By Rick Garner

First released in 2010, Infinium is the [delicious] end result of a two year, cross-continental collaboration between Jim Koch, brewer and founder of Samuel Adams beers, and Dr. Josef Schrädler, managing director of Germany’s Weihenstephan Brewery. It unites close to 1000 years of combined brewing knowledge and innovation between the two breweries, and it’s the first new beer style created under the Reinheitsgebot ~ the ancient German beer purity law (started in 1516) stating that beer can be brewed using only four ingredients: water, hops, malt and yeast.

So what do these four ingredients yield under the masterful hands of Koch and Schrädler? They yield a crisp, champagne-like beer that pours out a deep golden color with fine bubbles and a fruity, elegant aroma. The crisp, clean malt character and delicate fruit notes are complemented by a slight citrus flavor from dry hopping with Bavarian Noble hops. Bottle conditioning adds another layer of complexity and light spice notes. All this flavor and body comes only in 750 ml cork-finished bottles and contains 10.3% abv. And not only is the ale itself festive, the champagne-like bottling makes it perfect for the holidays ~ which makes sense, since Infinium is only available during the holiday season.

Grab a couple of bottles for yourself, grab a couple to give as gifts…and enjoy [safely]!

For more information, visit www.samueladams.com.