Samuel Adams, one of the pioneers of craft beer, has unveiled Samuel Adams Utopias 2025, the 14th release of barrel-aged extreme beer. Defying convention with a 30% ABV, Utopias 2025 is one of the strongest beers ever brewed, and as a result, is illegal in 15 states. This limited-edition beer is bottled in individually numbered ceramic vessels at a cost of $240 SRP, reflecting the rarity, complexity, and unparalleled craftsmanship of the liquid.
Since the introduction of Utopias in 2001, Samuel Adams founder and CEO of Boston Beer Company, Jim Koch, and the award-winning craft beer brewing team set forth two innovation goals. The first goal is to push the boundaries of barrel-aging techniques and flavour profiles to achieve a boundary-bending, barrel-aged beer that blurs the line between beer and fine spirits with increasingly strong and complex vintages. The second is to reach the goal of achieving 30% ABV to make it one of the strongest beers in the world.
“When we first began the Utopias journey over 30 years ago, we set out to explore the limits of what beer could be,” said Jim Koch, founder and brewer of Samuel Adams. “Reaching 30% ABV is a remarkable milestone for Utopias—not for the number itself, but for what it represents: the relentless pursuit of craft without compromise. Every vintage, barrel, and bottle reflects decades of experimentation, innovation, and collaboration, delivering a sipping experience that is truly unparalleled, collectible, memorable, and worth the wait.”
The Challenges of Brewing High ABV Beers
The biggest challenge in brewing a high ABV beer is the flavour and quality. Sam Adams has brewed 24%-28% ABV+ beers since its first release in 2001. Utopias leverages the technical skills with a blend of proprietary yeasts that can withstand the conditions. However, the Sam Adams brewing team was not singular in its pursuit. Flavour, above all, drives this revolutionary team of brewers, it said.
The barrel-aged ale blends vintages aged up to 30 years and achieves its flavour through a blend of liquids finished in Irish Whiskey, Amarone, and White Port barrels, along with traditional Ruby Port, Carcavelos, Cognac, and Scotch casks to deliver the layered flavours of caramel, oak, dried fruit, smoke, and subtle citrus.
How It’s Made
Utopias 2025 reflects decades of innovation and the collaborative spirit of The Boston Beer Company. The journey first begins at the Samuel Adams Cincinnati Brewery, where the beer is brewed and fermented. Next, it moves to the Utopias Vault at the Pennsylvania Brewery in a towering 6,000-square-foot, climate-controlled space for barrel aging. After achieving the desired age, brewers blend it with previous vintage Utopias at the Boston Bier Keller, and the beer is finally bottled at Dogfish Head Brewery in Delaware.
Each bottle is a heritage collectible, with the numbering system corresponding to employee hire order–the first bottle belonging to founder and brewer Jim Koch.
Utopias is a ruby-black in colour and non-carbonated. A brew as unique, complex, and spirited as Utopias 2025 should be enjoyed in a glass that enhances its aroma and flavour, such as a small-bowled Cognac or snifter glass at room temperature, in one-ounce pours. The beer behaves as a fine spirit, as the bottle can be resealed to enjoy at a later date and should not be refrigerated.
Illegal in 15 States
It is illegal to sell in 15 states (Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, and West Virginia).
However, it is legal in 35 states, including California, New York, Florida, Massachusetts, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and more. Available in select specialty beer, wine, and liquor stores, for a suggested retail price of $240 per 24.5-ounce bottle.