Beer blogger Adam Shugan (Gainesville) recently celebrated a blogging anniversary with one of the rarest beers available.

I’ll start off by saying this is my fiftieth blog!  What better way to celebrate than to crack open one of the most coveted American brews: Sam Adams Utopias.  This was a once in a lifetime opportunity.  My father-in-law purchased the $130 elixir in 2009 and kept it safe and cellared until he decided to share it the other day. It comes in a ceramic 750ml bottle shaped and clad like an old copper brewing kettle. It is a whopping 27% alcohol by volume -- an American Strong Ale. It achieves this by being brewed with maple syrup. According to the website it was blended with beer aged up to sixteen years in Buffalo Trace Distillery bourbon barrels.

Appearance: we served it slightly chilled in the appropriate miniature tulips. It poured a thick, tawny brown. Rolling it slowly around the glass produced many little legs from the sticky syrup.

Smell: bright golden raisins, dark molasses, sweet maple syrup, and a deep smokiness. It is very aromatic and pleasant.

Taste: amazing, smooth as silk with almost no alcohol heat. It mirrors a deliciously aged port with a rich, creamy nuttiness. Nuances of candied dark fruit, toffee, vanilla, and charred maple syrup dance on the palate.  There is a roasty and pecan wood aftertaste with a long finish. The aging did this brew very nicely. It is a shame I didn't enjoy this after a gourmet dinner but it was a truly gratifying experience regardless.

For those who can get their hands on this rare masterpiece, I definitely suggest aging it for at least a year or two. We could have aged this one even longer than three years because the cellaring softens and develops the beer. ABC gets one or two bottles at their biggest stores and it is immediately
snatched up so be on the lookout for the next release (which should be this year!) and do not hesitate.