What is beer? This is a question currently being pushed to the limit by Boston-based brewer Samuel Adams, who has released a new "extreme" beer with 30 per cent alcohol by volume.
In fact, their new Utopias 2025 beer is so strong, it falls foul of legal limits in 15 states, including New Hampshire, Vermont, North Carolina, Georgia, and Oregon.
New Hampshire, for example, caps alcohol by volume in beers at 14 per cent. Typical, mass-produced beers tend to hover around the 4 – 5 per cent mark, Budweiser comes in at 5 per cent, while Michelob Ultra and Coors Light are both 4.2 per cent.
But the high strength of Samuel Adams’ Utopias 2025 "blurs the line between beer and fine spirits,” according to the brewer’s chief executive Jim Koch.
Koch, 76, who co-founded the Boston Beer Company in 1984, said hitting a 30 per cent ABV had long been a personal goal of his.
The new beer is the 14th iteration of Samuel Adams' Utopias limited-edition series.
“When we first began the Utopias journey over thirty years ago, we set out to explore the limits of what beer could be,” Koch said.
“Reaching 30 per cent ABV is a remarkable milestone for Utopias — not for the number itself, but for what it represents: the relentless pursuit of craft without compromise.
“Every vintage, barrel, and bottle reflects decades of experimentation, innovation, and collaboration, delivering a sipping experience that is truly unparalleled, collectible, memorable, and worth the wait.”
Claiming to be “one of the strongest beers ever brewed”, Samuel Adams conceded the drink is a “boundary-bending” concoction – nonetheless, previous iterations of the Utopias releases have found fans.
Speaking about the 15 states where the beer is illegal, a spokesperson for the brewer told The Independent: “In terms of how drinkers can find it if they live in one of those 15 states, we always say half the fun is trying to find Utopias near you!”
Writing on the BeerAdvocate website, one reviewer said the 2024 release, which was slightly lower in strength, was “strong but good”.
“At 28 per cent ABV, this is a sipper. Luckily, since it's uncarbonated, you can store it after opening. Feels nice, but perhaps a bit strong for my personal liking.”
On Reddit, a reviewer of another previous release said, “If you can afford it, go for it. It's a fun experience and comes in a cool bottle. It feels more like a port than any beer, but I love port, so it was good to me.”
Another reviewer added: “Really, at this price you can get some transcendentally good vintage port or Madeira … The novelty is kinda neat, but there are much more exciting beverages for the money.”
Samuel Adams said the limited-edition beer is bottled in individually numbered ceramic vessels, and the $240 SRP reflects “the rarity, complexity, and unparalleled craftsmanship of the liquid.”
Strongest beers in the USA
Following Samuel Adams’ law-busting Utopias series, other extreme beers include:
Dogfish Head’s 120-Minute IPA, with a strength of 15-20 per cent ABV
Goose Island’s Bourbon Candy Stout, with a strength of 14.7 per cent ABV
The Steel Brewing Company’s Steel Reserve 211 typically has a strength of 8.1 per cent ABV
Returning towards the realm of relative normality, California-based brewer Lagunitas’s IPA has a strength of 6.2 per cent ABV.
Strongest beers outside America
A considerable number of the world’s strongest beers originate in Scotland.
BrewDog’s Tactical Nuclear Penguin – this large Scottish brand’s beer was imported into the US in 2009, and had a liver-rattling strength of 32 per cent ABV, and billed itself as the “world’s strongest beer”.
One non-Scottish beer on the list is German brewery Schorschbräu – their Schorschbock beer has an ABV of 57 per cent and is created through a traditional “Eisbock” process of freezing and removing water to concentrate flavors and alcohol.
Brewmeister’s Snake Venom – also produced in Scotland – has an ABV hitting a whopping 67.5 per cent. The brewing process also involves freezing the beer multiple times to concentrate the alcohol and flavor; however, it is then fortified with alcohol to increase its strength. As such, there are debates over whether this can really be considered a beer.
Similarly, Scotland’s 88 Brewery makes a product called Beithir Fire, which is also fortified. At 75 per cent ABV, the product – named after a deadly dragon – comes with a fluorescent warning label, advising people not to consume it in doses larger than 35ml (1.1oz) in one sitting.
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