Infinium
A little outrageous price wise, this is a beer that has been well marketed in beer mags/even local press the Post Gazette has a good write up on it. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10350/1110916-389.stm To be honest when I saw this bottle at my local here in town at Valley Wine Cellar, I had to think it over. Do I really want a 20 dollar bottle of beer, that I know nothing about? I decided to take the dive. This one uncorked beautifully with a loud pop, and pours effervescently much like a bottle of champagne. I don't see how they recreated a new style of beer there are a handful of brut biers out there like Deus off the top of my head. Pours a deep honey golden hue with a large white head forming thick, as it dwindles down large bands of white lacing stick to my fluted large pilsner glass. Nose is really interesting a blend of syrupy notes and green apple cider and white grapes pretty interesting mix. Even a touch of caramel glides in here from the malt content, a light herbal/grassiness from the hops. Flavor provides bountiful sweet fruit tones with warming green apple/white grape and bready yeast notes. Dry finish tingles the back of the throat, flavor wise alcohol doesn't peak through it's more in the warming in the stomach that gives the abv away. Medium bodied slightly cloying finish between the dryness and the nutty caramel cloying kick that doesn't fit in the picture. Carbonation wasn't my issue it just wasn't an enjoyable experience, a beer that should pass as the hype dwindles down. I would rather buy both a Sam Adams 12 pack sampler and a Weihenstephan gift pack four around 27 dollars where I would get 5 16oz bottles with a wheat beer glass and a 12 pack of 12 ounce samplers instead of 20 bucks for a corked 750 ml bottle. As it warms this beer becomes basically undrinkable, horrible cloying peanut/yeast breadiness with a sour tart finish. Tastes like a bad strong malt liquor, with rotten bannas and granny smith apples.