tastes more like a scotch. Probably the best bet for you to taste it is at a BeerAdvocate Extreme Beer Fest in Boston. I've been to a few of those.. Jim Koch is usually there too (hammered).
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11-21-2009 @11:03AM vlad said... Although I have never had the beer, I work in a major liquor store that is going to receive the Utopia. We are getting 1 bottle after ordering 2-5 cases, with a line out the door of people wanting to buy it. Way to screw over your fans Koch! From now on I will never recommend Sam Adams to anyone as a suggestion in hopes that in years to come those bottles will just sit on shelves collecting dust.
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11-24-2009 @6:56PM shaun said... Found a couple bottles in Tampa, FL. The place wants $250 a bottle for them. I actually spoke to an employee that admitted they started at $180 and then a corporate e-mail went out to raise the price once they were close to selling out. I'm a big fan of Sam Adams, but I can't bring myself to submit and pay over double what the MSRP is.
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11-28-2009 @10:30PM I know more than you said... Jason...I highly doubt they would waste the product at the beer fest especially in light of a serving size being valued more than your admission ticket.
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12-05-2009 @2:21PM dickn2000b said... Perhaps I'm a bit ignorant when it comes to alcoholic beverage lingo, but I'll bet I'm not the only one, and so it's my opinion that Mr. Bernstein, the author of this (mercifuly) brief and uninforative article, should have explained, for we who are not knowledgable, exactly what IPAs and ABV's are. Without that critical knowledge his entire article is meaningless.
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12-05-2009 @2:24PM Joshua M. Bernstein said... IPAs are common parlance for India Pale Ales, a type of bitter beer. ABV is alcohol by volume -- in other words, how strong the beer is.
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12-10-2009 @8:03PM wurknews said... Its really good stuff
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIIX8L90xFo
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12-05-2009 @2:40PM John L said... Would really like to try it but $150.00 is out of sight.
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12-05-2009 @2:34PM JIM said... I'd rather have a fine scotch at half the price. No beer is worth $150 a bottle. It's an exotic indulgence, and I can think of a LOT of things more fun for $150. And last longer.
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12-05-2009 @3:40PM swanny said... this is not to knock Mr.Koch or his brewing talent...10,000 "BEER" drinkers can't be wrong.Does it come with a warranty?
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12-05-2009 @3:40PM mary said... i work in a liquor store we have 1 bottle going for159.00
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12-05-2009 @3:40PM Richard Looney said... My wife and I had an opportunity to try Utopia last night for a $20 - 2oz pour (at the Yardhouse in Honolulu). Our first reaction was that it tasted much like a higher end Tawney Port - which we both tend to love. After that first swallow, the "beer" taste came through more and more. What was also interesting was what we thought we detected in the nose of Utopia - alot like "pecan pie" with hints of pecans and caramel.
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12-05-2009 @4:47PM rggirt said... Here we go again, big brother, some govt. jerk decides to ban a beer. He and the govt. agents are not my parents and can go straight to hell. I would never pay more than $1 for a bottle or glass of beer, regardless of what you call it. Only a fool would waste money on utopias, but that's none of the govt. business!!
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12-05-2009 @4:35PM CINDY said... Cool bottle!!! I'd really love to try it out, but way to expensive!! Do they charge that much for the beer itself, or the bottle it comes in?? I guess only wealthy people will be drinking this stuff on a regular basis!! And they didn't say which states it was banned in. I'd be curious to know.
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12-05-2009 @4:43PM PattyO said... In these economic times it's the height of poor taste to advertise a $150+ BOTTLE OF BEER! Anyone who can afford it already knows where to get it if they want it, and the rest of us working people don't want our faces rubbed in it. Way to be out of touch, Jim!
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