Utah Brewery Map

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Utopias Ahoy!


For good or bad there's one thing that Americans excel at. Taking an idea, embracing it and morphing it to the Nth degree. Case in point, Samuel Adam's Utopias. This is an anomaly in the beer world. It's a beer that seems to blur the line between beer and spirits. creating controversy over whether it is technically beer. Well, it is beer. A top fermented uber-beer! Even though it may not have many of the characteristics you'd associate with your favorite ale or lager.


The decanter it comes in is a beautiful recreation of an old style mash tun. Made of glass and copper, it's nearly worth the price alone.
Utopias currently enjoys the status of being the worlds strongest beer. At a whopping 27% abv it will warm your core on the coldest winter night.

Note: I haven't sampled the the latest vintage of Utopias. This review is for the '05 vintage. Poured a deep amber/ruby with no head or lace. The nose was bourbon-esque with massive dark fruits, tons of alcohol, malt and caramel. A touch of maple syrup like character is also noticed. The flavor is vinous and ripe. Full of raisin, plum, butterscotch, sweet Carmel and brown sugar. The finish is full bodied, bitter and all alcohol. This burnt like hell going down. Every sip steals your breath. At $200 a bottle you should try it; if anything to say, you’ve had the strongest beer in the world.
If you want to try it, the Bayou is the sole place in Utah to get 'em. I believe Mark said he got six. I'd recommend getting a dozen of your closest beer nerds together and share in the experience. It will definitely help defray the cost. Besides things like don't come around too often and are best shared.

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