Koch says that, in the intervening decade and a half, he’s learned a lot about yeast management and how to prevent autolysis—the rupturing of the cell membranes that can cause unpleasant meaty and sulfury flavors in the beers. His barrel farm has served as a Darwinian laboratory, selecting for thicker-walled cells with a high alcohol tolerance. The latest version of Utopias employs over half a dozen yeast strains, estimates Koch, including at least one champagne variety. There are certain barrels where these mutant ninja yeasts have kicked the alcohol up to 28 or 29 percent. Koch believes, however, that he’s nearing the tolerance limit of the species and we won’t see any major increase in alcohol in future versions of Utopias.
Act fast if you want to sample this beer. Boston Beer Co. is releasing “a little over 10,000” bottles nationwide (actually, a little less than nationwide, since Utopias is illegal in 13 states due to alcohol caps). Suggested retail price is $150 per bottle. It’s pricey, but the cost does include a coupon redeemable for a specially designed Riedel snifter glass to enjoy your Utopias nightcap.
Sam vs. Sam
The Sam Adams brew crew might own the record for the world’s strongest beer, but Sam Calagione likes to boast that he makes the world’s strongest beers that actually taste like beer. The founder of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in Milton, DE, has crossed the 20 percent ABV threshold with three of his brands. Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA has a delicate, almost herbal hoppiness poking through mountains of malt, a result of a continuous hopping during the two-hour boil with high-alpha varieties. Dogfish Head World Wide Stout is an über-imperial stout with a chocolate-brown head and a flavor full of roast, bittersweet chocolate and fruity notes. Raison D’Extra—currently on hiatus but expected to return in 2010—is a pumped-up version of Dogfish Head Raison D’Etre, a strong, malty brown ale brewed with beet sugar and green raisins. Expect to pay around $10 for a 12-ounce bottle of these behemoths.
Calagione has reached a pinnacle of 23.5 percent ABV with his World Wide Stout and briefly wrested the title of strongest commercial beer away from Boston Beer, before Jim Koch reclaimed the trophy with his Utopias. Since then, Calagione has reeled in all three beers so they now measure “only” 18 percent. He explains, “We (and on-line beer enthusiasts) prefer these beers at 18-ish ABV. We can dial in the final gravity better. While the really big beers always taste malty young, the 18 percent ABV versions get drier and more complex after a year” than the original bigger versions.
