Utopias
(has 6 batches)
Samuel Adams in Boston, Massachusetts, United States 🇺🇸
Strong Ale - American Special|
Score
8.09
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Truly the epitome of brewing's two thousand year evolution, Samuel Adams Utopias® offers a flavor not just unlike any other beer but unlike any other beverage in the world. Each release is a blend of batches, some having been aged up to 16 years in the barrel room of our Boston Brewery, in a variety of woods. We aged a portion of the beer in hand-selected, single-use bourbon casks from the award-winning Buffalo Trace Distillery. Some of the latest batches also spent time in Portuguese muscatel finishing casks, as well as sherry, brandy and Cognac casks. This flavorful, slightly fruity brew has a sweet, malty flavor that is reminiscent of a deep, rich vintage port, fine cognac or aged sherry.
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7/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 10
Flavor 5
Texture 6
Overall 5
2011 Vintage. bottle #01979. Enjoyed in a snifter at cellar temp (60 Degrees F). Shared with my neighbors after pounding Bud Light.
A - Huge alcohol legs like Brandy on the edge of the glass. Minor sediment in the glass. Looks like a very fine cognac or brandy. Very cedar bronze color with hints of a chocolate bar color (milk chocolate brown).
S - The first thing I get is caramel. This is followed by a nutty toffee and heavy maple syrup. There’s a combination of charred oak and sweet vanilla but maybe I’m confusing the maple and vanilla. Both are very sweet. I’ve sniffed the hell out of this and my nostril is growing tired. The booze burns every bit of my nose.
T - Wow. This is very hard because, up front, it’s very sweet. The burnt caramel and "100 grand bar" taste is big, sweet and tastes like it’s a fresh backed sweet pasty right out of the oven. It covers my mouth and stays around forever. It’s this maple oaky cedar and lemon wood sweet bomb like candied sugar and toffee. There’s this pure cane syrup finish and a huge vanilla bourbon finish as it fades away. After a minute, there’s a hint of smokiness.
M - Extremely heavy body, absolutely no carbonation. This is a chewy beer although no need to even say that, right?
O - This is a love hate beer. It’s incredibly balanced. There is no doubt about that. However, it’s a 27% beer that’s so close to whiskey yet entirely too sweet to be whiskey. The sweetness needs to be turned down and perhaps time will do that. I am enjoying sipping on this. It’s best shared with friends and perhaps not after enjoying Bud Light and Doritos.
A - Huge alcohol legs like Brandy on the edge of the glass. Minor sediment in the glass. Looks like a very fine cognac or brandy. Very cedar bronze color with hints of a chocolate bar color (milk chocolate brown).
S - The first thing I get is caramel. This is followed by a nutty toffee and heavy maple syrup. There’s a combination of charred oak and sweet vanilla but maybe I’m confusing the maple and vanilla. Both are very sweet. I’ve sniffed the hell out of this and my nostril is growing tired. The booze burns every bit of my nose.
T - Wow. This is very hard because, up front, it’s very sweet. The burnt caramel and "100 grand bar" taste is big, sweet and tastes like it’s a fresh backed sweet pasty right out of the oven. It covers my mouth and stays around forever. It’s this maple oaky cedar and lemon wood sweet bomb like candied sugar and toffee. There’s this pure cane syrup finish and a huge vanilla bourbon finish as it fades away. After a minute, there’s a hint of smokiness.
M - Extremely heavy body, absolutely no carbonation. This is a chewy beer although no need to even say that, right?
O - This is a love hate beer. It’s incredibly balanced. There is no doubt about that. However, it’s a 27% beer that’s so close to whiskey yet entirely too sweet to be whiskey. The sweetness needs to be turned down and perhaps time will do that. I am enjoying sipping on this. It’s best shared with friends and perhaps not after enjoying Bud Light and Doritos.
Tried
from Bottle
on 11 Oct 2012
at 18:19
8.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9.5
Bottle @ Odense September Tasting, 2012. Thanks Pundarquartis for providing. 2009 Vintage. Pours dark unclear with small bubbles on top. Nose is alcohol, dark fruit and caramel. Noticeable alcohol. Prickly alcohol. Vinous and smooth. Lots of vanilla and bourbon. Oily and sticky. One hellova sipper.
Tried
from Bottle
on 12 Sep 2012
at 13:54
9.1/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 10
Flavor 9
Texture 10
Overall 7.5
I cognacglass på Cardinal: sterkeste ølopplevelse før jeg smakte Freeze the Penguin. En helt spesiell opplevelse, aromaen minnet om dårlig hjemmebrent, men etter hvert som den ble temperert kom nyansene frem og smaken kom til sin rett. Eneste gang jeg har brukt en halv time på 4 cl øl! Takk til Tom for en grensesprengende opplevelse. Fra flaske nr. 7503 (2011) på siste Mi2 des-17: tiltredes! Et sublimt øl. Sjelden har jeg sett så mange fornøyde fjes, alle tydelig imponerte, nærmest andektige.
Tried
on 31 Aug 2012
at 12:30
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Sampled from 2009 bottle @ Sorbon, Bromma. Huge thanks to Afram for letting me taste this! Clear dark red color, no head. Smell is very powerful: sweetness, alcohol, liquor. Taste sweetness, alcohol, burning warmth, pretty fruity actually and liquor. Sticky, lightly oily texture, full body, medium carbo. Pretty extreme!
Tried
from Bottle
on 22 Aug 2012
at 12:07
7.4/10
—
Appearance 4
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 7.5
Sample @ MikkellerBar. Hazy dark brown/orange with no head. Aroma is malt, fruit, toffee, caramel and notes of alcohol. Flavour is malt, fruit, toffee, dark fruits, caramel, little oxidized, warming with notes of alcohol.
Tried
on 14 May 2012
at 08:09
8.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 10
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
27th March 2012
At Amundsens Brewpub, Oslo.
2009 Vintage. 25.5%
Hazy deep red beer. No head. Amazing nose of woody Cognac and Port. Smooth dry palate. Alcohol warmth well integrated. Very port like - strong red and black fruits with aniseed. Rich red grape. Semi dry warming finish. Beer can be port! Amazing!
2011 Vintage. 27.0%
Hazy deep red beer, no head. Smooth dry palate. Warm but not hot. Rich berry fruits Port wine with cognac and raisins soaked in Madeira. Light dry finish. Really on the outer edges of what a beer can be but a fantastic beverage!
At Amundsens Brewpub, Oslo.
2009 Vintage. 25.5%
Hazy deep red beer. No head. Amazing nose of woody Cognac and Port. Smooth dry palate. Alcohol warmth well integrated. Very port like - strong red and black fruits with aniseed. Rich red grape. Semi dry warming finish. Beer can be port! Amazing!
2011 Vintage. 27.0%
Hazy deep red beer, no head. Smooth dry palate. Warm but not hot. Rich berry fruits Port wine with cognac and raisins soaked in Madeira. Light dry finish. Really on the outer edges of what a beer can be but a fantastic beverage!
Tried
from Can
on 22 Apr 2012
at 09:14
7.1/10
—
Appearance 4
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 10
Overall 7.5
Bottle @ Mikkeller bar. No head. Color is amber. Aroma and taste are alcohol, fruits, caramel, syrop and malt. Full bodied. No carbonation. Quite warming.
Tried
from Bottle
on 24 Feb 2012
at 05:41
7.4/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Hazy reddish brown without head. Aroma is very sweet malty, caramel, dried fruit and lots of alcohol. Flavor is extremely sweet and very bitter. Extremely sweet and very bitter finish with burning alcohol. Oily and full bodied. 160212
Tried
on 16 Feb 2012
at 11:33
8.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
2 oz. pour from bottles courtesy of Dave and Gerry (thanks a lot guys). Pours a cloudy, dark orangey brown - zero head. Aroma is like a cognac or sherry, with lots of booze, stone fruits (plum, raisins) and roasted nuts - beautiful on the nose. First sip reveals a palate literally like syrup, with flavours of cognac and sherry, thick caramel / maple syrup, dried fruits (figs, dates, raisins), boozy and very high sweetness level. Incredibly rich and complex, even if cloyingly sweet. Miles better than other stupid-high ABV beers I've had. Quite the treat in small quantities.
Tried
from Bottle
on 08 Jan 2012
at 12:05
8.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Kettle. Pours dark caramel. Nose and taste of maple, oak, burnt caramel, toffee and vanilla. Very smooth and sweet with a whiskey-like alcohol finish. Full body.
Tried
on 03 Nov 2011
at 16:20