Infinium

It's not every day that I spend $20.00 on a bottle of beer but when I do it is most certainly for a special occasion. And, by golly, it had better be good!

What's more special than ringing in the new year?  Well, of course, there are other such important and magical moments. Infinium by Samuel Adams is not only appropriate and suitable substitute for champagne but perfect for any and all of those occasions.

This year, like the last couple, we popped open a bottle of this very distinctive brew to welcome the new year.  I was a little disappointed to discovery that Samuel Adams had not brewed a 2012 batch of Infinium . . . but we suffered through a 2011 bottle . . . aaah, all suffering should be so exquisite.

First brewed in 2010, Infinium is a Biere de Champagne brewed under the self-imposed restriction of Reinheitsgebot (German Beer Purity Law) . . . Infinium is made with only malted barley, hops, water and yeast.  It is bottle conditioned in a caged cork stopped champagne style bottle.

Poured into a classic champagne flute, Infinium is a clear, sparkly pale amber.  The aroma is dry, yeasty with a touch of fruitiness . . . almost Pinot Grigio like.  There are something close to a bazillion bubbles in each glass (yes, I counted them) and the mouth feel is very light and effervescent . . . champagny.  

The taste is not so light.  It is immediately rich, malty and bready with some fruitiness and very little bitter hoppiness.  It finishes very dry . . . very champagne-like.  This is a sipper . . . not a guzzler.  I imagine that if you tried  to guzzle Infinium with the enormous bubbliness you'd just end up with beer pouring out of your nose.  Not very attractive, I assure you, and certainly a waste of a pricey brew.

The high alcohol content  (10.2% ABV) leaves behind a warm feeling that's quite nice . . . not at all distracting.

Overall, I think Infinium is very good but probably not to everyone's liking. It is quite unique and certainly worth trying if you can get your hands on a bottle and willing to pay the price tag.

It will be interesting to see if Samuel Adams brews up a 2013 batch . . . if not, I have one more bottle of the 2011.  It will also be interesting to see how well that bottle ages.  New Year's Eve 2013  . . . we await you.

Visit Samuel Adams' website for more information or check them out on Facebook.

Pssst . . . sorry for the poor photos . . . New Year's Eve I'm not particularly artistic or in a photographic frame of mind.  Cheers!