I finally get to try this one, courtesy of iphonephan, many thanks! Extra appearance point for the packaging, 10th anniversary version, which is black with gold lettering. Crystal clear amber brown color, still. Smells like a fine brandy, with vanilla, tannic and vinous fruit. Taste has vanilla, tawny port, concentrated hops - which is the only remotely beery characteristic left. A tasty after dinner liqueur.

A dark amber / golden brown liquid, thick, with no carbonation and no head. It looks a lot like a darker brandy, with the alcohol sticking to the sides of the glass when you move it around. The smell is incredibly rich, something between a bourbon, a cherry and a brandy (as far away from beer as I have ever smelled), blended with caramel, vanilla, raisins and, of course, alcohol, especially right after the pour. As was expected, the taste is quite complex. Rich caramel sweetness up front, together with vanilla, toffee, maple syrup, notes of bourbon, a bit of wood and much, much more. Figs and other dried fruit right after that - raisins and dried plums - as well as dark cherries. A very nutty aftertaste, with different flavours unfolding after every sip. The body is viscous and thick, and the alcohol is at 29%, yet this is incredibly pleasant to drink, much more than any spirit that I have tried.

At Borefts 2015. This beer is somewhat of a legend, so I was worried it would be a let-down. Aroma of strong vanilla and raisin, nice. Taste is really rich, with lots of vanilla, boozy raisin, caramel and long warming finish. Very tasty and very awesome.

Poured from bottle thanks Willrunforbeer 2013 vintage. Pours dark cola with reddish tints and no head. Aromas of caramel figs dark fruit and alcohol. Taste is sweet and follows aroma with a nice brandy finish. A special treat indeed.

After having tasted thousands of beers in most of the styles in existence, I thought it was about time to confront myself with something really special, the legendary Sam Adams Utopias, in its 10th Anniversary edition. Unpacking the bottle of this famous barley wine made me feel like a child opening a really exciting Christmas present... The bottle in itself is as arty as it is fun, you even get to play with the little doors of the kettle. Removing the cap immediately released a very strong, beguiling aroma. Very promising indeed... The colour is a beautiful, very deep and intense, transparent but slightly hazy bronze with a lovely Marangoni effect (’tears’, as we say in Dutch), lacking even the slightest form of carbonation, so no fizz nor head - which would be totally irrelevant in this beer anyway. The aroma is... well, a challenge to describe, but extremely complex, noble, elegant, pointy, powerful and enticing. I get hints of all kinds of wonderful things: old tawny port, old and oxidized medium dry sherry or madera, fine brandy, chocolate liqueur, hint of sweet tobacco, lots of vanilla tannins, candied figs, blueberries, caramel candy, a hint of the soy sauce I remember from that vintage Samuel Adams Triple Bock I tasted last year and which apparently is physically part of this beer too, artisanal acacia honey, strong maple syrup, eucalyptus, candied orange, slight beef stock (growing stronger with ageing apparently)... The taste is, if anything, even more exciting: warming alcohol hits the tongue and mouth cavity in instants but never gets wry or overpowering - instead it provides a wonderfully exciting spiciness; a refined, noble maple syrup sweetness spreads over the tongue, a faint salty accent only adds balance and the caramelly malts linger in the background, providing structure and reminding you in an ever so subtle way that this is still beer. The overall taste is sweet but in an incredibly complex, multi-layered way, as in a very old and high quality tawny port; drying tannins, beautifully vanilla-like and woody, come to the foreground in the finish, where the profound complexity of malts, complex and refined, bourbon-, port- and rhum-like alcohol and sugary sweetness persist. The alcohol heat remains gentle and together with the strong oaky tannins, provides a long, drying, warming and totally satisfying finish. There even seems to be a kind of chili burn to it... In fact, minutes after swallowing this, it seems as if more flavours come up and disappear again. I had my share of fine single malts, cognacs and maderas, but this beats everything... I felt a bit intimidated at first, not sure if I was ’mature’ enough as a beer fanatic to deserve a treat like this, but I can honestly say that this was one of the most memorable beer experiences I had so far. The complexity of this beverage is seemingly infinite. If you are able to enjoy a fine liqueur every now and then, this is the beer equivalent of it, which deserves its cult status completely. As for the price: this bottle cost me a small fortune, being about three and a half times as expensive as the second most expensive beer I ever bought, so the question of whether it is worth the money comes naturally. Personally, I do not regret buying this whatsoever, every ounce is worth its price, especially considering the fact that the bottle is resealable and can be treated in much the same way as a precious bottle of your favorite single malt, old cognac or any other liquor. As for me, I will guard the bottle with deer life, only to return to it just every now and then, for special occasions, so I will keep enjoying this over and over again for a long time to come. Pushing the boundaries of the concept of ’beer’, I am glad I finally tasted this, after having read about it for 13-odd years. Man, what a treat... But a difficult one to rate - in fact, rating this at all seems irrelevant, as it is so out of the ordinary that it forms a gastronomic experience in its own right. Ages well, too, as opening and closing the bottle regularly obviously creates a lot of oxidation, only to lead to an old port-like effect after a few years, albeit one with a notable umami presence (beef stock-like aromas), only proving that this ’beer’ keeps evolving in an interesting manner as it ages.

2011 vintage thanks to Toby. I have hid it fresh and with a few years much better. Pours out burnt orange amber no head. Nose is great it remind me of apis jadwiga. Sweet honey spice and lots of heat. Taste is sweet caramel spice peat smoke and lots of burn.

Bottle at Craig’s. Pours dark amber, very sherry like, dark fruits, sweet, raisins, rich caramel and toffee.