The Seeker of Good Songs
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BOSTON — It is banned in 13 states and sure doesn't come in a six-pack.
The maker of Samuel Adams beer has released an updated version of its biennial beer Utopias - now the highest alcohol content beer on the market. At 27 percent alcohol by volume and $150 a bottle, the limited release of the brandy-colored Utopias comes as more brewers take advantage of improvements in science to boost potency and enhance taste.
"Just part of trying to push the envelope," said Jim Koch, a Cincinnati native and founder-owner of the Boston Beer Co. the 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."
Thirteen states - including Ohio - prohibit its sale because its alcohol content exceeds the legal limit for beer. The other states are Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont and Washington.
Since the 1990s, craft brewers like the Boston Beer Co. and the Delaware-based Dogfish Head have produced a number of "extreme beers" that challenge old notions of beer and decades-old laws that have governed them.
By law, these specialty drinks still are classified as beer when they are based on fermented grain. And despite the hefty prices of the high-scale beer, brewers still have to pay the required nickel deposit on bottles.
Utopias has reached its unique strength through a 15-year aging process in barrels at the Boston Beer Co.'s brewery in Boston. It's aged and finished in wooden containers like Scotch whisky barrels and sherry casks. The drink's yeast strains are regularly used in making malts and champagne.
A quick sip unveils a cognac-like hit combined with vanilla, honey, and maple flavors.
The long production cycle is what limits its availability to once every two years. This holiday season, for example, Koch is only releasing 10,000 bottles.
"It's like making 21-year-old Scotch," Koch said. "Yeah, you can make more. You just can't have it for 21 years."
The drink comes in a ceramic-and-copper bottle that resembles a tiny brew kettle.
Koch said he is presenting Utopias as an exclusive beer for sophisticated drinkers that should be consumed like champagne.
He would not speculate whether he would try to get more extreme with future brews, but noted that no one ever thought there would be an "insane brewer" who would be making such a strong Utopias.
"We'll see," he said.
from:http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20091130/BIZ/91130007/1001/biz/New+beer+so+strong++it+s+illegal
The maker of Samuel Adams beer has released an updated version of its biennial beer Utopias - now the highest alcohol content beer on the market. At 27 percent alcohol by volume and $150 a bottle, the limited release of the brandy-colored Utopias comes as more brewers take advantage of improvements in science to boost potency and enhance taste.
"Just part of trying to push the envelope," said Jim Koch, a Cincinnati native and founder-owner of the Boston Beer Co. the 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."
Thirteen states - including Ohio - prohibit its sale because its alcohol content exceeds the legal limit for beer. The other states are Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont and Washington.
Since the 1990s, craft brewers like the Boston Beer Co. and the Delaware-based Dogfish Head have produced a number of "extreme beers" that challenge old notions of beer and decades-old laws that have governed them.
By law, these specialty drinks still are classified as beer when they are based on fermented grain. And despite the hefty prices of the high-scale beer, brewers still have to pay the required nickel deposit on bottles.
Utopias has reached its unique strength through a 15-year aging process in barrels at the Boston Beer Co.'s brewery in Boston. It's aged and finished in wooden containers like Scotch whisky barrels and sherry casks. The drink's yeast strains are regularly used in making malts and champagne.
A quick sip unveils a cognac-like hit combined with vanilla, honey, and maple flavors.
The long production cycle is what limits its availability to once every two years. This holiday season, for example, Koch is only releasing 10,000 bottles.
"It's like making 21-year-old Scotch," Koch said. "Yeah, you can make more. You just can't have it for 21 years."
The drink comes in a ceramic-and-copper bottle that resembles a tiny brew kettle.
Koch said he is presenting Utopias as an exclusive beer for sophisticated drinkers that should be consumed like champagne.
He would not speculate whether he would try to get more extreme with future brews, but noted that no one ever thought there would be an "insane brewer" who would be making such a strong Utopias.
"We'll see," he said.
from:http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20091130/BIZ/91130007/1001/biz/New+beer+so+strong++it+s+illegal
