Cincinnati's Sam Adams taproom is celebrating its third anniversary with a very, very rare and very extreme beer release.
The brewery is bringing back its biennial Utopias, a 28% ABV beer with a retail price (which includes a special copper brew kettle decanter) of $240. The top-shelf brew's alcohol content is so high that it's illegal in 15 states — but not in Ohio.
And Sam Adams' Cincinnati taproom is one of only a few places in the nation that you can enjoy the beer on draft.
According to a press release from Sam Adams, the rich, barrel-aged Utopias has a flavor profile of "black cherry and dark fruits with hints of maple and vanilla." The moderately sweet beer was finished on more than 2,000 pounds of cherries, says the brewery, adding a fruity experience to the wood tannins.
If you want to try the beer, the brewery has a link to buy $15 pours in advance at samadamscincy.com/events.
This will be the 12th biennial release of Utopias, with 2019's beer making its debut in time for the local taproom's first anniversary.
In addition to the rare brew, the Sam Adams' weekend anniversary celebration includes live music, Boston Lager beer brats, other Utopias-cask-aged brews and a special Utopias-inspired cheesecake. The taproom-exclusive Chocolate Bocktopias and Stoutopias will be available on draft (Bocktopias will also be in bottles). Both brews were aged in the same casks at Utopias. And the cheesecake is coming from nearby Findlay Market's Makers Bakers, and features the "cherries used to finish this year’s batch of Utopias," according to the release.
Sam Adams opened the taproom across from the Samuel Adams Cincinnati Brewery in 2018. The taproom features indoor and outdoor space and offers an array of unique beers brewed both onsite and at the Cincinnati Brewery.
“We’ve been dreaming of opening a taproom in the neighborhood since we purchased the brewery 21 years ago, so we could share our beers with local drinkers,” said Samuel Adams founder Jim Koch in 2018. “Now, I’m thrilled to see this dream finally become a reality. Cincinnati is my hometown with such a rich brewing history and I’ve seen our city blossom as a craft beer mecca that is home to some of the finest breweries and taprooms in the country.”
The taproom's third-anniversary party takes place 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Nov. 13; 11 a.m.-6 p.m Nov. 14.
$15 tickets for pours of the beer can be purchased in advance at samadamscincy.com.
1727 Logan St., Over-the-Rhine, samadamscincy.com.
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*A previous version of this story said that the Sam Adams taproom was one of only two places you can drink Utopias on draft. Sam Adams has asked to update that to a few versus two.
