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(Courtesy Samuel Adams)
On October 14, Boston Beer, home to the Samuel Adams brand, will release its 2021 Utopias beer. And even if you could afford it (this monster retails for $240 this year and some stores will even mark it up higher) its alcohol count is so high, at least for a beer, that its banned in 15 states.
By law, Utopias cannot be sold in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, and West Virginia.
And while Utopias is banned in a number of southern states, who historically have been the last to update their Post-Prohibition alcohol regulations, it’s sobering to note that it’s also illegal in Oregon and New Hampshire, two states with rich craft beer cultures.
Maybe the problem is Utopias itself…
It’s marketed as beer but it really owes more to vintage port or sherry. Due to its high 28% ABV (alcohol by volume) which effectively consumes any available CO2, this beer has no detectable carbonation. Yes, it’s malt-forward but it lays on the tongue more like cognac than any beer you’ve ever had.
This biennial “beer” evolves with every release and this year’s batch is no different.
Utopias is always made from a blend of barrel-aged, cask-conditioned beers. Some of those beers have been aging for almost three decades. Others half that, and some for not more than a year.
In addition to aging in bourbon barrels, brewers also blended in beers that spent time resting in a combination of Carcavelos, Madeira, Ruby Port, and Sherry Oloroso barrels. And for the very first time Sam Adams brewers added in a blend aged in Sauternes French oak wine casks this year.
According to Samuel Adams the 2021 batch was finished on 2,000 pounds of Michigan Balaton cherries which adds a slight sweetness and touch of tart flavor to the mix.
“We pioneered the barrel-aging and blending process of Utopias almost thirty years ago and continue that time-honored tradition today,” said Jim Koch, founder and brewer of Samuel Adams…
“Since the introduction of Utopias in 2002, brewers have explored uncharted territory with each brew, experimenting with different kinds of aging barrels, new flavors, and different blending techniques. The result is always special and worth waiting for.”
