Your bottle of Sam Adams Utopias has been packaged in a unique, collectible copper-finished brew kettle decanter reminiscent of the brew kettles used by brewmasters for hundreds of years.
This limited edition ale has been aged in Scotch, Cognac and Port barrels. As a result of this unique brewing process, this flavorful, slightly fruity brew has a sweet, malty flavor that resembles the deep, rich grape taste of a vintage Port, fine Cognac or old Sherry. A variety of yeast were used during fermentation, including the same yeast used in champagne. Carmel, Vienna, Moravian and Bavarian smoked malts add a rich amber color. We started by using some of the world's finest ingredients, including all four types of Noble hops, which give the beer its earthy, herbal taste. A beer without carbonation, one to be savored slowly. I wanted to show them the opposite end of the beer spectrum. People have asked what inspired me to brew such a unique beer? Drinkers have long been familiar with light beers. Pour it into a wine glass or brandy snifter. When served at room temperature in a two-ounce serving, Sam Adams Utopias is an ideal after-dinner drink. Beer enthusiasts have never enjoyed a beer like Sam Adams Utopias. With an alcohol content of 25% by volume, we've broken our own record set by Sam Adams Utopias MMII in 2002. You are about to experience the strongest beer ever brewed. I have not had Utopia so I'm not sure how 'close' it is to the real thing. I'll settle for 18-19% ABV and carbed vs. I want to mash much lower all around and start a bit lower on the OG(like 1.170) so it finishes drier but still a very high ABV, but maybe not quite as high. I plan on doing the reiterated mashing to get the 'feeding' wort as opposed to using extract for this. I'm going to try it again, less extract and more sugar and wort. Its definitely complex, sweet, and decent but there's bigtime room for improvement. The real thing is not carbonated, but I imagined I wouldn't like it as much if it were not. I also tried to get it to bottle carbonate, as of a couple months ago it was not carbed.
So its ~20-21%ABV, not 25% like the real thing. Specifically, feeding and aerating everyday for five days straight. I did it with wlp099 and followed whitelabs directions for that yeast. I tried one, they list the grains used on the website but not the amounts, so I made rough guesses based on other recipes for big barleywines.