The Return Of Sam Adams Utopias, And Why It’s So Crazy

Written By: The Gnarly Gnome

You’ve heard about this “Extreme Beer” plenty of times. News outlets love to remind you that Boston Beer’s Utopias is illegal in something like fifteen different states… but that’s not doing this incredible beer the justice that it deserves. Hopefully, I can give you a glimpse behind the curtain to help you understand why, every two years, as the brewery celebrates its release, I get pretty excited about it!

As it returns… It’s worth it to get excited – and I want to help you understand why.

The Origins Of Utopias

Before we can truly understand Sam Adams Utopias, we must revisit the late 1990s or early 2000s and recall the state of the craft beer industry at the time. There was a beer arms race taking place at that time, with folks attempting to make bigger, hoppier, boozier beers than their counterparts… and right in the middle of that was a little brewery called Boston Beer, or better known to us as Sam Adams.

They released a series of beers that pushed the line of what a traditionally brewed beer could be, both with higher and higher alcohol percentages, but also maintaining a full flavor that was actually enjoyable to drink. These beers, Triple Bock, Millennium… they were beers that didn’t just bend style categories, they bent the actual definitions of what was possible with beer.

What IS Sam Adams Utopias, And How Is It Made?

It must be made clear from the outset that Sam Adams Utopias is a traditionally brewed beer. That’s a massive reason that this stuff is so freaking fascinating. While Boston Beer was figuring out ways to push the limits of what people thought was able to be done with the brewing and barrel-aging process, other breweries were taking the “easy” way out by adding in distilled spirits to their beers or by freeze distilling them to make them a lot stronger.

It’s a far cry from the process that Sam Adams pioneered.

They have spent, now, literally decades training their own yeast to survive in higher and higher alcohol environments, allowing it to ferment their beer up to the high ABV. From there, Utopias heads into an extensive barrel-aging process that includes not just fresh Bourbon barrels, but also a series of other barrels that change depending on what profiles they’re hoping to give every unique batch. Some of these barrels date back to the original extreme beers released more than 25 years ago.

Every single batch of Utopias is big, bold, delicious, but very different from the previous release. I LOVE getting them side by side when a new one is released and trying them again side by side.

Side by side? That brings up another topic.

Does Sam Adams Utopias Go Bad?

Not only is Sam Adams Utopias very much like a brandy or port in its flavor profile, but it also behaves similarly in the bottle. The increased alcohol content of the beer protects it once the resealable bottle is open. It’s not carbonated, so you don’t have to worry about the beer losing some fizziness – and even once open, it will be just fine for years to come.

I love keeping some bottles of it on hand to share with folks who visit my home bar and haven’t had a chance to try it before.

I’m sure that there are some flavor changes as the beer mixes with oxygen in the bottle, but it’s never been a dramatic enough change that I’m able to tell a difference.

So… does it “go bad”? Nope. It sure doesn’t

Is Utopias Worth It?

This is a personal opinion; keep that in mind. We’re talking about a groundbreaking, one-of-a-kind beverage in a collectible ceramic bottle. It’s released only once every two years, and each one is unique.

Does that warrant the higher price tag versus your standard Boston Lager in the cooler of your favorite beer store? I’d say absolutely it does. How much more that number is for you is obviously something that I can’t answer for you… But if you want a unique experience, I’d encourage you to give it a try.

If the sticker shock is a little tough for you to deal with, a lot of folks I know have a tactic that has proven to be a good solution – getting a few friends together to share a bottle, each chipping in an equal part of the cost. It makes sense, because after all… Utopias tastes better when enjoyed with good friends.