Sam Adams Utopias: At $120 and 27% Alcohol, A Beer Lover’s Holy Grail
by Chef Evan | November 9, 2009 - 12:15pm | 1 comment - 19 readsThere was fried cheese and bacon on a stick. Mini lobster rolls, scallops, braised short ribs, and the richest sticky toffee pudding I've ever had. The food, prepared by Chef Craig Koketsu, paired very well with the eight different Sam Adams beers we were served. Most bros don't know it but there is a hidden, almost magnetic attraction that pulls us toward each other. Conversations about beer, food, and football bring dudes around like animals to a watering hole. My table had a NYC tour guide, a lawyer, two freelance writers, a graphic designer, a math teacher, and an older woman with the most interesting PR stories from the early days of Sam Adams. Six guys who had never met were brought together by the power of good conversation and great beer. The Utopias itself was amazing. Weighing in at an impressive 27 percent alcohol (illegal in 13 states due to beer alcohol content rules), the brandy-like beer/spirit (beer-it?) had hints of roasted malt, coffee, rich spices, dark fruit, and, most of all, maple syrup. "I want to pour this on my pancakes," was my first though (what would Waffles McButter have thought of it, I wonder?), followed quickly by, "ohmygodgimmemorenow!" With Utopias, Koch wanted to push the boundaries of what beer could be; the 2009 batch, a blend of brews, some up to 13 years old and some aged in bourbon, sherry, Madiera, brandy and/or cognac casks, blew the doors off the hinges. Retailing for $120, this is the most expensive beer you'll probably never buy. There are only about 10,000 bottles released every two years. You can pick one up on eBay for about $320 dollars if you've got that kind of scrilla to just throw around. But more than how good the beer tastes, good beer is drank in good company over good conversation. How much I enjoy a beer depends largely on the situation in which I'm drinking it; and I've never had a bad time drinking Sam Adams.
They release a barrel of this stuff at the great american beer festival in denver. Quite possibly one of the most bro events ever. A convention center filled with 1000’s of different beers. Need I say more