It takes a lot to get Jim Koch tipsy.
Koch, who runs the company that makes Samuel Adams, tries every batch before it is bottled. He pretty much always has a beer in his hand.
He recently met his match. This year his company concocted a new version of its highly boozy Utopias brand that is its strongest yet: a 30% alcohol by volume brew that’s illegal in 15 states. Traditional Sam Adams is about 5%-6%.
“It is right up there with a cognac,” said Koch, chief executive of Boston Beer . “If you’re drinking enough of it it can really hit you. It also hits hard in a very sensory way.”
Sam Adams and other beer makers devote a small portion of their time and resources to churning out high-octane suds that could get a horse drunk. Besides Utopias, other offerings include Dogfish Head Triple Decadence World Wide Stout, weighing in at 15% alcohol by volume, and the similarly powerful Sede Vacante, brewed by The Lost Abbey.
Some are limited releases while others can be found year-round. Strong beers don’t pay the bills. Beers over 10% alcohol by volume comprise less than 1% of the U.S. market, said Bart Watson, chief executive of the Brewers Association. But that’s not the point.
“Some of this is about innovation and some is just to show that they could,” said Watson.
How the beers are brewed varies by brewer. But one thing is for sure: You should not try it at home.
Utopias is a rich, dark brown and has flavors of port, cognac, scotch and rum. Part of that flavor comes from how it is brewed—in barrels and casks that previously housed spirits and wines. The beer is so strong it recently ate through the side of an insulated paper cup. It smells less like a beer than a bar floor.
Rob Tod stumbled into his strong beer journey by accident. Tod is the founder of Allagash Brewing. He had bought two empty Jim Beam barrels that he planned to use to age a dark beer. But when the brewery ran short on bottles, he tried putting leftover beer in the barrels to avoid having to dump it.
A few days later he came in to see that the heads of the barrels were bulging and beer was leaking. He tried to fix it, which caused foam to gush from one barrel.
“I just got on my knees and started drinking the foam and it had transformed the beer,” Tod said. “It had these coconut and vanilla flavors.” It was also strong.
Tod said the beer—dubbed Curieux—is for different occasions than its traditional beer. “I like sitting next to the fire reading a paper. Having it with Cheesecake.”
Boston Beer brews Utopias once every two years—often upping the alcoholic content with each edition. The company suggests a retail price of roughly $240 for a bottle.
Each employee gets a bottle with a number which corresponds to their tenure with the beer company. That also helps make the beer traceable on markets like eBay .
Mariah Calagione, like other Boston Beer employees, was asked this year to volunteer on the Utopias bottling line in Delaware, where each container was filled by hand.
Calagione, who co-founded Dogfish Head Brewery in Delaware, said she never wanted to be in the middle of the line.
“Once in a while there’s a broken bottle which is usually normal, except on this line. When 30%, alcohol spews everywhere you feel it,” Calagione said, adding that even the aroma got people tipsy. “You could smell it, even from the back of the line.”
Taste-testing is highly choreographed and comes with strict protocols.
After the tastings, participants load up on sandwiches or pizza, said Eric Hernandez, senior manager of taproom brewing operations.
“We try to have our tastings at 11 in the morning because there’s a science where you need to be needing lunch—your taste buds need to be ready to eat,” Hernandez said. The company prohibits drinkers from going on forklifts and limits the amount each person can try without being sent home in an Uber.
Many Americans have been drinking less. And when they reach for a beer, it’s often a light brew like a Michelob Ultra, which contains 4.2% alcohol.
Despite that, extreme beer has a small but mighty following. Bottles of Utopias are resold online for upward of $1,000. Their prestige and rarity makes them coveted by beer snobs.
Stephen Venneman, 55, a television news producer in Eugene, Ore., loves strong beers. He couldn’t wait to try Utopias. One problem: it’s illegal in Oregon.
“Its frustrating,” Venneman said, adding that he tried looking for folks online who could send some from states where it is legal. “There is a lot of complexity to a strong beer and being able to pull off the alcohol and not make it as overpowering as hard liquor. I wanted to see how they pull it off.”
Venneman said he’s considering making the drive to Seattle. The question is will anyone put the beer on hold for him?
“I was really concerned I will drive seven hours and come home with a Coke Zero,” he said.
Write to Laura Cooper at laura.cooper@wsj.com
