Samuel Adams – Utopias 2013 w/Kosmic Mother Funk – A First Sampling

We brought you the story of Samuel Adams Utopias 2013 when back in Oct our pal Jim Koch announced that the 2013 version would contain the famous Kosmic Mother Funk (KMF).  This was exciting news as we had recently sampled the Samuel Adams Tetravis Quad that also uses KMF.  Just 6 days ago I brought you the official press release for Utopias so it was more than exciting to find 2013 Utopias had arrived at mybeerbuzz headquarters.

First off you should know that the packaging is gorgeous.  From the copper colored brew-kettle-shaped bottle with moving doors, to the limited edition numbering on the bottom of the bottle, this beer starts speaking before you even open the bottle.  And as if that was not amazing enough on it’s own, our pal Jim Koch was nice enough to include the new Limited Edition Utopias Seasoned Cigar from Ted’s Cigars to complete the  impressive package.

I wanted to wait for some additional cigar expertise to break into the seasoned cigar…but of course we couldn’t wait to sample Utopias, and with so many birthdays this past week (including mine), we decided tonight would be a perfect night to line up our snifters and try some Utopias 2013.

Utopias pours rich and dark and is immediately aromatic.  With notes of dark fruit, raisins and vanilla, I also detected a bit of molasses or maple syrup.  The beer pours with low carbonation and we actually spent considerable time swirling it in our snifters to get more of the complex aromas.

The beer rolls on and off your tongue with the legs and mouthfeel of a vintage cognac.  We sampled at room temperature, and the complexity of Utopias came out in the first few sips.  Up front I tasted notes of vanilla, oak, molasses, caramel, toffee and even maple syrup.  Next up the Buffalo Trace Whiskey aging kicks in with some whiskey-depth and then the malty sweet dark fruit flavors finish the middle flavors.  Finally I was surprised at the brite and almost citrusy sour notes the KMF brought to the table…a perfect balancing combination for the rich Utopias flavors.

Everyone wants to know about the ABV….so let me say that the 28% ABV doesn’t exactly hide, although it was surprisingly soft like a nice port or bourbon.  Yes Utopias is strong, but it’s also loaded with aromas, flavors and complexity that suite the ABV well. 

All in all a really nice blend and and one that I can’t wait to share over the holiday.
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