Beer utopia: Dogfish Head, Samuel Adams ready to release rare barrel-aged collab

Makers of some of the world’s most extreme craft beers, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery collaborates with Samuel Adams to release an already rumored-about rarity, Utopias Barrel-Aged World Wide Stout. This limited-edition, ageable ale combines the best of two highly sought-after brews, Dogfish Head’s World Wide Stout, a complex imperial stout brewed with a ridiculous amount of barley, and Sam Adams’ Utopias, a unique blend of aged ales dating back more than 25 years.

After sitting for seven months in freshly-emptied Utopias barrels, a new iteration of World Wide Stout was born – Utopias Barrel-Aged World Wide Stout, a jet-black, rich and roasty beer with balanced notes of espresso, cocoa, sherry and vanilla. Clocking in at 17.3% ABV, limited quantities of this exclusive brew will available throughout Delaware in 4pk/12oz bottles starting Friday, March 27.

“Utopias Barrel-Aged World Wide Stout is chock full of intricate aromas and warming flavors reflective of both World Wide Stout and Utopias,” said Sam Calagione, founder and CEO of Dogfish Head. “Upon tasting this new release, I encourage folks to see if they can pick up on the nuances that both World Wide Stout and Utopias have contributed to this one-of-a-kind collaboration.”

To celebrate the release of Utopias Barrel-Aged World Wide Stout, Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats will host a special beer experience, titled ‘Beyond the Barrels,’ on Friday, April 3. Dogfish Head’s ‘Beyond the Barrels’ event includes four delicious courses, each perfectly paired with a barrel-aged beer.

World Wide Stout background

Originally released in 1999, Dogfish Head’s World Wide Stout is dark, roasty and complex, with a depth similar to that of a fine port wine. Since its inception, the brewery has released numerous variants of World Wide Stout, including: Oak-Aged Vanilla World Wide Stout, aged on oak with real vanilla beans, and Bourbon Barrel-Aged World Wide Stout, aged in freshly-emptied bourbon barrels still wet with spirits.

Utopia background

Founder of Samuel Adams, Jim Koch, was an early proponent of aging beer in used spirits barrels, releasing one of the first commercial barrel-aged beers, Triple Bock, in 1994. Just a few short years later, in 2002, the brewery debuted Utopias. Reminiscentof a vintage port or fine sherry, each bi-annual release of Utopias boasts a distinct blend of barrel-aged ales for a truly unique tasting experience.