Sam Adams, owned by Boston Beer, has pushed boundaries when it comes to beer and alcohol content.

“At 30% ABV, Samuel Adams’ Utopias 2025 isn’t just strong; It’s testing the very definition of beer. The fourteenth edition of the brewery’s barrel-aged blend stands as the world’s strongest beer, and one that can’t legally be sold or shipped in 15 states,” Food & Wine reported.

And while the Utopias line pushes the line, that doesn’t mean it’s not beer.

“It sure is still a beer,” Devin Bush, brewer and founder of Wildbloom Beer in Littleton, New Hampshire told Food & Wine. “From a definition standpoint, it’s an alcoholic beverage fermented from grain. There’s no upper limit on ABV, only how far fermentation can go.”

Utopias is meant to be a premium product sipper by connoisseurs. Boston Beer’s latest offering leans into consumer demand for higher-alcohol content, but in a much more controversial way.

Twisted Tea expands high-alcohol line

Twisted Tea, a Boston Beer brand, has expanded its high-alcohol “Extreme” line.

“Fans can enjoy the same bold, delicious Twisted Tea they know and love — now amped up with 8% ABV – in 12 oz. can 12-packs. Previously available exclusively in single-serve cans, Twisted Tea’s Extreme Variety Pack is expanding to bring bigger flavor in a bigger pack to drinkers and their crew,” the company shared in a press release.

The pack includes two new flavors.

• Twisted Tea Extreme Long Island Iced Tea: A hard iced tea inspired by the iconic cocktail, drinkers can expect notes of the cocktail’s classic flavors, including lemon and cola, for a boozy, delicious treat. 
• Twisted Tea Extreme Fruit Punch: A perfectly balanced mix of juicy black cherry, sharp orange and bright lemon for a fruity iced tea with a bold kick. 

The company shared that the high-alcohol Extreme brand has “seen big success in the convenience channel where the 8% ABV lineup first launched.”

High alcohol RTDs have been a growth area

While overall alcohol consumption has dropped slightly, high-alcohol ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages have been a growth area, according to The IWSR.

“Despite the widespread moderation trend, there are clear signs that some consumers are gravitating to higher-strength products, spawning a succession of new launches and line extensions of lower-ABV RTDs,” according to The IWSR’s “How are RTDs using innovation to drive category expansion?” report.

• In 2021, 51% of new launches in the top 10 markets fell into the over 3-5% ABV tier, but this share figure fell to 41% in 2024.
• Over the same timescale, the proportion of launches at over 5-7% has risen from 18% to 22%, while the share for over 7% has increased from 25% to 29%.
• This shift has been particularly notable in the U.S. and U.K. markets.
• In the US, the proportion of new launches above 5% ABV has risen from 48% to 55% between 2021 and 2024, while for the UK it has gone up from 53% to 72%.

Twisted Tea is a malt-based beverage, but many higher-alcohol RTDs are spirit-based.

High-alcohol RTD beverages are a growing trend.

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Consumers want higher-ABV beverages

Retailers observe that many consumers prefer higher-ABV beverages.

“I think it’s a combination of wanting higher ABV, but consumers also want to see on the label that it says vodka or a liquor as opposed to not having it on there,” Frugal MacDoogal CEO Charles Sonnenberg Sonnenberg told Beverage Information. “They realize that if the drink has a liquor in it, it will automatically have higher proof, so they prefer to drink a spirit.”

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His colleague, Randall’s Wine & Spirits owner Todd Randall also noted the increased demand for higher-ABV drinks.

“When Cuervo Authentics came out with a double-strength Margarita, it was selling better than the regular strength,” he shared. “Customers prefer more proof, so I definitely think that the increase in ABV is something people are looking at.”

More alcohol come with more risks

While some customers seek out higher alcohol beverages, others don’t realize they’re drinking more than they think they are.

“The World Health Organization has called on economic operators to ‘substitute,whenever possible, higher-alcohol products with no-alcohol and lower-alcohol products intheir overall product portfolios, with the goal of decreasing the overall levels of alcoholconsumption in populations and consumer groups,’” according to the Lower-Strength Alcohol Products and Public Health study.

A higher ABV means a greater concentration of alcohol, which accelerates and intensifies intoxication, according to the World Health Organization.

“For instance, a standard 12-ounce beer with 5% ABV delivers about 0.6 ounces of pure alcohol, while a 5-ounce glass of wine at 12% ABV contains 0.6 ounces as well, but the latter’s higher ABV can lead to faster absorption and more pronounced effects. This disparity highlights how ABV shapes the drinking experience beyond mere quantity,” CY Alcohol reported in Understanding Alcohol By Volume: What Abv Really Means For Your Drink.

Some studies also question how drinks like RTD beverages sold in convenience stores are marketed.

“In addition to attracting consumer attention and promoting product appeal, alcohol packaging also has the potential to mislead consumers to perceive alcohol products as less harmful to health and even healthy,” according to a study posted by the National Insitute of Health.

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