Samuel Adams Releases High-Octane Utopias Beer For $240 A Bottle

Samuel Adams Utopias beer has a 28% ABV and a $240 price tag.

Samuel Adams is gearing up to release is 28% alcohol-by-volume Utopias beer, but beer lovers will only be able to get their hands on it if they live within certain states of the U.S.

The Utopias beer is so potent, it has been deemed illegal in 15 states -- Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont and West Virginia -- and comes with a hefty price tag of $240 for 25.4-ounces of the brew.

The beer, which Samuel Adams said is “extremely limited,” will be released on Oct. 11 at select specialty beer, wine, and liquor stores, where state laws allow. Now in its 12th year of producing the Utopias beer, Samuel Adams will sell only about 13,000 bottles of the brew every two years, according to CNN.

Samuel Adams describes the Utopias beer as an “extreme” beer that has been aged nearly three decades in wooded bourbon casks. The beer, which has been compared to a complex port or cognac, is meant to be sipped from a sniffer at room temperature.

The beer is finished in a combination of Carcavelos, Madeira, Ruby Port, and Sherry Oloroso barrels. For this year’s brew, Sauternes oak wine casks were used for the first time, which Samuel Adams said, brought subtle notes of apricot and caramel to the blend.

The brewer also uses Michigan Balaton cherries, which are known for their subtle sweet and tart notes, to create the beer flavor of black cherry and dark fruits with hints of maple and vanilla.

"We pioneered the barrel-aging and blending process of Utopias almost thirty years ago and continue that time-honored tradition today," said Jim Koch, founder and brewer of Samuel Adams, said in a statement.

“Since the introduction of Utopias in 2002, brewers have explored uncharted territory with each brew, experimenting with different kinds of aging barrels, new flavors, and different blending techniques. The result is always special, spirited, and worth waiting for,” he added.