Craft Beer Cruise
Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2014 7:11 pm
Just got back last weekend from our second Craft Beer Cruise sponsored by Sam Adams. On the 7 day cruise we had 5 different beer events, including an initial reception, general beer tasting of 7 different styles, a beer and cheese tasting, beer and food pairing luncheon, and a special tasting of their Utopias limited edition. Of course they featured Sam Adams products, but I was amazed at the number of different beers that Sam Adams makes. It was very educational and lots of fun.
The Utopias is a truly unique beer. It is only brewed once a year with a very strong malt backbone, multiple noble hops, a proprietary belgian yeast and maple syrup. This years batch came in at 29% ABV, and tasted like no other beer I have ever had. Normally retails for $200 per 24 oz bottle, but was included in the tour package.
My wife has really started to embrace more complex beers as a result of these two cruises. I have started quizzing her on what she tastes and smells with new beers and she is getting good at it. We have been married for almost 39 years and both started out with Schlitz and Bud as teenagers, so this has been an amazing journey overall. She is liking my beers enough now that she is willing to put up with the hop boil aroma which I love and she says smells like old sweat socks.
The Utopias is a truly unique beer. It is only brewed once a year with a very strong malt backbone, multiple noble hops, a proprietary belgian yeast and maple syrup. This years batch came in at 29% ABV, and tasted like no other beer I have ever had. Normally retails for $200 per 24 oz bottle, but was included in the tour package.
My wife has really started to embrace more complex beers as a result of these two cruises. I have started quizzing her on what she tastes and smells with new beers and she is getting good at it. We have been married for almost 39 years and both started out with Schlitz and Bud as teenagers, so this has been an amazing journey overall. She is liking my beers enough now that she is willing to put up with the hop boil aroma which I love and she says smells like old sweat socks.