I know Maine has a lot of wonderful breweries. I, for one, am a huge fan of Allagash and literally clap with excitement when I see it in bars outside of the state, often to the embarrassment of my drinking companions. But Sam Adams is releasing its new Barrel-Aged Collection in only three states (and Denver) and Maine is one of them. So if you’re into extremely limited edition beer, you’re living in a good spot. New World Tripel, American Kriek and Stony Brook Red will come in 750-milliliter bottles (just like a typical wine bottle) and priced at priced at $9.95 each. But it’s the brewing process that makes it special.

Unlike the traditional brewing process, which involves metal tanks, barrel-aging includes an additional fermenting period in wooden barrels that each hold about 4,000 gallons. The barrel-aged beers are then blended with other beers. The company hopes the resulting hybrid brews will help it win over drinkers of wine and hard liquor.

“These are very different beers,’’ said Bert Boyce, a brewer who joined Boston Beer two years ago and has been working on barrel-aged beers since. “Anything goes – these are our kitchen sink beers,’’ Boyce said. “There are no rules and we can do whatever we want with them.’’

Someone send me a few bottles, would ya?

Jessica Strelitz is a contributing writer to Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine.