Samuel Adams Utopias 2025 is a barrel-aged extreme beer with a 30% alcohol content by volume, making it one of the strongest beers ever brewed, and as a result, is illegal in 15 states.
Samuel Adams Utopias 2025 is sold in handcrafted and numbered ceramic bottles shaped like a copper brewing kettle. It holds 24.5 ounces, for 12 to 24 servings.
Samuel Adams Utopias 2025 is a barrel-aged extreme beer with a 30% alcohol content by volume, making it one of the strongest beers ever brewed, and as a result, is illegal in 15 states.

Boston Beer Company's malty, boozy Samuel Adams Utopias brew is back, and it has reached new heights: 30% alcohol by volume.

A pioneer of the craft beer movement, Boston Beer began selling Samuel Adams Boston Lager in 1985 and has produced the barrel-aged extreme Utopias beer biennially since 2001. But this year's edition is the strongest ever – the past three releases (in 2019, 2021, and 2023) all weighed in at 28% ABV.

Utopias have gotten a lot of attention over the years because its strength makes it illegal to sell in 15 states. A high-powered ale, Utopias is a blend of vintages which have been aged up to 30 years, some in barrels and casks that previously held Irish Whiskey, Cognac, Ruby Port and Scotch.

The rich flavors surpass that of typical beers; this edition has "layered flavors of caramel, oak, dried fruit, smoke, and subtle citrus," the brewer says in a news release.

“When we first began the Utopias journey over thirty years ago, we set out to explore the limits of what beer could be,” said Jim Koch, founder and brewer of Samuel Adams, in a statement. “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.”

What makes Boston Beer's Samuel Adams Utopias special?

Less than a decade after founding Boston Beer, Jim Koch began creating "extreme" beers with higher alcohol content. While big brewers were trying to make lighter beers, "I was drawn to the darker, richer end of the spectrum," Koch said said in 2023. "We brewed Samuel Adams Double Bock in 1988, and then a Triple Bock in 1994. These beers are pioneers in the Extreme Beer movement. After the 1999 release of Millenium (a 21% ABV strong ale), we challenged ourselves to create an even stronger, more distinctive beer."

That led to Utopias, which is made with a special strain of yeast that allows for a stronger ale to be brewed. Its first release hit a world record-setting 24% alcohol, Koch details in his 2016 book "Quench Your Own Thirst."

"We weren't aiming to make a beer with a lot of alcohol," he wrote in the book, "rather we sought to take beer to new heights so that people saw it as equal to wine and on the level of a cognac, brandy, or port."

The beer "is unlike pretty much any other beer on the market," wrote journalist Chris Morris for Fortune in 2021. "It’s not carbonated because the alcohol levels devour any CO2. Its taste is akin to a fine liquor, with a sweetness like a port or cognac and a smooth, almost buttery, malt-filled finish."

Where you can and can't get Sam Adams Utopias

  • Samuel Adams Utopias ($240): Available in select specialty beer and liquor stores in 35 states starting Oct. 21. It's sold in handcrafted and numbered ceramic bottles shaped like a copper brewing kettle. It holds 24.5 ounces, which amounts to 12 to 24 servings.
  • States where Samuel Adams Utopias is illegal: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, and West Virginia.

Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com

What's everyone talking about? Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Would you try this? Super-strong Sam Adams beer is illegal in 15 states

Reporting by Mike Snider, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect