Potent — and pricey — Samuel Adams Utopias beer illegal in 15 states; Illinois is not one of them

Samuel Adams is releasing a beer so strong that it is illegal in 15 states.

The beer, called Utopias, has 28 percent alcohol by volume (ABV) and began its limited release Tuesday in select beer and specialty stores (including Illinois and Indiana) for a suggested retail price of $210 per bottle. (Historically only 15,000 bottles of the extreme beer are distributed.)

This is the 11th edition of Utopias, and only 77 wooden casks of it were brewed this year. The 2019 Utopias is a blend of earlier batches of Samuel Adams’ extreme beers, a catalog dating back over 25 years.

“The ruby black, uncarbonated 2019 Utopias is reminiscent of a rich vintage Port or fine Sherry, challenging drinkers’ expectations of beer while getting better with age: drinkers can enjoy a portion of Utopias now and save the rest for other occasions,” according to a press release.

The beer was blended, aged and finished in barrel rooms in Samuel Adams’ three breweries in Boston, Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, and Cincinnati.

Sam Adams founder and brewer Jim Koch said in a statement that Utopias has been “nothing short of a labor of love” since it was first brewed.

“As brewers, we take pride in everything we make, but there’s something special about putting such a unique, extreme beer in the hands of not only the craft beer community but our coworkers,” Koch said. ”Involving new members of our team from Dogfish Head in the bottling process this year signified collaboration, progress and inspired future innovations that we can’t wait to share.”

Because of its high alcohol level, Utopias is not shipped to or sold in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont or West Virginia.

Read more at usatoday.com