Sam Adams Utopias - Beer of the Week

by Joshua M. Bernstein, Posted Nov 16th 2009 @ 5:00PM

Photo: Sam Adams.

Nowadays, liquor store shelves sag beneath with double IPAs and imperial stouts -- flavorful, potent brews with ABVs that often hit 10 percent and above. But these beers are as innocuous as apple juice when compared with Samuel Adams' Utopias, which clock in at a liquor-like 27 percent ABV, giving the brew an "extreme" label. Thirteen states have banned its sale.

"This is the Starship Enterprise of beers," says Jim Koch, founder of Sam Adams. "We're taking beer where beer has never gone before."

Do you think Utopias is worth the hefty price tag?
Absolutely, it's unlike any beer on the market	34 (40.5%)
For a special occasion only	35 (41.7%)
No way, I couldn't tell the difference	15 (17.9%)

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.

Filed Under: Drink Recipes
Tags: beer, beer of the week, BeerOfTheWeek, sam adams, sam adams utopias, SamAdams, SamAdamsUtopias, samuel adams, samuel adams utopias, SamuelAdams, SamuelAdamsUtopias

Chew on This

Royal Wedding Cake Details Revealed! - YumSugar

Make Your Own Pop Tarts - CHOW
Denny's Introduces a Maple Bacon Sundae - Eater
Whole Foods Opening Bars in Stores - USA Today
Rules Of Bar Etiquette -- For The Bartender - HuffPost Food

Reader comments (Page 3 of 3)

12-28-2009 @2:58PM THC said... Oh yeah all the "high Price" people on here, you get what you pay for!!!! That's why you are happy with the .50 cent budwieser. You don't mind drinking crap, which is what you payed for.

If you don't like the price good for you, get over it though, one comment regarding the high price is sufficient, 20 comments is beating a dead horse voer and over again. How about I post "Coors is the crapiest cheapest beer there is" overr and over and over... THe point is understood very well after the first comment, negating the need fo further complaint!
Reply

Vote upVote downReport

12-28-2009 @3:48PM THC said... Utopias is amazing and I have had several bottles, however I have always had a mini party to enjoy it with family and or friends. This year I want to try and open the bottle take a few sips and save it. Anyone out there treid this before? I am worried about oxidization? I know it is 27% alcohol and oxidization at this high of level alcohol is not a uge worry to me, but I am unsure if I should purge the oxygen after opening the bottle with C02 beofre I re-seal it? Anyone know ho long it will last after being opened and re-selaed? Any info woul dbe greatly appreciated.

Oh yeah at GABF it is a hard task to get in line and get a taste of Utopias befor eit is all swilled away!!! If you go, they only serve it during teh AHA memebrs only session right after the awards ceremony.
Reply