The Boston Beer Company/Samuel Adams (Boston, Massachusetts) has officially announced the 10th release of the highly-coveted Samuel Adams Utopias.

Widely known as “the craft beer community’s most renowned and sought-after extreme barrel-aged beer”, Samuel Adams Utopias has returned for a 2017 vintage.  Defiant of any style classification, this unique, 28% ABV brew begins with “a special blend of two-row pale malt combined with Munich and Caramel 60 malts that impart a rich, ruby color.”  To balance the sweetness from those malts, the beer then receives three varieties of German Noble hops: Spalt Spalter, Hallertau Mittelfrueh, and Tettnang Tettnanger.  Once the brewing is complete, Utopias then undergoes a proprietary fermentation process with “several yeast strains . . .  including one typically reserved for champagne and a “ninja yeast,” created for its ability to survive and continue fermenting in an environment that has such a high alcohol level.”

To complete this labor-intensive offering, “a portion of this freshly brewed beer is then aged in hand-selected, single-use bourbon casks from the award-winning Buffalo Trace Distillery while the rest is aged in a variety of barrels including Bourbon, White Carcavelos, and Ruby Port.”  This year’s vintage was also given an added twist by being the first Utopias to see “Aquavit barrels, a Scandinavian spirit with distinct flavor from spices and herbs, primarily caraway or dill.”  After carefully aging the beer, the brewers at Samuel Adams created “the final 2017 blend by sampling and blending barrel-aged beer including 24-year-old Triple Bock and 17-year-old Millennium, as well as previous Utopias vintages, Kosmic Mother Funk, and a variety of barrel-aged blends.”  With the blend finalized, a portion of 2017 Utopias was finished in “Moscat barrels, a wine known for its slightly smoky character.”  When all is said and done, a sip of Utopias “is reminiscent of a rich vintage Port, old Cognac, or fine Sherry with notes of dark fruit, subtle sweetness, and a deep rich malty smoothness.”

“My original idea for Utopias was to push the boundaries of craft beer by brewing an extreme beer that was unlike anything any brewer had conceived. We’ve continued to stretch the boundaries in brewing with the release of our tenth vintage and I’m proud to present to drinkers this lunatic fringe of extreme beer worthy of the Utopias name.”

– Jim Koch, Samuel Adams Founder & Brewer 

With “only 68 wooden casks of Utopias created in 2017″, that means there are “roughly 13,000 bottles” of 2017 Utopias available for nationwide distribution.  You can track down this incredibly rare Limited Release “at select specialty beer and liquor stores for a suggested retail price of $199 per bottle” (price may vary by location).  Happy hunting and good luck out there, folks.  Prost!

Vital Information for Samuel Adams Utopias (2017) from Samuel Adams

Release – Limited, 2017 vintage release late-October 2017
Style – N/A
ABV – 28%
IBUs – 25
Malts – Samuel Adams Two-Row Pale Malt blend, Caramel 60 & Munich
Hops – Spalt Spalter, Hallertau Mittelfrueh & Tettnang Tettnanger
Added Ingredients – Maple syrup
Aging Process – Portions of the beer are aged in Buffalo Trace Bourbon casks along with a variety of barrels including Bourbon, White Carcavelos, Ruby Port, Aquavit & Moscat
Blending Process – The final blend is comprised of the various barrels of aged Utopias base beer and other barrel-aged beer “including 24-year-old Triple Bock and 17-year-old Millennium, as well as previous Utopias vintages, Kosmic Mother Funk, and a variety of barrel-aged blends”
Availability – 24 oz. bottle 
Beer Finder – http://www.samueladams.com/find-a-sam