The Boston Beer Company/Samuel Adams- Utopias- Want to know what really expensive beer tastes like… yeah me too!
Tuesday, September 13, 2011 at 6:16PM | by Wes 
Sometimes you get to try something that is less of an experiment and more of an experience. For years I have been vastly intrigued by Sam Adam's Utopias. Utopias is a 27% ABV bi-annual release that has been barrel aged up to EIGHTEEN YEARS. Unfortunately, at $150 dollars per bottle, it has always been a little cost prohibitive. Luckily my buddy Ryan and his wife Amy (Go Blue!) purchased a bottle do to the culmination of a lifelong goal. Ryan was gracious enough to offer Utopias up for a recent Chicago visit for a joint celebration of our upcoming 30th B-day milestones as well as some other amazing (but confidential) news. Let the unveiling begin…
Utopias pours like a cognac in more ways then one. It has no discernable carbonation and absolutely no head. The aroma is alcohol on top of alcohol. You literally have to sniff this brew from a safe distance. There are definitive notes of cedar, oak vanilla, whiskey, and rye. The hue is a kaleidoscope of mahogany, amber, and ruby with a yellow outer ring that stares like the eye of a mischievous Cheshire Cat. It also coats the glass in a viscous layer reminiscent of a high end port.
The experience of drinking Utopias is very similar to the first time Jason got laid: excitement, nervousness, intimidation, anxiety and it cost 150 bucks. Hoisting Utopias to your lips requires you to hold your breath (literally) and take a deep breath. The initial flavor is a sweet cherry flood mixed with notes of dry wood and vanilla. This brew is made with maple syrup and that is the flavor that resides after the alcohol punch fades. The final backside is a nutty, pecan toasted after burn that caps off the most robust and complex beer I have ever tasted. There is just the faintest hint of malt that lets you know that this is actually a beer.
Utopias is a sipper. It took Ryan and I about 30 minutes each to drink five ounces. I would be willing to bet that 99% of people would never guess that this was technically a beer even with a gun held to their heads. Overall, I found Utopias to be an extremely enjoyable experience. Craft beers like this are important for a couple of reasons. Firstly, they push the art of brewing to new boundaries which expands notions and conceptualizations of what “beer” can truly be. Just as importantly, this beer does what great craft beer is meant to do: attach itself to a memory. I will never forget this weekend because of all the anticipation around this monumental tasting. I was able indulge in an amazing experience with awesome friends. Utopias has cemented itself into the foundation of a memory I will always cherish and for that no higher praise can ever me granted. Cheers Sam Adams… you created the catalyst for an awesome night with genuine people and that my friend… is priceless.
ABV: 27%
Consumed: Globe Glass
Verdict: Buy a Keg!
