Utopias pushes new limits on beer as alcohol content laws change, drinkers seek new flavors

Utopias pushes new limits on extreme beer

BOSTON — It’s banned in 13 states and sure doesn’t come in a six-pack.

The maker of Sam Adams beer has released an updated version of its biennial beer Utopias.

At 27 percent alcohol by volume and $150 a bottle, the limited release is now the highest alcohol content beer on the market.

The drink comes in a ceramic-and-copper bottle that resembles a tiny brew kettle. Thirteen states prohibit its sale because its alcohol content exceeds the legal limit for beer.

Since the 1990s, craft brewers like the Boston Beer Co. and the Delaware-based Dogfish Head have produced a number of “extreme beers” that challenge old notions of beer and the decades-old laws that have governed them.