To Infinium and Beyond!

Well another year has passed and what a year it was! I celebrated the birth of my son in March, the start of preschool for my daughter in the summer, the first significant white Christmas in North Carolina in over 40 years, and the exponential growth of my love of craft beer. While nothing can top the sweet rewards of my wonderful kiddos, Twenty-Ten brought my enthusiasm of beer to a whole new level and appreciation than ever before. I finally took the plunge into the world of "beer trading" and with friends bringing back beers from other regions, this hobby of mine has turned into a true passion. 

My love affair with craft brew really began even before the "Pop The Cap" movement here in NC, but since then has expanded every year in ways I could have never imagined. A flood of new beers emerged that normally would not have been available and what I knew as beer took on a whole new definition with the introduction of high-gravity brews. Beer wasn't beer anymore and slowly it became a craft brew to enjoy sip by sip, to pair with food dishes, and brought the start of a new revolution to change the status quo that beer can only be a cheap, fizzy yellow lager. I am proud to say, "I love craft beer AND I am a craft beer drinker"! Cheers to a new year and even more greatness in beer!

SAM ADAMS INFINIUM ALE

This new beer came from a collaboration effort between Sam Adams and Weihenstephan claiming "1,000 years of brewing expertise" to bring to life this much ballyhooed beverage. In the works for two years, this special brew was to be considered a ground-breaking new style all the while maintain the Reinheitsgebot, which is a German purity law that pertains to what can be called a beer. 

A beautifully designed corked and caged bottle provides the vessel for this avant-garde brew. The removal of the cork gives way to a champagne-like pop with a little fizz of chilled smoke. Champagne flutes are the appropriate choice of glassware here. The pour is vibrant and well-carbonated dissipating to a light and buttery appearance with an effervescent head. This bubbly brew gives off aromas of sweet bread and fruity yeast notes. Ahhh, smells like a new year indeed! The taste is light and crisp and definitely bubbly here. My notions of this being a biere de champagne style in the likes of DeuS and Malheur are confirmed. As I continue, the sweetness of the drink, reminiscent of a moscato, really surprises me and makes it over-powering at times and the booze factor starts to become noticeable, but at 10.3% abv this is no real surprise there. I sense undertones of some maltiness and a citrusy hop profile. The finish is definitely a sweet boozy concoction without much dryness. Overall, I applaud both breweries for their efforts, but feel it falls short of anything revolutionary. It is a beer I did enjoy, but not one that I would revisit any time soon. I would say this beer is worthy of sharing with a few people and to celebrate a special occasion, but that is all I can recommend on this one. Gun Bae!