Samuel Adams Utopias returns: Super-strong beer illegal in 15 states available again

Mike Snider, USA TODAY
·3 min read
Samuel Adams Utopias has earned its reputation as one of the world’s strongest and sought-after beers. Released every two years, the 28 percent ABV can be found at select specialty beer and liquor stores starting October 30 (suggested retail price of $240 per 24.5-ounce bottle) – but not in every state. It's so strong it's prohibited in 15 states.
Samuel Adams Utopias has earned its reputation as one of the world’s strongest and sought-after beers. Released every two years, the 28 percent ABV can be found at select specialty beer and liquor stores starting October 30 (suggested retail price of $240 per 24.5-ounce bottle) – but not in every state. It's so strong it's prohibited in 15 states.

Boston Beer Company has again released its malty monster: Samuel Adams Utopias, which weighs in at 28 % alcohol by volume.

Yes, your typical hazy IPA sports an ABV of less than 7 %, while a bourbon barrel-aged stout may approach 14% ABV or more, but Samuel Adams Utopias is a beer so strong, it is prohibited in 15 states in the U.S.

Utopias, which has a suggested price of $240 for the 24.5-ounce bottle and is now arriving in select beer and liquor stores, isn't your typical beer.

It doesn't taste like a beer and is characterized as being more like a cognac or port. You don't chill Utopias, you drink it in small servings at room temperature, preferably in a snifter.

"There is nothing like it on the planet," Cincinnati beer news site The Gnarly Gnome said about the 2021 release (the beer is released every other year). "Not only was this beer a pioneer in barrel-aging and blending techniques for beer, the actual product itself is freaking stunning. Layers upon layers of bold but nuanced flavors await the drinker. You can enjoy a bottle of this an ounce at a time for years. Like spirits, this un-carbonated beer can be opened and enjoyed without worry of spoilage."

How does Boston Beer Co. make Samuel Adams Utopias?

Samuel Adams founder Jim Koch conjured up the Utopias beer after helping push the extreme beer category in the 1990s. While big brewers were trying to make lighter beers, "I was drawn to the darker, richer end of the spectrum," Koch said in a statement. "We brewed Samuel Adams Double Bock in 1988, and then a Triple Bock in 1994. These beers are pioneers in the Extreme Beer movement. After the 1999 release of Millenium (a 21% ABV strong ale), we challenged ourselves to create an even stronger, more distinctive beer. Enter Utopias in 2001!”

Utopias is a blend of various batches of the brewery’s earlier extreme beers, which have been aged in multiple types of barrels. The 2023 Utopias were aged in charred American bourbon barrels, imported peated Scotch whisky barrels, port and cognac barrels from Portugal and France, respectively, and barrels that previously held Pineau des Charentes, a rare aperitif wine from western France.

After the beer is brewed and fermented at the Samuel Adams Cincinnati Brewery, it is moved and aged at the Samuel Adams Pennsylvania Brewery. Then, at Samuel Adams Bier Keller at the Boston Brewery the beer is sampled and blended with previous vintage Utopias.

Lastly, the beer is shipped to the Dogfish Head Brewery in Delaware – Boston Beer and Dogfish Head merged in 2019 – for bottling in the iconic ceramic bottles that resemble a classic copper brew kettle.

"It is brewed not distilled, and it is definitely beer," Koch said.

Why is Samuel Adams Utopias prohibited in 15 states?

Samuel Adams Utopias has earned its reputation as one of the world’s strongest and sought-after beers. Released every two years, the 28 percent ABV can be found at select specialty beer and liquor stores starting October 30 (suggested retail price of $240 per 24.5-ounce bottle) – but not in every state. It's so strong it's prohibited in 15 states.
Samuel Adams Utopias has earned its reputation as one of the world’s strongest and sought-after beers. Released every two years, the 28 percent ABV can be found at select specialty beer and liquor stores starting October 30 (suggested retail price of $240 per 24.5-ounce bottle) – but not in every state. It's so strong it's prohibited in 15 states.

Even though Utopias is not as strong as most spirits – for instance, Jack Daniels Whiskey and Santo Blanco Tequilas each are 80 proof, which equates to alcohol by volume of 40% – many state laws outlaw beers that go above a certain ABV.

States that can't sell Samuel Adams Utopias include Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, and West Virginia.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Samuel Adams brings back Utopias: Strong beer prohibited in 15 states