This beer is not only strong but it is an investment too. The suggested retail price is $240.
Samuel Adams is taking the term “getting buzzed” to another level. The beer brand’s 2021 Utopias beer, available beginning October 11, has a 28% alcohol content.
The press release describes it as tasting slightly sweet with a touch of tart. Utopias are barrel-aged and finished on 2,000 pounds of cherries, including Michigan Balaton cherries. It also has notes of honeyed apricot and caramel.
Sam Adams Utopias come out every two years, and they explain that this 12th edition is a blend of multiple batches of beers. Some of the beer has even aged in wooden bourbon casks for almost thirty years.
"We pioneered the barrel-aging and blending process of Utopias almost thirty years ago and continue that time-honored tradition today," Jim Koch, founder, and brewer of Samuel Adams said in a statement.
"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, spirited, and worth waiting for.”
And even though it’s worth waiting for, it’s an investment: The suggested retail price is $240.
Luckily, it's not meant to chug, so although expensive, it should last longer.
“Utopias is meant to be sipped and savored on momentous occasions,” Samuel Adams notes. “It's best served at room temperature with a glass that amplifies its aroma and flavor, such as a small-bowled cognac or snifter glass.”
But not everyone can go to their local pub or liquor store to purchase this beverage. Because the alcohol content is so high, it is illegal and not shipped to Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, and West Virginia.
Even if it is available in a state, it still may be hard to find as only 13,000 bottles are brewed every year.
