Utopias Barrel-Aged World Wide Stout
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

Bottle from the 2021 Extreme Beer Box. Pours a mostly opaque very dark amber brown with a finger of rocky tan head that dissipates to a ring, minimal lacing, smell is bourbon, chewy toffee, dark caramel, molasses, dried dates, hints of chocolate, coffee, and cake batter, taste is bourbon, dark roast malts, burnt caramel, molasses, roast coffee, hints of toffee and dried dates, feel is light bodied to thin, medium carbonation, sweet. Haven’t had any Utopias but I have had World Wide Stout, this tastes like stout spiked bourbon; complex, boozy, fruity, and off-centered. Would love to see a Palo Santo version of this.

It's been 6 years since I drank WWS, so comparing Utopias BA WWS requires imagination. So, let me think about it.

It's also been the first time I've gone on their website since Dogfish's formal arrangement with Sam Adams and I'm impressed by their growth, particularly in the Alehouses and expansion into more hospitality on the Delaware shore with restaurants and inns; becoming kinda in the British brewery model.

As for BA WWS, Looks are not its strength. I suppose it is too much to expect foam and active protein to last past this ABV. Smells are full-on dark fruit and, then, mostly molasses. Tastes are integrated and balanced; lots of flavors in this dessert, but all good and all play together. Sometimes the licorice tries to bully, but something restrains it. Viscous Feel.

My brain picks up the 17% faster than my nose or mouth; concealing 17% from the immediate senses is no small feat.
I'm getting too old for high ABV beers; so I'm betting I stretch this one to four evenings. Now, that's getting my money's worth!

 

Look: It pours dark brown with a brown head. Head retention is low.

Smell: Very malty aromas up front that feature rich caramel and some molasses. There are background nut notes and dark fruits.

Taste: It has strong dark caramel flavors with molasses with nuts. It has plenty of dark fruit notes in the background with plums and raisins. There are some dark cherry notes as well.

Feel: It has a thick, chewy body with plenty of strong, but not sharp or hot alcohol warming.

Overall, plenty of flavor and strength. The strength and smoothness is quite incredible. The dark fruits add complexity as well.

Poured from a 12-oz bottle into a stout glass.

Appearance: Dark brown — nearly black — with a half-inch tan head that dissipated very quickly and left virtually no lacing.

Nose: Alcohol overwhelmingly, with some brown sugar sweetness.

Mouthfeel: Medium

Attack: Follows the nose very closely with strong alcohol, then dried fruit.

Finish: Alcohol continues, with bitterness from at least the dark roast.

Overall: of course, this is a well-made beer, and a special occasion sipper. I was a bit disappointed in the lack of fullness and complexity in the flavor, though, as the intensity of the alcohol overwhelms almost every other part of it. I realize my ratings of this beer are significantly lower than many other BA raters. Perhaps it needs to bottle age a bit longer? I’ll perhaps let the other bottles in the four-pack age longer and maybe come back to revise these ratings and this review.

12 oz bottle poured into a snifter. Pours a medium copper brown color with a small fizzy head. Aroma and flavor offer booze, brown sugar, raisin, some vanilla and caramel. Mouthfeel is a bit thin and sharp. This comes across as more of a barleywine than a stout. Overall, it's complex with some really good elements but too alcohol-forward IMO. I get it, it's supposed to be strong, but it's still a letdown.

 

 

Black in color with no light penetration. There's a fingernail of brown around most of the rim. The aroma is of dark malt, leather, and plum. I'm tasting chicory, leather, raisin, and bourbon. The mouth is sticky, chewy, thick, and boozy.

 

Bottle: Poured a pitch-black color stout with a dark brown foamy head with light retention and light lacing. Aroma of nice barrel-aged notes with some Cognac notes with some light vanilla and woody notes, nice black chocolate malt notes with dry woody notes. Taste is also dominated by barrel-aged notes with some Cognac and vanilla notes with some rich black chocolate notes with a dry woody finish. Body is above average with a nice oily texture and good carbonation with some apparent alcohol. World-class barrel-aged stout.

2021 bottle,nose is pretty good I get dark fruits, maple, dates soaked in bourbon and a deep woody red wine as it warms . It has mellowed and not hot at all. Pours black and very minimal head. Thin to medium body, dark fruity maple and leather, alcohol is up front and will sneak up on you quick. A very enjoyable beer that I will seek out again.

This bottle was aged one year and I'm reviewing the aged version because the fresh bottle was far too hot for my taste. The heat completely dominated the aroma and flavor, making it undrinkable.

The beer is black with no head or lace. A viscous film does form on a Pretentious Glass Company Imperial Snifter; however, no legs fall.

Boozy maple is very apparent up front. All the darkness that one expects is here, however, it is difficult to distinguish the nuances. The blend is inviting, and, to my surprise, is actually relaxing.

Baker's chocolate is followed by malt. Bitterness and sweetness are both here, though neither takes prominence. Fresh, the malt was stronger and what were obvious notes of leather are now faint. The finish is long and mellow.

The alcohol is as strong as one would expect and, while hot, it is not too hot. It has a medium to full body and silky smooth texture. The carbonation is light.

One year has dramatically tamed this beer. It is no surprise that it does present as a Barleywine/Stout blend, however, the Stout is a more significant player. I drank half the glass for this review, then paired the remainder with a cigar on a warm, late August afternoon. The cigar did detract from the beer, however, it worked fairly well, nonetheless. My fresh bottle was consumed the day after Thanksgiving last year. The Utopias blend definitely took the edge off each version as straight-up offerings. This said, the unblended versions of these beers are clearly superior.

Utterly black. Virtually no head. Aroma is bourbon, of course. First sip is luscious, flavor-filled, wondrously complex. The stiff 17.2% ABV can't be hidden, so be aware. Can't say much more than the previous reviewers, other than it's about as close to a religious experience one can have with a beer.

 

 

Not for me. Zero head, cloyingly sweet & the 17% ABV overwhelms the brew. I will have difficulty finishing the bottle.

16 oz. can. Cloudy orange. Smells of mango and dank notes. Tastes of sweet mango and passion fruit before grapefruit takes over. Aggressive grapefruit bitterness tempers the sweetness behind it. Lightly grassy finish. Medium heavy. I am not normally a fan of these big sweet IPAs, but this one delivers on flavor and bitterness. Excellent.

12 oz bottle. Date code is unclear, but I bought in 2021, I stashed in the cellar for a year as I heard this one was a bit harshly boozy when it was fresh.

Pours jet black, thin cream colored head that fades fast. Its only moderately hot in the taste, but does have a huge fruity cognac-like aroma that dominates the roasty malt flavors of normal WWS. But the finish does have some nice underlying dark cocoa notes. Thinner bodied for such a huge beer.

Pours with nary a head, and what was there faded immediately. Boozy aroma which of course is to be expected. Taste is a boozy mess - mostly HOT, bourbon notes with a slightly sour aftertaste. Not a lot of subtlety here, even as it warms up.

Honestly, I found it a bit of a chore to drink and I couldn't finish it. Mouthfeel is pretty thin for the style, not something I would fork out the $$$ for again, once is enough.