Samuel Adams Utopias returns

A bit like cognac and bit like sherry (on the sweeter side but not Pedro Ximenez levels of sweet), I can’t remember what year I tried though. I love the idea of it.

Also, congratulations!

 

Congrats

 

I got an email for a local store doing lotteries. $250 I think was the price. I sometimes spend too much on beer, but I have just never been able to spend that for Utopias.

 

Been waiting to get one for years. Yesterday while visiting my go-to store, the owner said he got one Utopias and had saved it for me. How could I turn it down after asking about it every year?

 

Mind sharing what it ran you? Always interested in your costs out there.

 

We usually get it a year after release. The price was fantastic for the 2015 and 2017 (~C$110) compared to what I was seeing people in the US pay so I bought a few of each. It was up to C$175 for the 2019 and I don’t think I noticed when the 2021 was released. I’m curious what they will be charging for the 2023 when we see it in 2024.

 

Several years ago I passed on one at another store at $310 since the going price at the time was reportedly $210 to $220. Yesterday when the owner told me about it he initially said $300. I paused, and he said he'd hold onto it until I decided. Quickly figuring in years of inflation, I then said I'd take it. He went to the office to get it, was gone for a while, and when he came back he said it was $279. Not sure if he checked his cost or he was giving me a break because I hesitated.

I was surprised that it sells in a plain cardboard box with no glass. Luckily I bought a Utopias glass years ago. Funny how they cite being "Illegal in 15 states". Might have to do a side-by-side with a Utopias BA WWS.

 

Reportedly still banned in AL, AR, GA, ID, MO, MS, MT, NH, NC, OK, OR, SC, UT, VT, and WV. It's not an across-the-board ban, just beer, though might apply to ciders, seltzers, etc depending on the state.

 

Ceramic with a metallic coating.

 

I think this goes back 6-8 years ago (the same year that I bought my bottle), but Sam Adams included a mail-in certificate in the box for a free glass with the purchase of Utopias. (I don't recall if the glass carried a Utopias logo or if it was just the SA perfect pint glass.) Some states, Michigan included , do not permit 'freebies' to be given with the beer, so that's probably the reason that no glass is included in the box. My box didn't even have a certificate in it.

Congrats on your purchase.

 

Thanks! Yeah, now that you mention it I recall posts about no freebies, hence the coupon. Might have to check the box closer, maybe they still do that. The glass I bought a few years ago has the Utopias logo/name. I'll probably wait to review this on some special occasion.

Now my only remaining whale is KBBS...

 

My guess would be it's a beer specific/tax rate thing rather than an abv cap. It might even be that SA could sell it if it chose to get the necessary permits to sell liquor/wine (depending on the states legal definitions of those) and pay the appropriate taxes. But that's probably not worth the hassle, especially since the "ban" gives them a bit of marketing material

 

BCBS was Not sold (still isn’t?) in many states due to an ABV cap on beer when it was above X-percent. Some years they pick and chose which blends went to which states based on these limits. 2018 or so OH finally was able to sell beer over 14 or 15%.

 

I got that list of states from the current Utopias site, and I suspect their lawyers would have provided/vetted the list. They'd happily add to their distribution any states that drop off that list. Some of those restrictions may be bible-belt-driven, others could be due to lobbying from the wine and spirits crowd who would be threatened by strong beer. Perhaps it's easier for states to regulate beer than wine and spirits that are regulated more at the federal level.