Sierra Nevada - Beer Camp Juniper Black Ale

Today's brew comes from Sierra Nevada's specialty Beer Camp line of brews.  This is a black ale brewed with Juniper berries, which supposedly adds a resinous, pine flavor to beer.  I don't think I've ever tried a beer brewed with Juniper before, so this should be interesting.  Not a lot of information available on this brew, but it's a sipper at 8.0%ABV.

The beer is a thin blackish brown with a light tan powdery foam that really clings to the glass.  The aroma brings a fermented, sour berry scent, it may even be raisins.  I'm not exactly sure what juniper smells like, so I imagine that's what I'm smelling here. 

The drink starts off with a lot more bite that I expected.  Spicy, earthy, herbal hops start things off, really nips at my tongue.  From there the drink transitions into a completely different realm into a creamy, roasty malt sweetness.  It's a Jekyl and Hyde brew!  The taste finishes up with a strong layer of ground coffee, cream and a hint of bittersweet chocolate. 

Overall Rating:  This is definitely an interesting and unique beer, unlike anything I've ever tried before.  Honestly not my favorite, but I enjoyed the complexity and flavor roller coaster this brew provided.  I'm not sure what Juniper alone actually tastes like, so I can only guess what it adds to this beer.  But I do know this is one spicy, roasty, warming glass of beer that would be ideal for the winter season. 

Sam Adams - Infinium

Samuel Adams likes to say they started the craft beer revolution here in the states in 1984.  Their Boston Lager is the epitome of what non-craft beer drinkers would typically define as "craft beer".  Sam Adams embraces the value that beer should be full of flavor and brewed with the best ingredients available.  They use the slogan "stretching the definition of beer" to venture out in search of new beer recipes and styles that haven't been produced by other craft breweries before.  Today's beer review defines that slogan.

Infinium is a collaborative beer brewed with the Weihenstephan brewery in Germany, the oldest brewery in the world.  Founded in 1040 by monks, this "Vatican City of brewing" is widely considered to be the pinnacle of brewing knowledge.  The goal of this beer was to make something that has never been brewed before while also staying within the confines of the reinheitsgebot, the German purity law of 1516 saying a beer can only contain four ingredients: barley, hops, water and yeast.  After two years of collaboration a champaign styled beer emerged from these two well known breweries.  Brewed with noble German hops, American barley and water, fermented with American ale yeast and bottle conditioned with Belgian style yeast, Infinium is a beer that has a great story to tell.  I'm looking forward to this treat.

This champagne-minded brew pours with a light head of carbonation which eventually collapses and laces the side of your glass.  The color is a pale gold and crystal clear with lots of bubbles rising throughout the glass.  My first smell reminds me of champaign but not overly fruity.  Noble hops are prominent in the nose and a mild malt aroma backs up the floral characteristics.  Sipping this one is not what I expected, but thats not a bad thing.  Very smooth with lots of carbonation tickling your tongue.  Mild fruits compliment the subtle malt flavors that you may find in an american blonde ale.  As it warms the fruity esters become more prominent. The ABV is 10.3% but barely noticeable.  The alcohol helps dry out the finish in tandem with the heavy carbonation.

Overall 5.25/6.  This is an extremely well crafted beer.  You need to be a fan of champaign in order to fully enjoy this though.  It is a very delicate, light, mildly hoppy and easily drinkable bottle that will go down quickly if you are not careful.  Infinium is a treat to enjoy.  Buy a bottle of this instead of a $20 bottle of champaign this holiday season.  It will be a nice change of pace and give you the opportunity to taste something truly unique.