Samichlaus Classic Bier - Brauerei Schloss Eggenberg

Todd

Massachusetts

4.8/5  rDev +20.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Vintage 2000:
Presentation: 11.2 fl oz olive green custom bottle. Bottled in 2000. "Das Stärkste Bier Der Welt" -- the strongest beer in the world.

Appearance: Rich, deep, clear copper. Pours with a creamy off-white head, dissipates to a creamy, patchy lace.

Smell: Sweet, syrupy, malty nose, with fruit esters (plum, raisin) and a fumey alcohol.

Taste: Extremely full-bodied, thick, rich and chewy. Mouthfeel is creamy, as well as smooth -- like a fine whiskey. Caramel/toffee, plum, raisin, grape, honey, sweet chocolate and light biscuit flavours come to the front. Overall malt profile is very sweet and fruity. Alcohol notes are huge and spicy, and its powers of warming the body, soul and mind can be felt after the first sip. There's little detectable hop bitterness, however there is a wonderfully floral hop flavour that melds with the malt sweetness to create a sweet tea-like flavour that rides the entire experience. Finishes with alcohol fumes and a light grain flavour with chocolate liquor notes.

Notes: Samichlaus is back! This brew is made only once a year on December 6 (Saint Nicholas's Day), and it's aged 10 months before bottling. It was first brewed in 1979, then stopped after its 1996 batch. It holds a Guinness Book World Record for being the strongest bottom-fermented beer (14% abv), and is also one of the most rarest specialty beers in the world. It's actually classified as being a "Malt Liquer" in the states for legal reasons -- it's just a really strong lager.

As I dip my finger into my pint glass, dab my forehead with some of the sweet nectar, I pay homage to the beergods for making this amazingly top-notch brew. Buy it while you can, and make sure to buy some spares to age and taste over the years to come.

---
Vintage 2001:

Presentation: 330ml custom dark olive green bottle. Expiration of 10/2006.

Appearance: Pours an amber to brown coloured beer. Highly carbonated. Big off-white bubbly head that snaps down in seconds to absolute stillness -- no head retention, flat.

Smell: Mega fruity pungent esters with sulfur coming in behind. Malty, with faint molasses and raisin.

Taste: Malty beyond belief. Thick, syrupy, full-bodied, juicy and extremely complex with many layers of distinct flavours, each of which make themselves known ... Flavours such as slick butter, chocolate, caramel, fruity plum, lots of vanilla, honey, esters, coffee and grape. Sweetness, in its sum, is sugary. No real hop overpowering bitterness, but there's hidden traces of hops in a herbal-tea-like flavour and as the hops melds with the alcohol punch there's a level of perceived bitternes ... especially as the beer warms to room temp. Huge doses of alcohol come in waves, bringing with them a spicy alcohol bite and a warming sensation. Finish is a welcomed chaos of all of the above mentioned.

Notes: Still one of the rarest beers in the world, brewed only once a year on December 6th, subsequently fermented and matured for about 10 months before bottling in October. Samichlaus is a vintage beer and the strongest bottom-fermented lager in the world and may be aged in the bottle for many years to come. Older vintages become more complex with a creamy warming finish. Serve with hardy robust dishes and desserts, particularly with chocolates, or as an after dinner drink by itself. Samichlaus is filled in personalized 330 ml. bottles, exported to exclusive distribution partners worldwide mainly through pre-orders prior to bottling in October each year. Samichlaus contains only natural ingredients and is being brewed according the purity law of 1516. The 2001 vintage was bottled on October 10 and 11 together with 250 kegs a 30 litres destinated for USA and Finland. The total quantity of bottles equals slightly more then 6000 cases (24 bottles) for world-wide sales till autumn 2002.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2001 17:44:52 | More by Todd

Dactrius

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev -5.8%

06-19-2013 23:47:54 | More by Dactrius

Stevedore

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev +0.5%

06-18-2013 05:02:29 | More by Stevedore

IchLiebeBier

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Appearance: Russet; no head; no lacing

Aroma: Vinous fruit; sweet; toasted malt; hoppy; noticeable alcohol; smells complex and delicious

Taste: Juicy, syrupy and creamy on start with chocolate notes; warming alcohol kicks in pretty quickly; finishes peppery and sweet; definitely a sipping beer

Remarks: more like a port wine or aperitif than beer, but tasty

Did not score A, T, S, M at that time; disregard those scores

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2013 18:42:00 | More by IchLiebeBier

joemcgrath27

Alberta (Canada)

4.28/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

2011 Vintage
A - clear maple syrup red-brown, short head quickly fizzled away but to be expected of a brew of this octane after a couple years
S - rich caramel and bloodlike sweet aromas, some almond and a bit of musty earth
T - rich caramel and syrupy sweetness up front, some nutty accents with brown sugar, this actually reminds me of a brandy!
M - medium sticky body, stays relatively full throughout, not even a sniff that the ABV is this high, warm finish that leaves you wanting more
O - it is ridiculous how easy drinking this is and the big rich flavours keep any flavour of alcohol at bay, a true gem

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2013 02:08:12 | More by joemcgrath27

jaxon53

Connecticut

3.75/5  rDev -5.8%

06-15-2013 22:59:17 | More by jaxon53

Murrhey

Montana

3.91/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 11.2 oz standard pressure-cap bottle with some foil at the top. Poured in a pint glass in high elevation Kalispell, Mont. Reviewed live. The high ABV has me slightly worried to be honest.

A- Poured much thinner than I expected. Very thin, almost clear head that evaporates in seconds. With a very high ABV, that makes sense. Walnut colored body with high clarity and low carbonation. Deceptively quiet looking.

S- Nuttiness, cola, brandy, warm caramel malts and really subdued aroma overall. Well balanced.

T- Brandy, cola, nuttiness, toffee, brown sugar, candi sugar (maybe). Definite booziness. This is a doozy of a flavor. Complex yet not overpowering. Wonderful.

M- Thin body, sticky finish and dry. More like drinking a cognac than a beer.

O- Taste is phenomenal, everything else is above average. Nice brew.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2013 03:52:37 | More by Murrhey

Molson2000

Ontario (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +6.8%

06-13-2013 21:29:57 | More by Molson2000

djre4orm

Virginia

3/5  rDev -24.6%

06-13-2013 18:59:47 | More by djre4orm

InspectorBob

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +0.5%

06-12-2013 18:54:21 | More by InspectorBob

JMBSH

Colorado

4/5  rDev +0.5%

06-10-2013 04:38:57 | More by JMBSH

BILF

Israel

4.5/5  rDev +13.1%

06-05-2013 18:47:51 | More by BILF

Kmat10

Alberta (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +6.8%

06-04-2013 23:16:36 | More by Kmat10

jiffymon

New York

2/5  rDev -49.7%

05-31-2013 20:27:02 | More by jiffymon

carlosega

Ohio

4.75/5  rDev +19.3%

05-31-2013 18:35:38 | More by carlosega

Luiz0930

California

4/5  rDev +0.5%

05-31-2013 18:17:29 | More by Luiz0930

ckollias

Maryland

4.51/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Enjoyed this 12oz bottle out of a large snifter glass.

A: Pours a clear burgundy red hue with a small off-white, 1-finger, wispy head that quickly dissipates leaving no trail and a hint of a lace.

S: Sweet dark fruity aroma that slightly burns then nostrils.

T: Sweet caramel and dark fruity flavor with slight syrup and toffee notes. There are some complex flavors here. Finishes slightly spicy, dry with an alcoholic burn.

M: Very Boozy with a heavy body and minimal carbonation.

O: Wow – A nice sipping beer at 14% - great flavors and aromas.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2013 01:41:29 | More by ckollias

clarknova

Germany

4.25/5  rDev +6.8%

05-29-2013 15:25:01 | More by clarknova

SpruceMoose

Australia

3.38/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Ladies and gentlemen, I have a sin to confess. Something awful, something treacherous and probably something unforgivable. I, in all the time I've spent exploring IPAs, witbiers, stouts and porters, dubbels, tripels and quadruppels, scotch ales, barleywines and the like...

..have never, ever had a doppelbock before. *cue shocked gasp from the audience*

Yes, it's true, and so I decided to pop my cherry the other day and walked to the grog shop near my holiday house to pay the AU $13 and finally try this esteemed style for myself. Here we go.

Serving Type: 330ml classic sealed bottle poured into a Duvel tulip glass. Yes, I probably should've had it in a pilsner glass. Whatever. Piss off.

Appearance: Light red to crimson and completely transparent with very, very little head; almost inevitable given its strength of 14% ABV. Carbonation appears very light as well.

Smell: Strangely sour, almost lambic in character. Hints of cherry, banana and bread are matched with a boozy under-aroma. Almost thought it was off for a second, and then realised that a beer of its strength and style would only get better with age. I subsequently slapped myself hard and went on with the review.

Taste: Very sweet, with cherry, sultana, white chocolate and nutmeg being amongst the several I noticed after the first sip. The flavours become less individualist and more consistent as the drinking continues. Certainly a strange experience for a Doppelbock virgin, but pleasant enough in its own right. Reminds one more of a fine brandy than a beer to quaff.

Mouthfeel: Dense and breadlike, with an alcohol-induced warmth surrounding the mouth. This is definitely a sipper.

Overall: Well, there we go. I finally cast off my shackles of ignorance and tried the fabled Doppelbock. Was I impressed? More intrigued if anything. Samichlaus Classic was certainly an experience, and perhaps I should've inaugurated myself with something a little less intense. If extreme beer is your forte, have at it. Will definitely be trying this little ditty again after I've explored the Doppelbock scene a bit more.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2013 13:51:50 | More by SpruceMoose

GinsuDave

Michigan

3.25/5  rDev -18.3%

05-21-2013 23:25:27 | More by GinsuDave

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +6.8%

05-21-2013 18:47:45 | More by Slatetank

Photekut

Azerbaijan

4.5/5  rDev +13.1%

05-18-2013 22:40:26 | More by Photekut

rabiddawg

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -5.8%

05-18-2013 22:11:45 | More by rabiddawg

vicsju1991

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +6.8%

05-18-2013 04:07:23 | More by vicsju1991

RaphaelSC

Brazil

4.21/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A: Pours a beauty dark honey amber with no head, just a thin lace.

S: Sweet with cherry and grape notes, resemble some liqueur wines.

T: Follows the nose with a strong sweetness and liqueur wine feel, the alcohol warm is strong, but the alcohol is not invasive despite its 14% ABV which is quite impressive, the low carbonation help to keep its liqueur feel.

M: A very alcohol warmth accompanies the aftertaste, with its spicy feel. Some malts (toasted probably) can be feeled too, no bitter at all, the body is thick and justify the self fashioned "malt liquor" name in the bottle.

O: A very amazing beer, with a complex flavour all build up in its malts and alcohol. I think that a more hoppy bitter would make this beer better, but it is very unique and special beer, the problem is that beer is a little cloying which makes difficult drink more than one bottle in a session.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 02:06:42 | More by RaphaelSC