Samuel Adams Utopias aged on Cacao Nibs

This is an amzing beer, high alcohol content, more like a sipping beer if you will. Its got tons of cocoa, carmel, it reminds me of a good brandy. Very rich, and suprisingly smooth

Originally had this combined with my rating of the original Utopias. I enjoyed the cacao version slightly more than the original:
Sampled again at the EBF NOTB on 2/15/08. Aged with Cacao nibs. Poured hazy reddish-brown without carbonation. Aroma with primarily alcohol and vanilla, with some subtle cocoa complimenting the usual aromas. Cocoa adds a nice dimension to the flavor of the beer as well. Unique concept that worked out well.

EBF V - NOTB, Boston, Mass 2008. How a 26% beer is this drinkable is beyond me; however, what makes this unquenchably special is the sheer depth of drink. I am unsure if this beer is quite different because of the cacao nibs included for the festival, but my notes included roasted coconut, chocolate, coffee, very rich bread pudding, pie crust, caramel of allsugar, pepper and at least ten more I could not get from a 2-ounce glass. A very truly one-of-a-kind beer. I am lucky to have had it.

Night of the Barrels: Had a wonderful cocoa aroma from the aging that complimented really well the abundant vanilla, caramel and slight dried fruit notes. Flavor was amazingly well balanced. I was expecting to feel as though I was drinking a liquor, but the flavor hid the alcohol extremely well. The cocoa seemed to mellow out the sweet malts and turn this into the most surpisingly good beer at the festival.

I had the aged on Cacao nibs version at the Night of the Barrels. Not sure if it deserves its own entry; I’ll leave it here until that happens. Aroma of cocoa powder, caramel malt, vanilla; similar to some kind of cognac. The flavor is intensely sweet malt, a hint of chocolate, and there is not much alcohol in the initial flavor (it shows up as warming shortly thereafter). This is a unique beer; the flavor is amazing.