Infinium Ale 2010

Sam Adams / Weihenstephan Infinium Ale
10.3 % ABV | 750 ml bottle

I obviously have not been keeping up on the highly-anticipated limited release beers.  I just found out about Infinium today and picked it up in honor of Repeal Day.  Repeal Day was December 5th and commemorates the anniversary of the day the United States repealed the Eighteenth Amendment and gave Americans the constitutional ability to drink beer!  You can read more about it here.  I'm now on my second glass.


Time to learn you some history.

Infinium Ale is the result of a two year collaboration between between Samuel Adams and Weihenstephan Brewery.  The Bavarian State Brewery Weihenstephan, located in Freising, just 40 minutes north of Munich, is the oldest brewery in the world.  Samuel Adams and Weihenstephan sought out to create a new beer style that united European brewing heritage with American innovation.  Infinium Ale adheres to the Reinheitsgebot, the German purity law of 1516 that limits German beer to be made of only four ingredients: water, malted barley, hops, and yeast.  The original law actually consisted of just water, malt, and hops as yeast was not discovered at this point.  The law was also later amended to include wheat, the primary ingredient in Germany's famous southern Bavarian hefeweizen and kristalweizen, and Berlin's acidic Berliner Weiss beers.

On to the beer.

Infinium Ale is presented in a 750 ml champagne-like bottle with all the bells and whistles: foil-wrapped neck, cork and wire cage closure, ornate labeling, and a tag explaining the beer.  A bottle like this instantly generates high expectations.
 
Infinium Ale pours a strikingly crystal-clear golden color, with thick, frothy foam.  The aroma is filled with notes of pears, pineapples, and banana.  Medium to heavy-bodied, strong alcohol is apparent with a dry finish.  Up front, Infinium displays bready malt characteristics mixed with yeast, quickly transitioning to a spicy,warming sensation, taking on oaky, spirit-like flavors.  The beer finishes strong with a dry, spicy, alcohol kick.  The spice lingers, giving way to more biscuity malt in the finish.  As the beer warms, the bread-like malt and yeasty spiciness become more detectable in the aroma as well the flavor.

Infinium shares the spiciness of a Belgium Tripel, the alcohol content of a strong dark ale, and the color and clarity of a Pilsner, which makes it a very deceiving beer.  Not often do we find a beer as light-colored as Infinium that clocks in at over 10% alcohol by volume.  Although not the bubbly, champagne-like, crisp beer that was described on the tag, Infinium's layers of spicy, malty complexity makes it a brew unlike most others.

I'm working my way through the last glass with some extra sharp Wisconsin cheddar.  Everything about this pairing works: the spiciness of the beer compliments the sharpness of the cheddar, and the carbonation in the beer helps cleanse the creaminess of the cheese.

Me Drink Beer.