American craft brewer Samuel Adams has unveiled its historic Utopias 2025, a limited-edition, barrel-aged extreme beer that achieves a long-sought-after milestone: a 30 percent Alcohol by Volume (ABV). This 14th release of the highly anticipated and seriously boozy brew fulfills a decades-long goal for Samuel Adams founder Jim Koch and his brewing team.
Bottled in distinctive, individually numbered ceramic vessels, Utopias 2025 stands as “one of the strongest beers ever brewed,” according to Samuel Adams. Its extreme potency, however, comes with an interesting caveat for would-be collectors: the beer is illegal to sell in 15 U.S. states, including Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and Utah, due to state alcohol limits.
“When we first began the Utopias journey over thirty years ago, we set out to explore the limits of what beer could be,” said Koch in a statement shared by the Boston-based brewery. “Reaching 30 percent ABV is a remarkable milestone for Utopias— not for the number itself, but for what it represents: the relentless pursuit of craft without compromise.”
The ruby-black, non-carbonated ale is more akin to a fine spirit, blending vintages aged up to 30 years. The complex flavor profile is achieved by finishing the liquid in a sophisticated mix of casks, including Irish Whiskey, Amarone, and White Port barrels, alongside traditional Ruby Port, Cognac, and Scotch casks. This process delivers luxuriously layered notes of “caramel, oak, dried fruit, subtle smoke, and citrus,” according to tasting notes from the brand.
The brewing process for the historically strong brew is a multi-site operation. The beer is brewed in Cincinnati, barrel-aged in the Utopias Vault in Pennsylvania, and then blended with previous vintages in the Boston Bier Keller before final bottling at the Dogfish Head Brewery in Delaware. Due to its exceedingly powerful nature, Utopias is meant to be sipped in one-ounce pours at room temperature from a snifter glass. Each bottle is a heritage collectible piece, with the numbering system corresponding to the hire order of company employees, with the first bottle belonging to Koch.
The collectible 24.5-ounce bottles, which can be resealed, are available now in select specialty stores for a suggested retail price of $240 each.
