Samichlaus Classic Bier - Brauerei Schloss Eggenberg

Jason

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

2000 bottling. Head retention is close to nil, this is expected for a lot of the higher alcoholic brews … especially if they are aged. It is syrupy enough for the liquid to stick to the glass when swirling in the snifter. Clear burgundy red colour.

Alcoholic aroma with dark sugar tones that lead it to a rum like smell. Spicy solvent alcohol is big but in a clean way, ripe fruit is scattered all over the place.

Syrupy, smooth, creamy and slick on the tongue. Carbonation has dropped and is in a moderate state struggling to come through the very full body. The creaminess slabs down layers of malt sweetness and ripe fruit flavour of rum soak raisins on top of a big caramel foundation. The alcohol flares upfront with a solvent like character then comes slowly in growing warmth in the end which is emulates a sherry-like flavour as well. Pretty damn clean and finishes semi-dry.

A sure bet for a nightcap for me though I’d love to not only pair this up with some braised lamb chops that are cooked with this beer by incorporate it into a dessert also. A godly brew that many may not understand but the appreciation is there tenfold.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2002 19:52:08 | More by Jason

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

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

beerhunter13

Ontario (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +6.8%

05-17-2013 12:03:01 | More by beerhunter13

jkrug5

Maryland

4.5/5  rDev +13.1%

05-14-2013 14:16:05 | More by jkrug5

cfalovo97

Ontario (Canada)

1/5  rDev -74.9%

05-14-2013 01:05:21 | More by cfalovo97

dalepryor

Kentucky

3.5/5  rDev -12.1%

05-08-2013 03:52:59 | More by dalepryor

lighthabit

Oregon

4.25/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

pours a clear, deep garnet/ruby red, half inch of head dies very quickly to just a bit around the rim, which quickly goes to essentially nonexistent. i'd like to see just a little more carbonation; not a lot, just a tad. simple, solid taste; not a lot going on, but considering the abv, it's remarkably drinkable, though definitely on the sweet side. a bit sweeter than i care for, but i'm thinking it's intentional to help hide the alcohol. nose seems somewhere between apples, raisins, caramel. taste is, again, a bit fruity, warming up and showing a bit of booze. as it warms the sweet starts getting a bit distracting. feel is smooth, a bit syrupy. very glad to have tried this. not something to have often (it's almost a "six pack in a bottle"), but i have to give it a thumbs up.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2013 06:51:13 | More by lighthabit

philmen

Ontario (Canada)

4.5/5  rDev +13.1%

05-04-2013 04:08:39 | More by philmen

Giannis

Greece

4.5/5  rDev +13.1%

04-28-2013 16:29:29 | More by Giannis

jooj8

Slovenia

4/5  rDev +0.5%

04-27-2013 18:46:58 | More by jooj8

king_of_spaim

California

4.75/5  rDev +19.3%

04-26-2013 02:36:29 | More by king_of_spaim

zestar

California

3.5/5  rDev -12.1%

04-25-2013 09:12:44 | More by zestar

Jason1337

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +13.1%

04-24-2013 16:01:55 | More by Jason1337

douginromeo

Michigan

4/5  rDev +0.5%

04-12-2013 19:30:22 | More by douginromeo

TerryW

Ontario (Canada)

2.25/5  rDev -43.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

This is an extreme brew that is simply not to my taste.

Pours clear amber brown under a short-lived head that quickly gives way to a thin ring, no lace.

Nose is sweet, dark fruit. And lots of alcohol.

Crazy sweet to drink, to the point of being distracting. Raisins. Heavy mouthfeel. Boozy.

Similar to a barleywine. It is simply not for me. Too one dimensional in character - straight syrup and alcohol.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2013 20:50:45 | More by TerryW

korene84

California

3/5  rDev -24.6%

04-06-2013 05:19:17 | More by korene84

RD1163

California

2/5  rDev -49.7%

04-06-2013 04:13:30 | More by RD1163

TheRevMatt

Wisconsin

1/5  rDev -74.9%

04-05-2013 22:02:33 | More by TheRevMatt

JakerLou

New Hampshire

4.25/5  rDev +6.8%

04-05-2013 20:21:25 | More by JakerLou