• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • HOME
  • NEWS+OPINIONS
    • NEWS TO US
    • COLUMNS
      • APPARENT HORIZON
      • DEAR READER
      • Close
    • LONGFORM FEATURES
    • OPINIONS
    • EDITORIAL
    • Close
  • ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT
    • FILM
    • MUSIC
    • COMEDY
    • PERFORMING ARTS
    • VISUAL ARTS
    • Close
  • DINING+DRINKING
    • EATS
    • SIPS
    • Close
  • LIFESTYLE
    • CANNABIS
      • TALKING JOINTS MEMO
      • Close
    • WELLNESS
    • GTFO
    • Close
  • STUFF TO DO
  • TICKETS
  • ABOUT US
    • 5 DOUBLE-U’S
    • MASTHEAD
    • DISTRIBUTION
    • ADVERTISE
    • SUBMISSIONS
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • Close
  • BECOME A MEMBER

Dig Bos

The Dig - Boston's Only Newspaper

READ CURRENT STREET ISSUE

DIG Year End 2020

SAMUEL ADAMS: UTOPIAS

Written by JEFF LAWRENCE Posted November 11, 2015 Filed Under: COLUMNS, Honest Pint, Honest Pint, LIFESTYLE

HP_JimWithUtopias_728

Every year since 2002, Jim Koch and his merry band of brewing brothers release the incredible offering Utopias. For the unfamiliar, this high-octane, super-complex beer tastes nothing like beer. Aged in port barrels or bourbon casks, mixing champagne yeast with traditional malts and hops, or seemingly dipped into vats of dates, cognac, and kryptonite, the notes of this syrupy sipper are almost indescribable.

 

Yet here I sit again, waiting to enjoy, describe, and imbibe in my annual pilgrimage down beervana lane and the copper-brew kettle replica that delivers it. In honor of this malty trip, and since I haven’t actually received my bottles yet, I dipped into my collection of past brews in preparation for the next big thing.

 

I only have a few bottles left—a 2012 and a 2013—so I started with the former and worked my way to the latter. The 2012 Utopias was their 10th anniversary bottling. Less than 60 barrels were aged that year, but they included a mash-up of the previous big-bomb original, Triple Bock, aged for 20 years by then. Immediately you pick up the strong vanilla and maple hints; however, the aging also involved barrels from the Buffalo Trace Distillery, which creates an unmistakable bourbon warmth as you sip. Finished in old Tawny Port casks, the aperitif-like close to this beer is unlike any other Utopias I’ve ever had before or since. I’m not sure what the snobs think, but I’m comfortable saying that this is version outshines them all. Best enjoyed in one- or two-ounce pours after dinner and preferably with a slice of double-chocolate death, you’ll have no problem settling into a nice slumber of happiness when the last drop hits.

 

The 2013 Utopias is much like the previous year, albeit not nearly as thick and decidedly more malty. Using the same aged barrels I just mentioned but introducing a mind-bending array of hops and malts, this choice is actually more like a beer and less like an after-dinner pour. Still best served in small ounce pours, though—it’s not to be confused with something you’d order at the bar with a plate of nachos. What I like most about this version is the softness of the liquid as it hits your mouth. It’s very velvety and smooth, complimenting cheese, cured meats, and why the hell not, more chocolate. But it’s much more subtle than 2012, and if memory serves me well, much better than 2014. I can’t remember now why last year was a disappointment when compared to these two vintages, but I think it was just too young. 2013 was definitely aged well and continues to age well.

 

The 2015 Utopias has been finished in White Carcavelos wine barrels so the experience should be yet another one-of-a-kind journey, but at $199 a bottle, this is not something everyone is going to want to try, nevermind find the money to give it a try. You won’t find it at your corner packy, either; you’ll need to head to a better-beer store to snag one of the fewer than 10,000 bottles available. It’s truly an adventure, though, for those that want to push the boundaries of their palate and the notion of what beer can and should be.

JEFF LAWRENCE
More from author
  • JEFF LAWRENCE
    https://digboston.com/author/jeff-lawrence/
    PUMPKIN BEER
  • JEFF LAWRENCE
    https://digboston.com/author/jeff-lawrence/
    MEDFORD BREWING COMPANY
  • JEFF LAWRENCE
    https://digboston.com/author/jeff-lawrence/
    HOPPED UP AND NOWHERE TO GO
  • JEFF LAWRENCE
    https://digboston.com/author/jeff-lawrence/
    7th ANNUAL MASS BREWERS FEST

Filed Under: COLUMNS, Honest Pint, Honest Pint, LIFESTYLE Tagged With: Jim Koch, Samuel Adams, Utopias

WHAT’S NEW

2021 Biden inauguration Boston

PHOTOS & RECAP: “NO HONEYMOON FOR BIDEN” RALLY IN BOSTON

2020 Indian farmers' protest - On a truck. Photo CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain by Randeep Maddoke, randeepphotoartist@gmail.com.

OPINION: IS DISSENT ANTI-NATIONALISM OR PATRIOTISM?

WU ASSERTS THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ARTS IN HER CAMPAIGN

WU ASSERTS THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ARTS IN HER CAMPAIGN

STREET MEDICS BOLSTER PROTESTS IN MORE WAYS THAN YOU MAY REALIZE

STREET MEDICS BOLSTER PROTESTS IN MORE WAYS THAN YOU MAY REALIZE

HOW ONE MASS TOWN TOOK EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES TO APPEASE A CONTROVERSIAL COP

HOW ONE MASS TOWN TOOK EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES TO APPEASE A CONTROVERSIAL COP

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. HONORED, SPEAKERS ADDRESS RACISM

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. HONORED, SPEAKERS ADDRESS RACISM

Primary Sidebar

HEMPIRE FREEDOM PACK 25% OFF

FEATURED EVENT

Most Popular

  • APPOINTED SOMERVILLE OFFICIAL SPURS OUTRAGE WITH TWEETS FROM DC MOB SCENE by MARC LEVY
  • Aerial View Parkman Bandstand at Boston Common. CC BY-SA 4.0 2017 by AbhiSuryawanshi. NO HONEYMOON FOR BIDEN: 1/20 PROTEST ON BOSTON COMMON, 4 PM by MATTHEW ANDREWS
  • VIDEO: COP WHO BRAGGED THAT HE HIT PROTESTERS SHOWS HOW BAD APPLES THRIVE IN BOSTON by CHRIS FARAONE
  • PRISON HORRORS BY THE NUMBERS by SARAH BETANCOURT
  • IT’S HARDER THAN EVER TO FIND A BATHROOM IN BOSTON. WHAT’S THE CITY DOING ABOUT IT? by ZACK HUFFMAN

READ CURRENT MEMBER EDITION

DIG Member 1.9 – 11/26/20

READ CURRENT STREET ISSUE

DIG Year End 2020

Footer

digbos

“Trump was voted out. However, this is not a man “Trump was voted out. However, this is not a mandate for #Biden and #Harris.” https://digboston.com/photos-recap-no-honeymoon-for-biden-rally-in-boston/ #photo #rally #march #left #protest #inauguration #Boston #Massachusetts
OPINION: IS DISSENT ANTI-NATIONALISM OR PATRIOTISM OPINION: IS DISSENT ANTI-NATIONALISM OR PATRIOTISM? #Boston #protest for Indian farmers, Saturday 1/23/21, 12-1 pm at the #Massachusetts State House https://digboston.com/opinion-is-dissent-anti-nationalism-or-patriotism/ #India #politics #food #farmer #protest #justice #solidarity @monica_gill1
HOW ONE MASS TOWN TOOK EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES TO A HOW ONE MASS TOWN TOOK EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES TO APPEASE A CONTROVERSIAL COP https://digboston.com/no-justice-how-officials-in-one-mass-town-took-extraordinary-measures-to-appease-a-controversial-cop/ #ArlingtonMA #police #reform #cop #racism #controversy #BlackLivesMatter #Massachusetts
Ghost kitchens simply don’t have a need for host Ghost kitchens simply don’t have a need for hosts, servers, bartenders, bussers … What happens to those #jobs if virtual kitchens continue to flourish? https://digboston.com/ghost-story-virtual-kitchens-appear-to-be-the-next-big-thing-but-at-what-cost/ #restaurant #labor #work #Boston #Massachusetts #coronavirus #COVID19
“I don’t think we’re going to wake up on Jan “I don’t think we’re going to wake up on Jan. 7 in the same country we went to bed in on the 6th.” https://digboston.com/former-mass-gubernatorial-candidate-predicted-violence-before-assault-on-capitol/ #politics #Massachusetts #national #Capitol #WashingtonDC #MAGA
RADICAL AND RELEVANT: THE LIFE OF HARRY BRILL http RADICAL AND RELEVANT: THE LIFE OF HARRY BRILL https://digboston.com/radical-and-relevant-the-life-of-harry-brill/ #obituary #organizer #radical #sociologist #democracy #politics @UMassBoston @BklynCollege411 @UCBerkeley #Boston #Massachusetts #NewYorkCity #Berkeley #California
NO HONEYMOON FOR BIDEN: 1/20 #PROTEST ON BOSTON CO NO HONEYMOON FOR BIDEN: 1/20 #PROTEST ON BOSTON COMMON, 4 PM https://digboston.com/no-honeymoon-for-biden-1-20-protest-on-boston-common-4-pm/ #opinion #progressive #left #action #inauguration #Boston #Massachusetts
Light and sweet and hoppy, we’re loving this lat Light and sweet and hoppy, we’re loving this latest incarnation of a #beer that’s been in the making for months. https://digboston.com/video-jacks-abby-x-boston-celtics-pride-and-parquet-hoppy-lager-unboxing-tasting/ #fun #video #review #Boston #Massachusetts
Jostling for position and influence are the disadv Jostling for position and influence are the disadvantaged candidates, existing industry participants, and municipalities … https://digboston.com/the-road-to-home-delivery-pt-5-dogs-in-the-fight-identifying-the-players/ #cannabis #politics #analysis #Massachusetts
The candidates will be interviewed about the upcom The candidates will be interviewed about the upcoming race. https://digboston.com/wu-and-campbell-to-speak-at-mayoral-candidate-webinar/ #politics #mayor #campaign #Boston #Massachusetts
Load More... Follow on Instagram
Social Buttons

DigBoston facebook DigBoston Twitter DigBoston Instagram

Masthead

About

Submissions

Advertise

Privacy Policy

Customer Service

Distribution

About Us

DigBoston is a one-stop nexus for everything worth doing or knowing in the Boston area. It's an alt-weekly, it's a website, it's an e-mail blast, it's a twitter account, it's that cool party that you were at last night ... hey, you're reading it, so it's gotta be good. For advertising inquiries: [email protected] To reach Editorial: [email protected] For internship opportunities: [email protected]