Samuel Adams Utopias (2015)
Samuel Adams Utopias (2015) is an American Strong Ale, 28% ABV. Huge thanks to Lee for dropping the big bucks on this bucket list beer. I’ll let the Samuel Adams website tell the story of this unique beer: brewed in small limited batches, each their own blend of different vintages. We brew Utopias at a very high gravity using a wide variety of malted barley and a touch of maple syrup… Inspired by whiskey makers, we took the barrel aging process for Utopias to another level by utilizing… a blend of scotch, bourbon, port and cognac casks from the award-winning Buffalo Trace Distillery.
There is so much to love about just the packaging of this beer! It comes in a painted ceramic bottle shaped like a copper brewing fermenter. It is designed to be resealed and enjoyed over the course of time, so the esthetic quality of the bottle is fantastic.
The beer is served at room temperature and pours with a surprisingly clear dark caramel color, highlights of golden orange and red, similar to a good bourbon of cognac. I was really expecting something a bit cloudier for some reason. Much like a distilled liquor this malt beverage has no carbonation. The aroma is an intense collection alcohol, raisin, caramel, cherry, hints of chocolate and roast. The initial taste brings a strong soy sauce saltiness that quickly fades to a reasonable level. This is followed by some burnt raisin and sweeter caramel/toffee notes. Random notes of spice appear and disappear with each sip. This drinks so much like a pour of high quality liquor, but it still manages to retain the base qualities of a beer.
An amazing and unique drinking experience, thanks again, Lee. This is not a beer experience I will soon forget!
