Samuel Adams Utopias

Brewed by Boston Beer Company
Style: Barley Wine
Boston, Massachusetts USA

big thanks to thirdeye11 for this bottle. poured a deep ruby with no head. nose is port wine, toffee, alcohol, vanilla, maple syrup, brandy, and a ton more. legs are running down this glass like a sake or a mead, it’s ridiculous looking. wow, very smooth on the palate with a thick flavor of toffee, caramel, syrup, alcohol, port wine and brandy. aftertaste is actually quite nice with rich toffee, caramel, alcohol with slight wine and brandy notes.

I’m very grateful to ericandersnavy (through thirdeye11) for the chance to sample this one. Bottle #8291 from 2009. It took me 45 minutes to finally stop smelling it and drink it. Deep, dark honey pour with no head. Swirling in the glass leaves nice legs around the sides. Complex, rich, layered aromas of oak, bourbon, alcohol, candied dark fruits, vanilla and molasses. Flavor is just as complex and rich: brown sugar, caramelized brown sugar, oak, dark berries, plum, alcohol, maple bars, toasty, roasty and toffee. This hit my sweet spot perfectly. Thin mouthfeel with a wonderful warming finish. Much, much smoother than expected. Of course the alcohol is present in the nose and taste, but, IMHO, it didn’t overpower or detract from the overall experience. A must try for any serious beer enthusiast.

Thanks to thirdeye11 and ericandersnavy for sharing this bottle with me. Bottle 08291 of the 2009 vintage. Pours dark amber with no head. The aroma is maple syrup, vanilla and caramel. The flavor is alcohol, sherry, port, caramel, vanilla and maple syrup. Thin mouthfeel and no carbonation. The alcohol is pretty hot as you would expect for a beer of this strength, but the complex flavors and aromas make the beer outstanding.

Strong beer tasting at You’ll Never Walk Alone in Kolding. Thanks to Torben for making this available! Deep red amber with no head. Huge aroma of malt, dried fruits, fortified wines, alcohol and a touch of leather. Barley wine aroma, only more of everything. The flavour is extreme. Dried fruits, sherry and port wine. Very sweet with warm and somehow quite rounded alcohol. Fruity aftertaste with a lot of raisin and a hint of walnuts. Impressive experience and surprisingly beer-like. For someone who doesn’t like sweet stuff in general I have a weakness for well made barleywines. And this is one of them!

Dark ruby red with an orange tinge, and not surprisingly, no head. The aroma is massive. There is definitely a lot of alcohol there, but loads of raisin, prunes and other dried fruits, rum, and slightly burnt caramelized sugar. Smells like a liqour, drinks like a liquor. Hot, oily, yet sort of dry in the finish. I enjoyed it, but probably not enough to pay that sort of money for one small glass again. Too hot, too sweet.

Bottle split with Thirdeye11, Cavie, mar, and Zach. Great dark red brown pour. The nonexistent head has been replaced by legs. Aroma is is tons of alcohol among other things. A little chocolate, dark fruit, alcohol, toffee, brown sugar, red wine, roasted nuts, and brandy. Taste is red wine, strawberries, vanilla, alcohol, serious fruit, caramel, more alcohol, and pancake syrup. Finish is thick and hot. Awesome bottle. I’d actually split this again should the opportunity arise.

Rating #1600! thirdeye11 was kind enough to invite me into his home and allow me a cut of this bottle with 5 other gents. It was well worth it, especially for the drunk pictures I took with the bottle later. Clear ruby red pour. I peeked into the bottle window and said hello to the awesomeness inside it. I swirled the hell out of it and there was no head to be found. Huge alcohol nose. Smell that curls the nose hairs. After that there is candied sugar, raw apple and snozeberries. Thick rich legs. Very alcoholic on the nose. Taste is incredibly complex. Huge flavors of brown sugar, black cherries, alcohol and oak aged wood fill the palate. Literally my nose is tingling every time I bring the glass up. Insane. Like waffle syrup on the nose, but hot. Damn. Large taste of maple syrup also. Drips down the throat. This is fantastic. A sipper no doubt. Hot hot hot as it warms. Glad to finally get the chance to try this bad boy!

(24oz copper kettle bottle) Pours still clear brown with great legs and a very rich color. Nose of alcohol, dripping maple syrup, brandy, cracker, toffee, vanilla, caramel, orange marmalade, candied fruits. This is among the most complex beers in taste and smell. The taste is still, and filled with maple syrup, sweet cracker, hot alcohol, cognac/brandy/rum, strawberry, toasty, sweet grains, vanilla and toffee. This is an extremely rich, decadent finish. What an amazing boundary defying beer. Very glad to have had it.