Samuel Adams Releases 2015 Batch of Extreme Barrel-aged Beer, Samuel Adams Utopias

For beer fanatics, Samuel Adams Utopias has become one of the most sought-after beers on earth. Meant to be savored like a fine cognac or port, Utopias is a rich, uncarbonated extreme beer known for its extraordinary flavor profile. Utopias has aromas of wood, toffee, cocoa, raisin and maple, which hint at its distinctive flavors, which range from hints of molasses, earthy wood, dates, and light smoke to nuts and toffee.

 

With each new batch of Utopias, the brewers at Sam Adams push for a complex flavor profile, and during this process have created brews with alcohol levels reaching over 30% ABV; this year's beer is 28% ABV and is best enjoyed as a two ounce pour in a snifter glass at room temperature. While some of the barrels have reached over 30% alcohol, the brewers blend down because the goal is to craft complex flavors, not an extreme alcohol percentage.

 

About the Barrel-Aging Process

For the 2015 Utopias, the Sam Adams brewers used a variety of malts for the brewing process and during fermentation used several strains of yeast, including one traditionally reserved for champagne. The beer was then blended with Utopias vintages from previous years including some that have been aging for more than 20 years in the Barrel Room. Aging the beer over a longer period of time accentuates the beer's distinct vanilla notes and creates aromas of ginger and cinnamon. Some of this aged beer is over twenty years old, old enough to drink itself.

 

About the Brewing Process

Utopias is brewed using traditional methods. The brewers begin with a blend of two-row Caramel and Munich malts that imparts a rich, deep amber color. Noble hops – Hallertau Mittelfrueh, Spalt Spalter and Tettnang Tettnanger – are also added to lend complexity and balance. During fermentation, several yeast strains are used, including one normally reserved for champagne which the brewers call a "ninja yeast." This fresh beer is then blended with a variety of different barrel-aged beers and "finished" in a variety of barrels to impart additional complexity and flavor.

 

About the Finishing Barrel Process

This release of Samuel Adams Utopias also uses a blend of beer finished in a variety of barrels. "Finishing" is a creative way for the brewers to impart additional flavor from a variety of barrels before the beer is bottled. This final step of finishing the beer lasts several months before the beer is bottled and imparts flavors ranging from fruit like cherry and raisin to chocolate, leather and oak. The multi-step and lengthy process results in flavors reminiscent of a rich vintage Port, fine Cognac, or aged Sherry, while feeling surprisingly light on the palate.

 

New this year, the brewers used White Carcavelos wine barrels to finish the beer, in addition to barrels that once housed cognac, Armagnac, ruby port, sweet Madeira, and Buffalo Trace Bourbon. White Carcavelos wine barrels help to amplify the dried fruit and oak flavors of this year's Utopias. Carcavelos wines are blended and fortified like a port, are off dry and topaz colored with nutty aromas and flavors. Carcavelos comes from a small region of Portugal and the barrels are very rare, which made the Sam Adams brewers all the more excited to experiment with them as finishing barrels.

 

Founder & Brewery Jim Koch on 2015 Utopias:

"Sam Adams Utopias is the lunatic fringe of extreme beer. The recipe stretches the limits of the brewing process, flavor complexity, and as a by-product, alcohol content. While barrel aging is now a mainstay of a thriving craft beer community, we have been experimenting with barrel aging for nearly 25 years and this year's batch is made from a library of barrels, some of which go as far back as 1992. This is an other-worldly beer that's just as radical today as it was in 1992 and I am excited for drinkers to sip and savor it."

 

Utopias-seasoned cigars, perfect for craft beer and cigar lovers alike: 

Samuel Adams is teaming up with Ted's Cigars to release limited-edition Utopias-seasoned cigars, flavored with the 2015 batch of Utopias. Ted's Cigars uses their proprietary process of aromatic seasoning to create a cigar unlike any other. The Utopias-infused cigar features a distinct subtle sweetness, and notes of maple and vanilla from the brew, as well as a spicy complexity from the tobacco blend. This extreme beer brings out a creamy, spicy sweetness from the cigar and enhances the subtle leather and smoky character in the cigar's finish. Hand-rolled in the Dominican Republic, the cigars make an unexpected stocking-stuffer and will be available on TedsCigars.com through the end of December. Pair the cigars with Samuel Adams Utopias for the ultimate holiday treat.

 

Where to find Utopias: 

The first batch of Utopias bottles can be found in the hands of Samuel Adams employees. Since Utopias was first released, each bottle number corresponds with when each employee was hired, making Founder and Brewer Jim Koch number 1 and Brewer Dean Gianocostas number 2. For all other beer lovers, fewer than approximately 10,000 bottles of Samuel Adams Utopias can be found at select specialty beer and liquor stores for a suggested retail price of $199 per bottle. Price varies by market.