Samuel Adams Utopias

Just in time for Christmas, the Boston Beer Company has announced the 2007 batch of Samuel Adams Utopias. If you were planning on wasting $120-$140 on me anyway, consider buying me one bottle of this stuff.

According to their press release, Samuel Adams Utopias is a strong, rich, dark beer that is uncarbonated and is served not pint by frosty pint, but at room temperature in a two-ounce pour, to be savored like a vintage port or a fine cognac. Breaking the record for commercially brewed beers held by the 2005 batch of Samuel Adams Utopias, the 2007 batch of Samuel Adams Utopias weighs in at 27% alcohol by volume. The average beer is about 5%.

It also comes in a cool golden bottle!

The 2007 batch of Samuel Adams Utopias is a blend of liquids, some of which have been aged in a variety of woods at the Boston Brewery for up to 13 years. A portion of the beer was aged in hand-selected, single-use bourbon casks from the Buffalo Trace Distillery. The extended aging process enhances the distinct cinnamon, vanilla, and maple notes in the beer’s flavor. The beer is then finished in sherry and madeira casks from Portugal. The sherry casks add nutty, oak, and honey notes, while the madeira casks contribute slightly more elegant, creamy fudge-toffee aromas and flavors.

I tasted the 2005 batch at the Great Taste of the Midwest beer festival in Madison. It was good, but the entire bottle would have probably lasted me until this year. It's best enjoyed in small doses.