Infinium - Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams)

magictacosinus

California

4.03/5  rDev +24%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Ahh, about time I got a bottle of this. Weihenstephan is one of my favorites, and Sam Adams is highly regarded in my life concerning craft beer, so hearing about them collaborating on a budget-priced champagne beer seems like a match made in heaven. Was happy to get this bottle as a gift, especially considering that these are getting harder to find. Poured into a Blanche de Chambly "champagne" glass out of a beautiful looking 750ml bottle. States the year "2011" on the neck.

As expected, pours a highly carbonated, yet amber bronze color, which was definitely not expected. Fresher batches appear to be more golden in color, but this quickly reveals itself to be a product that combines aspects of these two breweries. There's a glowing, yeasty form towards the end, with enormous alcohol leggings. This, as well as a fantastic head that sadly dies down after a few minutes, makes this a near perfect looking beer in this style.

Aromas are instantly strong and noticeable. Immediately, I get caramelized flavors that criss-cross with each other in truly exaggerated ways, such as banana, burnt caramel, toffee malts, and tons of honey. So, in other words, extremely sweet and sugared up. While this is usually a danger territory for me, I believe the aging has played a valuable process on the beer. Malts persevere, but it's really the alcohol and yeasty flavor that get me here. Hops are pretty much inexistent, and theres barely a hint of spiciness as a result. How will this all hold up in flavor? Le's see.

The first thing I can say in a first sip is that it's smooth, and extremely easy to drink as a result. The aging process has really played a significant role here, and it contains the smoothness of liquored, highly alcoholic malty beers I've had in the past. Overall, the caramelized banana flavors abound, but there are other sweet flavors, which range in and out from a pleasant to rather astringent degree, depending how big of a sip you take. What this reminds me of is a Like a fruity crème brûlée, typically one packed with such banana flavors. I do wish, if trying to be a true emulation of champagne that this had more of a Belgian yeasty flavor resembling white grapes, but I suppose I'll have to try DeuS one day! Definitely better consumed when very cold… As this warms up, the sweet flavors get really oppressive. Alcohol is highly hidden, which made this deadly to drink – I sipped my two glasses I had, but that was enough to do some significant damage, and I'm glad I got to split this (one glass would have been enough).

While I was really hesitant to try this – which I did *before* I read all the mixed to negative feedback – this still proved to be a type of beer that I've never had before. It's extremely complex, and contains tons of subtle aspects to it as well, but it's unique in its own right. As someone who loves bananas and caramel, this turns out to be rather brilliant, even if it is pricey. I would recommend it as a gift and with autumn around, it's toasty enough for the current cold weather. I can tell these two breweries put their hearts into this one, and while it may not be the greatest beer I've had, it's definitely one of the most fascinating I'll have for now.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2012 06:53:26 | More by magictacosinus

BeastLU

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev +7.7%

05-18-2013 13:45:41 | More by BeastLU

carterbt

Virginia

3/5  rDev -7.7%

05-14-2013 03:15:32 | More by carterbt

ScottyDuzntNo

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +38.5%

05-14-2013 02:06:43 | More by ScottyDuzntNo

jokulhaps

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev +7.7%

05-13-2013 02:41:06 | More by jokulhaps

justforrazors

Missouri

4/5  rDev +23.1%

05-10-2013 01:59:56 | More by justforrazors

charlesjwinkler

Illinois

2.75/5  rDev -15.4%

05-09-2013 02:58:49 | More by charlesjwinkler

tommyguz

Pennsylvania

2.75/5  rDev -15.4%

05-09-2013 02:23:19 | More by tommyguz

blknikon

Massachusetts

3.25/5  rDev 0%

05-08-2013 19:02:09 | More by blknikon

BDstripp

Florida

3/5  rDev -7.7%

05-08-2013 02:26:18 | More by BDstripp

Caudalie

Quebec (Canada)

1/5  rDev -69.2%

05-06-2013 13:26:06 | More by Caudalie

BMMillsy

Florida

3.25/5  rDev 0%

05-03-2013 00:58:56 | More by BMMillsy

2beerdogs

California

2.75/5  rDev -15.4%

05-01-2013 05:58:39 | More by 2beerdogs

NYSPHophead

New York

3.75/5  rDev +15.4%

04-30-2013 23:59:20 | More by NYSPHophead

FliryVorru

Alabama

4.5/5  rDev +38.5%

04-29-2013 17:48:09 | More by FliryVorru

Rollzroyce21

California

3.5/5  rDev +7.7%

04-28-2013 08:18:38 | More by Rollzroyce21

Kelp

New Hampshire

2.5/5  rDev -23.1%

04-23-2013 06:09:08 | More by Kelp

bennetj17

Arizona

3.5/5  rDev +7.7%

04-22-2013 05:40:46 | More by bennetj17

KiMiRaiK

Washington

4/5  rDev +23.1%

04-21-2013 21:23:23 | More by KiMiRaiK

BrianJohnson

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +23.1%

04-18-2013 12:23:50 | More by BrianJohnson

mfnmbvp

Illinois

3.63/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

750 ml bottle, vintage 2011. Thanks to my homie mfndsvp for sharing this bottle. Served into a Shock Top hefeweizen glass. My second review of a collaboration beer on BeerAdvocate.

A - Gentle pour yields like five fingers of ridiculous head. Body is a light cloudy golden orange color with tons of bubble action rushing to the top.

S - Has a fruity pineapple nose, slight hint of Belgian yeast / funk in there also. Has a very unique smell to it, I will give it that.

T - Feel is carbonated, some tart citrus reminiscent of fresh juicy pineapple, Belgian yeast, touch of hop bitterness, and some alcohol warmth, but the 10.30% abv is masked well. Finishes slightly sour.

M - Feel is juicy, fruity, bitter, and dry in the finish.

Overall, a unique beer experience, probably one that I won't soon forget. Glad to have gotten to try it, since I wasn't about to take the plunge for 20 dollars. Not a beer I will be having again any time soon, especially considering it's price tag, but this is one of the more far-out creations from the Boston Beer Company.

Samuel Adams / Weihenstephan Infinium ---3.5/5

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2013 22:07:41 | More by mfnmbvp

plumcrazyfx

Minnesota

2.25/5  rDev -30.8%

04-12-2013 23:43:12 | More by plumcrazyfx

TheMarkE

California

3.75/5  rDev +15.4%

04-11-2013 22:11:46 | More by TheMarkE

vidguy17

Iowa

2.75/5  rDev -15.4%

03-30-2013 14:53:52 | More by vidguy17

Fetching

Indiana

1.75/5  rDev -46.2%

03-26-2013 06:57:57 | More by Fetching