Ah yes, the season is here for the traditional winter whites; a time for spiced beer with spruce tips and smoked undertones; a time for lagers named after naughty elves and bad Santas; a time for sipping beer while trying not to fall of the ladder after placing the fourth lighted reindeer on the roof; and a time for your stocking to be packed with a beer that’s a sultry 27% ABV and costs a mere $150 a bottle; it’s… wait, what?

The maker of Samuel Adams beer has released an updated version of its biennial beer Utopias — now the highest alcohol content beer on the market. At 27 percent 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 boost potency and enhance taste.

Now I’d heard about this Utopias drink via a book my girlfriend had purchased for me for my birthday, but I didn’t know it actually existed. And only came out every two years. And, you know, existed.

Utopias has reached its unique strength through a 15-year aging process in barrels at the Boston Beer Co.’s brewery in Boston. It’s aged and finished in wooden containers like Scotch whisky barrels and sherry casks. The drink’s yeast strains are regularly used in making malts and champagne.

A quick sip unveils a cognac-like hit combined with vanilla, honey, and maple flavors.

The long production cycle is what limits its availability to once every two years. This holiday season, for example, Koch is only releasing 10,000 bottles with the suggested retail price of $150 apiece.

“It’s like making 21-year-old Scotch,” Koch said. “Yeah, you can make more. You just can’t have it for 21 years.”

The drink comes in a ceramic-and-copper bottle that resembles a tiny brew kettle.

So this is clearly at the top of our BarBEERians Holiday Gift Guide 2009. Who wouldn’t want to try a sip of this beauty? It might even punch you in the face and run away before you got to taste it. Can’t wait for this to show up somewhere in Montana…

In this Nov. 17, 2009 photo, Aging hardwood barrels of the Utopias selection are stacked in the barrel room of the Boston Beer Company in Boston. The beer, which is 27 percent alcohol by volume, has been compared to fine cognac and sherry. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Thirteen states prohibit its sale because its alcohol content exceeds the legal limit for beer: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont and Washington.

Oh, so, nevermind. Guess we’ll have to wait for the Legislature to come through for us again before we can get a sample of this. In other unrelated news, who’s ready to drive to Wyoming this weekend? You know, no reason. Just pretty mountains. And bears. And stuff.