Sam Adams - Utopias 2021
All Proceeds Go To Charity
BEER AT ITS MOST SPIRITED
We make Utopias to challenge the perception of what beer can be. This boundary bending, barrel-aged beer blurs the line between beer and fine spirit. At 28%, it’s the badass of our brewery. Its reputation puts it on every beer drinker’s bucket-list.
CHERRIES, INCLUDING BALATON CHERRIES
Balaton Cherries are Michigan-grown cherries admired for their slightly sweet, tart taste. Aging our finished blend on this unique fruit gives the 2021 Utopias enhanced black cherry and dark fruit flavor, with hints of maple and vanilla. For the first time we also aged a portion of this blend in Sauternes French Oak Wine casks, which brings subtle notes of honeyed apricot and caramel to the rich layers of flavor. 28% ABV.
Each release we hand-select single-use bourbon casks from our friends at the award-winning Buffalo Trace Distillery. The beer then ages even longer in a variety of spirit barrels including Bourbon, Wine, Port, and more, each gifting their unique flavors and history to Utopias. For 2021, we used a combination of 86 different barrels. We began barrel-aging beer in 1993 with the Triple Bock. Today, our techniques have led to the lunatic fringe of brewing, one of the oldest, strongest, most extreme beers in the world.
A POTENT RESERVE, HELD FOR YEARS.
Some of the beer in this extreme reserve spends up to 30 years in bourbon barrels, which makes for a pretty tough customer. It’s inefficient, but the long road to your glass means Utopias has earned a complex character for a drinking experience above the ordinary.
BREWED COLLABORATIVELY ACROSS SAM ADAMS BREWERIES
Utopias is a true community effort. Our head brewers want it to pass through every Sam Adams brewery. We brew, age, and blend in various locations across the country, before a time-intensive hand-bottling process where we personally make sure each bottle of Utopias is given special attention.
A VARIETY OF EXTRAORDINARY YEASTS
Yeast: exhilarating right? We agree, and it gets pretty radical when it comes to Utopias. We use multiple yeast strains to make this beer, which is rare in brewing. We include one typically reserved for champagne, as well as another that’s such a ruffian we call it “ninja yeast,” created for its ability to survive and keep fermenting in extremely high alcohol environments like Utopias.
METICULOUSLY CRAFTED
It takes a lot to make a beer that’s...well, a lot. Utopias is our craft maverick, brewed for the adventurous drinkers who need a premium craft beer experience. We spare not time, expense, or effort to create the most renowned and sought-after extreme beer you can get.
THE BLEND IS THE SECRET
BLENDED TO PERFECTION
Each Utopias we explore uncharted territory with new blending techniques. And each new Utopias blend is made from an array of earlier years, some of the extreme beers already aged up-to 30 years. We finish the blend in still another variety casks that deepen the final flavor.
FOR THE LOVE OF BEER
THE PEOPLE BEHIND UTOPIAS
This beer is just as special to all of us at Sam Adams as to you. For our brewers, it’s a passion project. For Sam Admas employees, it’s tradition. Since Utopias was first released, each ceramic bottle gets a number on the bottom that corresponds with the order in which they were hired. Founder and Brewer Jim Koch gets bottle number 1, of course.
ENJOY EVERY SIP
Utopias drinks like no other beer on the planet. Serve at room temperature and an ounce or two of this ruby-black liquid into Utopias glass or brandy snifter. Sip, savor, appreciate.
A deep rich malty smoothness reminiscent of a vintage Port, Cognac, or fine Sherry. 2021 is cherry focused. You’ll notice black cherry and dark fruits, maple and vanilla, and delicate layers of honeyed apricot and caramel.
Because of the high alcohol content, Utopias requires unique distribution. Samuel Adams Utopias can be found at select specialty beer, wine and liquor stores. We suggest you call up your favorite to see if they have a bottle. It sells for a suggested retail price of $240 per bottle. Price varies by market and, where the law allows it to be sold, availability is limited. Enjoy the hunt. That’s what makes life so interesting.