For the past 10 years, American brewer Samuel Adams has been releasing special biennial “event” beers in its Utopia range.
Utopia beers are created to push the boundaries of craft beer. This year’s release is priced at $199 a bottle and has an ABV of 28% … which means it’s illegal to sell it in 12 states of America. Just 13,000 bottles will be distributed.
What makes the brew unique is that it isn’t carbonated due to the high alcohol content, it’s also blended and aged in a multi-step, time-intensive and complex process.
The beer starts with a special blend of two-row pale malt combined with Munich and Caramel 60 malts that impart a rich, ruby color. Three varieties of German Noble hops – Spalt Spalter, Hallertau Mittelfrueh, and Tettnang Tettnanger – are added to balance the sweetness of the malt. After the beer is brewed, special yeast strains are added, including one typically reserved for champagne and a “ninja yeast,” created for its ability to survive and continue fermenting in an environment that has such a high alcohol level.
The brew is reminiscent of a rich vintage Port, old Cognac, or fine Sherry with notes of dark fruit, subtle sweetness, and a deep rich malty smoothness.
The 2017 release is a blend of batches, some having been aged up to 24 years in a variety of barrels. To create this year’s one-of-a-kind vintage, the 2017 recipe includes Utopias aged in a variety of barrels including new Scandinavian Aquavit barrels as well as a portion of the final blend aged in Moscat barrels, a first time for the beer.
“My original idea for Utopias was to push the boundaries of craft beer by brewing an extreme beer that was unlike anything any brewer had conceived,” said Jim Koch, founder of Boston Beer Co., the parent firm of Samuel Adams, in a statement. ” I’m proud to present to drinkers this lunatic fringe of extreme beer worthy of the Utopias name.”
Each batch is sold in a ceramic bottle resembling a copper-finished brewing kettle.
