Samuel Adams Brews Record-Breaking Beer

Can you handle a beer that tops out at a whopping 29 percent ABV? Better get in line for Samuel Adams' newest vintage, the Utopias. 

The Utopias brew is a blend of beers that have been aged in scotch, bourbon, port, and cognac casks, explains the Washington Post. Some of these beers have some pretty strong ABVs, up to 33 percent. The first of the Utopias brews, launched in 2001, according to the Samuel Adams website, tapped out only at 24 percent ABV. But this high alcohol content isn't as important as the taste, said Boston Beer chairman Jim Koch to the Post. "We blended down because this is not about reaching the highest possible alcohol content, but producing the most interest, complex, best-tasting beer," he said.

What makes this aged beer so special? This year's vintage included some of Samuel Adams' first ultra-strong beer, the Trippel Bock, from the mid 1990s. The brew was aged in port and cognac casks, as well as finished in Nicaraguan rum barrels. Those casks, Koch said to the Post, gave the beer a sherry-like oak taste with hints of cocoa and fig. 

Of course, this record-breaking beer will cost you a pretty penny: $160 for 24 ounces, or $6.66 per ounce. We advise you sip on this beer very slowly. You can learn more about the Utopia brews from the Samuel Adams videos.