BOSTON, MA – The maker of Samuel Adams beer has released its biennial beer, Utopias, the highest alcohol content beer on the market, the Associated Press reports.
At 27 percent alcohol by volume, the limited release beer is banned in 13 states and sells for $150 a bottle, a unique stocking stuffer for the most discriminating beer connoisseur.
"Just part of trying to push the envelope," said Jim Koch, founder and owner of the Boston Beer Co., maker of Sam Adams. "I'm pushing it beyond what the laws of these 13 states ever contemplated when they passed those laws decades ago."
By law, Utopias is classified as beer, as it is based on fermented grain. And despite the steep price tag, the brewer still has to pay the required nickel deposit on bottles.
Paul Gatza, director of the Brewers Association, said that new yeast research allows brewers to push the envelope on the traditional cap of 14 percent alcohol by volume for beer.
"As a result, these new beers, like Utopias, balance sweetness, higher alcohol content and more ingredients," Gatza said.
Utopias reached its unique strength through a 15-year aging process. It was aged and finished in wooden containers with yeast strains used in making malts and champagne.
The AP writer described the taste as “cognac-like” with “vanilla, honey and maple flavors.”
Koch is releasing 10,000 bottles of the limited edition beers, which are produced every two years. It comes in a ceramic and copper bottle that resembles a brew kettle.
"It's like making 21-year-old Scotch," Koch said. "Yeah, you can make more. You just can't have it for 21 years."
Because of its high alcohol content, the beer is banned in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont and Washington.