Champagne of beers for celebrations from Sam

Jim Beauregard

So the year comes to an end. I have been writing about wine for a number of years now, and more recently, about beer. I thought I would end the year on a beer note, with something even a wine lover might enjoy.

Sam Adams Infinium was first made last year, and was designed for things like New Year’s celebrations. In fact, they made an Infinium Champagne glass to go with it.

The first thing Boston Beer Company looked at in the creation of the Infinium was the Reinheitsgebot, literally, the Purity Law, passed in Bavaria in 1516 and mandating that only the four basic ingredients be used to make beer. Those were the parameters in which they operated from start to finish.

German laws, so to a German brewery for some advice: The folks at Sam Adams began the process of making this beer several years ago by contacting the Weihenstafan brewery in Germany. Since Weihenstafan has been around for centuries, they know what they are talking about when they talk about beer.

Boston Beer set out to make a new beer using only the four basic ingredients: water, malted barley, hops and yeast.

The hops are of the noble German variety (Hallertau Mittlefrueh, Spalt Spalter, Tettnang Tettnanger and Hersbrucker Noble Hops, if you want to know).

After the initial brewing process, the beer undergoes an in-bottle fermentation (the same bottle conditioning used in French Champagne) using Belgian yeast, which adds additional flavour to the profile.

This is why Infinium comes in a Champagne bottle, which is thick and heavy — it reduces the risk of explosion, a perennial problem for French Champagne makers for centuries. It come under a traditional Champagne cork and cage too, and is opened like a bottle of Champagne. Now, you can pop the cork and have everything explode out like a Stanley Cup party, or you can try the more traditional method of holding your hand firmly over the cork and turning the bottom of the bottle with your other hand.

The advantage of the second method (assuming there are no wired hockey players around) is that most of the contents of the bottle are still there when you are done with the opening.

Pour into a Champagne glass, and here’s what you get:

Sam Adams Infinium, Boston Beer Company, $20, 750 ml bottle, 10.3% abv. Sam Adams recommends a champagne glass for the Infinium, so we gave it a try. Huge frothy/ creamy head, white in color; golden beer with some cloudiness, a nose rich in malt with hints of hops lurking in the background. It is off-dry on the palate, with relatively low bitterness, medium acidity, low carbonation, medium-plus alcohol that is well-integrated. Medium-plus body that has a silky character, medium-plus flavour intensity and a very long finish.

While the beer is golden in color, leading one to expect a hoppy palate, it is malt that predominates, and the flavors include bread, caramel, cereal, grain, citrus, hints of butter, blossom, citrus peel, hints of peach and vanilla.

Ready to drink now but could be saved for at least a few months. 278 calories per 12 oz. glass, but at this point, who’s counting?

Jim Beauregard is a local wine and beer writer who can be reached at [email protected]

All About Beer with Bill & Sheila

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