![]() ![]() This brewing accomplishment is especially notable in these days of ever-higher ABV claims because it is achieved completely by the brewing process (beers with astronomically high ABVs are made through freeze distillation, a process that is not natural fermentation). It had mellowed beautifully and that ancestry now is evident in the new Utopias. I was able to try one of the 1994 bottles in 2017 expecting the worst. ![]() When fresh, that 1994 Triple Bock tasted decidedly uninviting with way too much in-your-face alcohol, overwhelming sweetness and maple sugar. The 2019 Utopias beer, like its ancestors since the 2002 original, has its traditional maple syrup backbone from the 1994 Sam Adams Triple Bock which broke ABV level barriers of the era, leading to Millennium and finally the various Utopiases (Utopii?). Opening up the new 28% ABV 2019 Utopias with friends, we were struck with the ambrosial nose of both port and cognac with slight alcohol, vanilla, raisins and a hint of caramel - a prophecy of the delicious flavors in the beer itself. Photo of the author’s 2017 Utopias vertical tasting. It’s definitely a nose I wish were available as a scent freshener for my car’s rearview mirror. Since what most of us smell usually foretells what we will taste, this luscious aroma presages a luxurious, complex experience which I look forward to. ![]() Other aromas wafting to my anxiously waiting nose include dark fruit, oak, vanilla, and sometimes coffee, toffee, raisins or maple syrup, varying from release to release. My initial impression usually is Utopias’ marvelous aroma of port or sherry, although once it seemed closer to cognac. As a beer journalist, I’ve also been fortunate to occasionally talk with brewers who have made its various vintages. It’s not an easy beer to either make or acquire but I’ve been most fortunate to try each of the vintages since its inception. Technically it’s a beer, but it’s so much more than that. (Boston Beer Co.) Musings on Utopias November 8, 2019īiennially, when Sam Adams releases a new Utopias, I reflect about the many pleasures Utopias has brought me since the first version was released in 2002, of the beauty of its complex port/sherry/cognac flavors, and the amazing brewing achievement it represents. Sam Adams releases its 2019 Utopias beer this fall. ![]()
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