Review: Samuel Adams/Weihenstephan's Infinium

New Year's Eve is tomorrow so I wanted to quickly write down my thoughts on Infinium. After my last post I talked to a few of you and there have been some mixed reviews. Obviously, I was excited to try this beer and the fact that a limited beer had made it into public discussion intrigued be further. Perhaps we can blame a little bit on all the hype but my taste buds aren't easily fooled - it was pretty underwhelming. Right away when looking at the bottle I noticed it didn't have quite the bubbles I expected from a beer described for its effervescence and the mouth feel confirmed it. It is darker than other champagne beers that I've had and has a great smell. The beer taste was closer to a Triple with more dark fruit and roasted malts than other beers of this type. It does, however, have the doughy aspect that's typical in champagne beers. Don't get me wrong, overall it was not a bad beer. It's tasty so you should try a bottle while it's available, however, if you're looking for celebratory beer I would recommend some others instead. Go for Deus or if you can find it and can afford it, Scaldis Prestige. Deus can be found at Total Wine.

Samuel Adams Infinium

While watching the Today Show this morning, Hoda and Kathie Lee showcased Samuel Adams' Infinium Ale as a suggested replacement to champagne for beer lovers. This beer has many of the characteristics of champagne. It has a pale golden color, sparkling fine bubbles, and from the look of the bottle you'll notice its champagne-like shape and the foil around the bottles' cork. I've been meaning to try it and now with this reminder, I will do so this weekend to send you guys a quick review before your Christmas and New Years celebrations. In the meantime, here's where you can find it now -

All Whole Food stores should have it by now. One of our readers confirmed via twitter that it is most definitely available in their South Beach store. We've also spotted it at the Stop n Shop on 5885 Ponce de Leon and at Total Wine. It should run you $20.

It's available on limited holiday release 2010 so make sure to get it in time. I've heard great things about this beer already and it's no surprise considering it was made with such love. The Boston Beer Company worked for two years with the world's oldest continuously running brewery, Germany's Weihenstephan, to create this unique new beer style. I'll leave you with some stats, review coming soon -

Original Gravity: 20.5° Plato
Alcohol by Vol/Wt: 10.3%ABV - 8.1%ABW
Calories/12 oz.: 257
Malt Varieties: Custom blend of two-row malted barley, malted spring white wheat, and malted oats
Hop Varieties: Hallertau Mittlefrueh, Spalt Spalter, Tettnang Tettnanger and Hersbrucker Noble Hops
Yeast Strain: Samuel Adams ale yeast, Belgian yeast
First Brewed: 2010


For those of you that have tried it please share your comments here.  We'd love to hear what you think about this great alternative to bubbly. I know that my wife cannot wait.