The Holy Grail of Beer: Sam Adams Utopias Dinner

Beer: it’s what’s for dinner. Or, rather it’s what is paired with dinner these days. While beer has spent years paired with dinner (pizza and pitchers anyone?), it is now finally getting the respect it deserves through elaborate, gourmet pairing dinners like the one I was lucky enough to attend last Thursday. Last week’s dinner was hosted by Samuel Adams, a historic Boston brand from The Boston Beer Company and quaffed by a tribe of incredibly loyal beer drinkers. My encounters with Sam Adams have always been pleasant, but not profound…until last week.  

The four-course pairing dinner was held at Vidalia, a restaurant in the heart of downtown DC featuring “American cuisine with a Southern accent”, in honor of one of Sam Adams’ crown jewels– Utopias. Touted as the first American “extreme beer”, Utopias is one-of-a-kind. Dark, strong and un-carbonated, Utopias is meant to be enjoyed in a snifter, like a fine cognac or port. It is brewed with several different strains of yeast, and an impressive blend of salts and hops that give the beer its complex flavor. Brewed every two years, beginning with the first batch in 2009, Utopias offers drinkers a plethora of flavors that changes from year to year. This year’s batch was aged in hand-selected Buffalo Trace bourbon casks, resulting in rich cinnamon, vanilla and maple notes, then finished in sherry casks from Spain and port casks from Portugal. Certainly Utopias lives up to its name, resulting in a drinking experience that is resoundingly satisfying, unique and intoxicating. I hesitate to pronounce anything as perfect, but as the winner of the Guinness Book of World Record’s title of ‘World’s Strongest Beer’, Utopias isn’t far off…  

However, before I rhapsodize further on the fun to be had with Utopias, there was an entire four-course meal to be enjoyed and praised. Chef RJ Cooper, a self-proclaimed “beer man”, was on hand to explain each dish and the thinking behind his pairing. It was exciting to hear how much of his menu incorporates local farms and orchards from VA, MD and PA. And at the onset of each new course Grant Wood, Senior Brewing Manager at Sam Adams, was eager to explain and extol the virtues of each beer on the table. I’ll start from the top

First Course:  Sonoma foie gras served with Mirabelle plum gelee, compressed ruby plums, brioche and cranberry, paired with Samuel Adams Cranberry Lambic. More like a terrine, the foie gras was creamy and pudding-like in consistency. The fattiness of the dish was an excellent foil to the crisp, almost sour, flavor of the lambic. This disappeared in a matter of moments.  

Second Course: This was the surprise lightning round. When challenged (jokingly) 45 minutes earlier to create one more dish/pairing, Chef Cooper rose to the occasion, serving one more extra-special dish. Diners were presented with a lovely white truffle risotto, reduced with Samuel Adams Coastal Wheat and topped with hand-shaved, fresh white truffles. You can imagine the moaning of foodies throughout the room. The pleasantly overwhelming umami flavor of the truffles was an interesting contrast to the robust wheat flavors found in Coastal Wheat, a twist on the Hefeweizen style.  

Third Course: Suckling pig stuffed with pork sausage, atop a puree of smoked sweet potatoes. Because of a recent glut of wet weather, the planned accompaniment of morrow beans from a local Amish farm could not be harvested, and had to be replaced with the sweet potatoes. Not a hardship, let me tell you. This dish was paired with the Samuel Adams Boston Lager, a classic. One of my tablemates had requested a vegetarian meal, which did not disappoint– he received a farm fresh poached egg with roasted potatoes covered with MORE SHAVED WHITE TRUFFLES. Insanity.

Fourth Course: Seckel pear and spiced biscuit served with wild ginger ice cream and caramel, paired with the Samuel Adams Winter Lager. Unfortunately this was devoured before I could capture photographic evidence. The ice cream was crafted using wild ginger from First Step Produce in Maryland, one of the only local purveyors of the rare-ish and highly sought after root. The pear came from Toigo Orchards and was prepared sous-vide before covering the spiced biscuit and succumbing to a puddle of smoked caramel sauce. I was pretty much a puddle myself at this point. I have always been a fan of the Sam Adams Winter Lager, and it was a cozy pairing for the nutmeg and cinnamon flavors of this dessert.  

At this point, the attentive wait staff cleared the tables, delivered a small plate of candies and began to pour the star of the show, Utopias, and its side-kick, the 15 year Triple Bock. When these inimitable beers landed in front of me, their aromas were a smack in the face. Utopias was fiery, spicy and clearly trouble…and I like trouble. The Triple Bock smelled strongly of dried fruit and chocolate. My written notes get hazy at this point, but one of my most lucid scribbles proclaims the Triple Bock to taste exactly like a delicious, alcoholic Raisinette.

Despite the merits of the oft-elusive Triple Bock, the Utopias was my clear favorite. It burns pleasantly like a smooth bourbon or brandy, but manages to release an abundance of flavors. The bottle is also enticing, formed of copper and ceramic to resemble a brew kettle and the contents are strong and alluring. At $150 a bottle, this is one to be savored and placed on the mantel. If I can get my hands on one, I shall consider it the centerpiece of my liquor cabinet.  

At the end of the night, after peppering the brewer Mr. Wood, with questions on production, tasting notes and the general awe-inspiring business of creating these beers, I was in heaven. A beer I once considered to have a more “main stream appeal” had not only surprised me, it had inspired me. Cheers!