#8

Utopias

Samuel Adams - Boston, Massachusetts

Nothing gets our patriotic blood stirring like good American beer, especially a kick-ass variety that packs 25 percent alcohol by volume (ABV). Sam Adams started its own beer arms race in 1994 with the Triple Bock (18 percent ABV), gradually working its way up to this amber-colored bomb in 2003, officially recognized by the Guinness Book as the strongest commercially available beer. Flavored with a variety of malted barleys and a touch of maple syrup, Utopias is aged in a combination of scotch, bourbon, port and cognac barrels. Packed in a replica of a copper kettle, this stuff provides a potent, sweet and spicy kick. Brewed in small, limited-edition batches every few years -- the 2005 edition can be found with some dogged searching until the new 2007 variety comes out -- it’s a pricy, but satisfying, proposition.

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Sierra Nevada Pale Ale  †  Prima Pils  †  Ommegang Abbey Ale  †  Boont Amber Ale  †  Sierra Nevada Porter  †  Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout  †  Tröegenator Double Bock  †  Utopias  †  Smoked Porter  †  Mirror Pond Pale Ale  †  Honorable mentions How We Arrived at These Beers
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