The Extreme Craft Brew

It is banned in thirteen states, and it sure doesn't come in a six-pack. The maker of Samuel Adams beer has released an updated version of tis biennial beer Utopias, the highest-alcohol-content beer on the market. At 25.5% alcohol by volume and $150 a bottle, the limited release of the brandy-colored Utopias comes as more brewers take advantage of improvements in science to increase potency and enhance taste.

"Just part of trying to push the envelope," said Jim Koch, founder and owner of Boston Beer Co., the maker of Sam Adams. "I'm pushing it beyond what the laws of these 13 states ever contemplated when they passed these laws decades ago."

Since the 1990s, craft brewers like 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.

Paul Gatza, director of the national Brewers Association, Boulder, Colorado said new yeast research allowed brewers to experiment with the emerging science that pushed the traditional cap of 14% alcohol by volume for beer. "As a result, these new beers, like Utopias, balance sweetness, higher alcohol content, and more ingredients," Gatza said,

A few states also have moved to adapt their laws to allow for the emerging craft-brew market. For example, Alabama and West Virginia recently passed laws to allow higher alcohol content in the beer. Lawmakers in Iowa and Mississippi are considering similar legislation. Gatza said consumers are also pushing for changes. That's what sparked a brew battle between Boston Beer Co. and Dogfish Head.

In 1993, Koch set a new bar by creating Triple Bock, a beverage with 18% alcohol by volume. In the early 2000s, Dogfish Head responded with beers of their own that went to 22%. But the latest Utopias alcohol volume gives Koch and Boston Beer Co. the clear title of having the strongest beer, said Sam Calagione, president and founder of Dogfish Head.

"I must bow before him for Utopias," Calagione said. "I' don't think we'll be brewing a beer that strong for a while."

Questions

1. Considering that the average beer is 5% alcohol by volume, what are some of the ethical issues in producing a beer with 25.5% alcohol by volume?
2. Although few consumers may be willing to pay $150 for a bottle of beer, how socially responsible is it for the executives at Boston Beer Co. to gain publicity for high-alcohol-content beer?
3. Putting on your marketing hat for a moment, which demographic group would be interested in purchasing a bottle of Utopias?