Dive Brief:
- Samuel Adams is set to release the 2013 batch of Samuel Adams Utopias this month.
- Utopias is a hotly anticipated beer release every year and the brewery's best-known small-batch, barrel-aged, extreme beer, and this year's batch is blended with Samuel Adams' Belgian-style Kosmic Mother Funk.
- A portion of the 2013 batch was also aged in hand-selected, single-use bourbon casks from Buffalo Trace Distillery.
Dive Insight:
Utopias is essentially like a fortified wine or fine cognac to beer aficionados. It was introduced in 2002 when founder and brewer Jim Koch wanted to challenge what beer could be. Runs of the 28% ABV brew—which carries notes of dark fruit, subtle sweetness and a malty smoothness—are produced in fewer than 15,000 and go for a suggested $199 per bottle at specialty beer and liquor retailers.
