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Samuel Adams Utopias

Samuel Adams Utopias - Barley Wine

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 Percentile 
99
overall
Brewed by Boston Beer Company
Style: Barley Wine

Boston, Massachusetts USA

bottled
common

on tap
unknown

Broad Distribution
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 Ratings  Average  Score  ABV  Style Pctl  Serve in 
4343.94/5.03.92/5.027%94Snifter
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Commercial Description:
To create Utopias, the brewers at Sam Adams used traditional brewing ingredients including all four types of Noble hops, which add a slightly earthy, herbal taste. The spiciness of the hops really comes alive. In fact, Utopias MMII has even been described by some as almost "fiery" -- a fitting description for the strongest beer in history. Beyond the special brand of hops, Utopias features ingredients that truly set it apart from other varieties of beer. Utopias MMII contains caramel and Vienna malts for its rich amber color and several different types of yeast including a variety found in champagne. $100 a bottle and it's limited to 3000 bottles, which look like copper brew kettles.
 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
 Odeed (1666), Bakersfield, California, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/58/103/518/20
Nov 2, 2009  
light brown/orange in color.aroma is heavy alcohol,maple syrup,sherry,and oak.flavor is oak,brown sugar,molasses,and alcohol.


 IrishBoy (2681), Bakersfield, California, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/58/104/516/20
Oct 30, 2009  
2007 bottle shared by iowaherkeye. Nose of massive alcohol amounts, maple, caramel, and sherry wine.Clear brown with a few bubbles. Flavor is fairly sweet caramel, maple syrup in the background, and lots of alcohol heat. Almost like a maple syrup and gin concocotion. I guess 27% ABV is hard to hide!


 HonkeyBra (1253), Lemont, Illinois, USA
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/59/104/517/20
Oct 10, 2009  
Sampled at GABF. Absolutely the standout of the festival. Dark, sticky brown amber pour. Very sweet aroma with alcohol, caramel, sherry. Flabor is strong and powerful. Syrupy, caramel, toffee, hops. Brandy, Really bad ass beer, I’m so glad I got to try it.


 DuffManSW (283), Riverside, California, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/57/103/517/20
Oct 10, 2009  
Shot of 2003 thanks to Hophead22..Pours cloudy brown with no head..Aroma is brown sugar, maple syrup and alcohol...Flavor is sweet with caramel and maple syrup and alcohol.. No carbonation and thick.


tilldeath (72), Arvada, Colorado, USA
3.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/104/56/103/513/20
Oct 7, 2009  
Firstly not a big barleywine fan, so now that’s out of the way. Very Boozy, of course, while it might be made of the traditional 4 ingredients found it beer, the high ABV has transformed this from a beer to something similar to cognac. A sipper for sure and if you’re a hard alcohol drinker this might be the beer for you. While I can appreciate it for what it is, nice to see something unique, I’d never pay for this and I just feel it’s more a publicity thing for SA then a attempt at a amazing beer. In super high ABV beer I’ll take a DFH 120min. any day of the week.


 bleeng (567), Spring near Beersel, Texas, USA
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/105/58/104/517/20
Oct 6, 2009  
Nice full sample at the Wynkoop Rare Beer tasting during GABF 2009. Beautiful color-red/copper/gold. Nose of brandy, cognac, alcohol, and sweetness. Taste is highly alcoholic (duh) so you know this is a sipper. Sweet, thick, luscious, caramel, some hops, syrupy, and tons of other flavors. I reckon this to be the beer version of a Macallan cask scotch. Great stuff.


 elihapa (1027), Honolulu, California, USA
4.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/103/59/105/518/20
Sep 30, 2009  
9/28/09 notes: poured at 2009 GABF, to the tune of a LONG line. But hell, if there is any beer you only need an ounce-and-a-half of to get a full rating, it would be this one! Color is brown with red undertones and near-flat. Utopias has one of the strongest and best aromas I have ever smelled in a beer: rich dried fruit – figs, dates, raisins, apricot, banana – complemented by caramel and earthiness. Flavor displays stiking sophistication, the described fruit components are all there, blended so thoroughly with vanilla-oak, aged wood, and caramel. The finished product is also amazingly earthy, balanced and semi-sweet. It may not be $100 good, but Utopias are certainly delicious.


 markwise (1131), 15 Minutes from Kuhnhenn in, Florida, USA
4.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/59/103/518/20
Sep 29, 2009  
tpd975, you are the man! Infinite thanks for sharing. Pours copper color with minimal head. Nose is like a spirit: booze, caramel, boozy fruit, port, madeira (so I hear), vanilla, brandy, and excellence. Flavor is similar with a hint of butterfly milk, essence of elf heart, and some unicorn horn. This beer is unbelievable. Syrupy body and thick, yet a sipper that is beyond words. The David of the beer world- you can’t describe it (although I tried- see flavor), but once you’ve had it, you know what we mean.



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