Samichlaus Classic Bier - Brauerei Schloss Eggenberg

surfmeister

California

1/5  rDev -74.9%
look: 1 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

C'mon guys, be real...
This beer is not good, in fact I do not believe that anyone truly enjoys this beer, but many feel that they are supposed to.
Looks like a glass of bourbon with about the same amount of head, smell and taste profile are completely dominated by alcohol, slides around the mouth like a swig of 10/50 W motor oil, two gulps later this was down the drain, thank god they only bottle it occassionally, why waste your time with this stuff when you can have a nice single malt scotch?

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2005 05:44:33 | More by surfmeister

MarkBlackout

Indiana

1.13/5  rDev -71.6%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

Nevermind what anyone tells you (or perhaps see for yourself if you feel like punishing yourself), Samichlaus is horrible.

This stuff is like nailpolish. I finished my half of the 12oz bottle, but I later regretted the decision as I horked out this "beer."

Just awful. Way too sweet and doesn't win me over the way plenty of other extreme, high-ABV brews have. Avoid.

edit, two years later: I haven't tried this again, nor do I want to. I wanted to add that before, and since trying Samichlaus, I have had many big beers of similar/greater strength. I love massive beers, but I can still remember what Samichlaus tasted like and it was damned terrible!

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2005 17:58:00 | More by MarkBlackout

Jdiddy

Rhode Island

1.15/5  rDev -71.1%
look: 4 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

I am sure I may stand alone on this one but I absolutely hated this beer! It smelled very rank and tasted even worse. The alcohol level is too high for this beer. It burned as it went down. Very unpleasant. I let my roommate try it and she had the same impression. I hear great reviews but do not understand why. The appearance was the only thing that gave it any points in my book.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2002 12:57:54 | More by Jdiddy

epistax

Pennsylvania

1.2/5  rDev -69.8%
look: 4 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1

Every taste and smell that this beverage is supposed to have is completely masked by an extreme sweetness (incomplete fermentation?) and a strong alcohol flavor. I've enjoyed beverages with similar and higher ABV ratings, and this was awful. There are very popular beers known to be bad, and this trumps them all. I would not recommend this beverage to anyone but a masochist. .

This is my first review of a beer on BA. You can try this beer, but I advise you only try a single bottle and have other beers as backups. You aren't proving anything by drinking this thing.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2009 05:59:46 | More by epistax

Sigmund

Norway

1.25/5  rDev -68.6%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

(Bottled 2003). Deep golden colour, moderate head. Aroma of sugary alcohol and hay. Grossly over-hyped and over-rated beer, mostly by people obviously fascinated by the high ABV. Sorry, I have difficulties respecting the ratings of people who actually LIKE this crap. Flavour is cloyingly & revoltingly sweet, alcohol, molasses, syrup, syrup and more syrup. And alcohol. Did I mention syrup? And alcohol? This is gross. This is REALLY gross. Half of it went down the drain. And I paid nearly US$10 (in Norway) for this bottle! (Sob!) Cellaring it for 30 years might have helped A LITTLE, but why cellar crap? A real drainpour, if I ever saw one. Thank God I drank it in November - "Samichlaus" would have ruined my Christmas completely.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2004 23:14:18 | More by Sigmund

Dubber55

New York

1.48/5  rDev -62.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1

Bottled in 2009

Pours an amber/honey color with some red highlights. 1/2 finger of white bubbles that quickly dissipate to form a collar around the edges of the glass.

When I first smell this beer, it kind of reminds me of an old ale/english barleywine like Thomas Hardy's. I intially smell tons of rum soaked raisins. What follows is the smell of savory spices along the lines of clove, nutmeg. I think I also smell some gingerbread. There is also plenty of ethanol coming off this one.

The first few sips of this beer made me wince. Now I am getting used to it. This beer is very sweet, syrupy, and, alcoholic. The taste pretty much follows the nose- tons of rum soaked raisins, lots of savory spices like clove, nutmeg, gingerbread, allspice, and maybe some cinnamon. I think I taste some nail polish remover. The finish is sweet and consists of fusel alcohol.

Viscous liquid with low carbonation. Pretty syrupy. The consistency is medium to thick.

The drinkability of this beer is not good. It tastes nothing like a doppelbock. It syrupy sweet with low carbonation which makes this a real sipper. It's is also not very complex. All you need is 2 ounces to know what this beer is all about. The alcohol is really hot which doesn't help either. I know this beer is probably too fresh but, if that's the case then don't put it on the shelf. Maybe if you put this in the cellar for 3 to 5 years, it might be somewhat drinkable. On the label it says, "The World's Most Extraordinary Beverage". I think not.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2010 03:13:20 | More by Dubber55

Beersignal

Quebec (Canada)

1.53/5  rDev -61.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

2002 vintage.

Poured a lovely limpid copper/caramel colour primed with ripe peach flesh highlights. Hardly any of the off white foam managed to stay behind longer than the blink of an eye and left no lace.

Up front, you are stricken by firm malt aromas and candy sugars followed by spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and slight cloves. The finish is alcoholic, reninescent of fruit brandy.

The body is dense and alcoholic, and the taste is sweet, syrupy, cloying and generally unpleasant. Flavours of malt and faint pepper have difficulty cutting through the sugar. A long and heavy alcohol sweetness lingers.

This beer in no way resembles the one brewed formerly by Hurlimanns which posessed much more depth and balance and was a pleasure to sip as a nightcap. I RARELY dump beer down the drain but I certainly wasn't going to get sick drinking this one.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2004 02:02:39 | More by Beersignal

bierschmecktgut

Massachusetts

1.63/5  rDev -59%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

I bought this for the holidays and planned to share with my father.

We poured it into a regular pint glass, dark red-brown color. The head was just a thin line.

It smelled immediately of malt and spice but with burnt sugar /molasses like.

Taste was too sweet, definitely brown sugar/molasses. Alcohol was abundant at the back of the tongue and you immediately smell it at the back of your throat.

Almost no carbanation and pretty smooth

a drink for those who dig sweet malt lagers/liquor! not for me.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2011 14:49:38 | More by bierschmecktgut

mithrascruor

California

1.68/5  rDev -57.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1

11.2 oz. bottle poured into a mug. Bottled in 2006.

Appearance: Pours a clear, but fairly dark, copper-brown color. Basically no head.

Smell: Alcohol -- like a whisky or strong sherry. And a bit of sweet malts.

Taste: Again, it's like a whisky masquerading as a beer. A somewhat oaky alcohol flavor that is quite (too) strong. Has an underlying malt sweetness with brown sugar, as well as the taste of figs and raisins or something like that.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with virtually no carbonation. Slight burning sensation too.

Drinkability: Alcohol is waaaay too strong in the taste. Unbearable.

Novelty only. I cannot stand an alcohol taste this strong in a beer. If I want a whisky, I'll have a whisky. Sorry, kids...

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2007 01:15:55 | More by mithrascruor

DaPeculierDane

Wisconsin

1.75/5  rDev -56%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

On tap at Maduro, $3 for a nearly full Bell's Tullip. Pretty nasty stuff on tap.

Smells like sugar, booze, cheries, licorice, cat piss, and toffee. Tastes a bit like a strong mead loaded with candy sugar. Syrupy body, very sweet, seriously, disgustingly sweet. The ABV may be partially covered but the sugar sure as hell isn’t. Lots of cherry taste but most other flavors are hard to distinguish because my tongue is burning from the sweetness. It makes me sick to my stomach and hurts my throat. My body rejects this as foul. I take no pleasure in this mess, although it has a really, really pretty chestnut body with reddish hues though no head what-so-ever. I think this might be a lot better after a decade in a cellar.

Serving type: on-tap

02-15-2007 21:38:31 | More by DaPeculierDane

n2185

North Carolina

1.78/5  rDev -55.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Bottle from 2009, so about 1-2 years on this beer.

A: Pours a nice, clear dark copper color with about a finger of beige head, which quickly recedes into a thin ring with little lacing.

S: Some dark fruit aromas but mostly it's lots of soy. Lots and lots of soy sauce.

T: Some dark fruits like prunes and dates in there, though they're hidden by the huge malt presence. Lots and lots of malt--enough to be syrupy, sticky sweet.

M: Thick body with little carbonation and super super sweet. Very sticky feel.

D: With as sweet as this beer is, it's not very drinkable. Overall, I could barely finish this beer and almost felt sick to my stomach from how sweet it was. The malt overpowers any subtleties that might otherwise be found.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2011 02:57:55 | More by n2185

NJpadreFan

New Jersey

1.8/5  rDev -54.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Samichlaus Bier
bottled in 2003

Appearance- reddish orange with no head. Slight carbonation.
Smell- fruit and alcohol!! I detect grapes, prunes, and nose burning alcohol fumes!!
Taste- bleech! Robitussin mixed with prune juice mixed with rubbing alcohol! Very sweet and very disgusting!

Overall- what a disgusting tasting beer! No pleasure in this other than pouring it down the sink!
This beer is all hype. 1 of the most overrated!!

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2004 21:38:49 | More by NJpadreFan

ralree

Maryland

1.8/5  rDev -54.8%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

11.2oz bottle, Bottled 2006.

Yeck. Some people seem to like this beer, but I cannot stand it. Its color is fairly pleasing, but this thing has no head. Barely even laces. The smell is fruity and alcoholic, and the taste is like raisins that have been soaked in vodka. If you really like the flavor of alcohol, this one is good for that. I just took my third drink, and cringed like I do when I take a shot of vodka. After swallowing, I can feel the fumes in my nose for about a second. It does have a redeeming aftertaste, like dried apricots or raisins. If it wasn't so heavy on the alcohol, I'd give it a better rating.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2007 01:59:13 | More by ralree

MONKandTUCK

Pennsylvania

1.88/5  rDev -52.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 1 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

First of all, I'm glad for the opportunity to have tried this beer and for places like Smokin' Joe's on Pittsburgh's Southside which features great craft beers, especially trying to obtain rarities like this.

A- poured into snifter. It was dark, but it appeared to have an auburn color.

A- Fusel. Some anise. Some brandy. Not beer.

T- Syrup meets White Lightening. This stuff reminds me of the B-Movie Horror, the Blob. It wrought a path of destruction even though it moved slower than sin. Somehow, this stuff makes it from the glass, over my palate into my gut. Very warming. Lots of malty syrup.

M- Like 3 beers packed into one.

O- Not sure if this is exceptional brewing craftsmanship or a science experiment. The heat is over-bearing and there's no discernible flavor except some off-qualities.

Sooo many beers have been brewed with pains to showcase particular features, or master balance, or blend subtleties. Then this one comes along, strong as jet fuel and sells just because it was once the world's strongest beer and is released once a year. Not impressed. Try harder to make a good beer, and worry less about wagging your junk around.

Legend goes, when St. Nicholas decked Arius, he was drunk on this stuff. Thereafter, this stuff was given to the bad girls and boys before the discovery of coal.

Serving type: on-tap

06-28-2011 04:16:49 | More by MONKandTUCK

philipquarles

Louisiana

1.9/5  rDev -52.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

Bottle from 2008, tasted 9/09. Pours very dark coper with a light tan head that disappears quickly without leaving any lacing behind. Strong sugary sweet malt aromas with a lot of fruitiness. Heady alcohol smell with some caramel. Taste is cloyingly sweet. Big malt with some pear-like esters. Strong, heavily warming alcohol. Syrupy body. No real complexity to this one, just sugar and alcohol. Not great to drink, or even sip.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2009 01:28:01 | More by philipquarles

allengarvin

Texas

1.9/5  rDev -52.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1

Finally available in Texas, probably the last place to get this beer I first read about in MJ 20 years ago. 2009 edition. Very hard to open top... took several tries with a bottle opener. It's a dark mahogany color, clear, with a small head on top. Very malty aroma, but also quite alcoholic in the nose. Oh my, an initial sweetness gives way quickly to a very hot alcoholic character... there's little else here... almost undrinkable. Reinforces my opinion that there are very few beers over 12% that are palatable. Bleagh.

This should have come in an 8-oz bottle, not a 750ml. I can't imagine anyone being able to finish this. It's like very very bad cough syrup.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2010 04:16:03 | More by allengarvin

bobsy

Ontario (Canada)

1.98/5  rDev -50.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

12oz bottle.

Pours a very deep red, with a small white head that quickly diminishes to leave a minimal film. A touch of lace. While not exactly what I would expect from a dopplebock, the appearance seems in line with a higher alcohol brew, and recalls a barleywine. Sweet, malty nose, with a touch of alcohol at the end screams simplicity, and in this case its very sweet simplicity.

The taste is really not that good at all. If I wanted to drink something this sweet I would have bought a bottle of corn syrup for a lot less money. There is no other way to describe this other than sugar syrup, with evident alcohol at the end. Just far too much brown sugar, and far to little doppelbock breadiness. The body struggles to drag itself out of the stickiness, and combined with the sugars, this sits far too heavy.

Sure, aging may work wonders for it, but what's the problem with making a beer that tastes great now?

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2008 18:07:49 | More by bobsy

mrasskicktastic

New Jersey

2.17/5  rDev -45.5%
look: 1.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

A - Deep, clear brown brew with a red-orange tint. Head lasts for mere moments and dissipates to a flat surface. No lacing.

S - Sweet grape juice, prunes, caramel malt sugars and alcohol.

T - A bit of fruit and a lot of malt - not to mention the alcohol. The aftertaste is a light fruity bitterness with some lingering, almost medicinal, sweet fruitiness.

M - Smooth, medium bodied, frothy and a bit refreshing. The alcohol does take its toll though.

D - It is absurbly strong and not that good. I will pass in the future. Not a chore to finish though. Not really worth seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2007 23:19:49 | More by mrasskicktastic

Brunite

Illinois

2.17/5  rDev -45.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

A: A dark ruby/garnett color. Head disappeared quickly as expected. Alcohol legs showing.

S: Sweet....alcohol.

T: Sweet....alcohol.

M: Sticky...alcohol burn.

O: Drain pour. One and done. Tried it and did not like. Don't understand the hype. If I want strong alcohol...I'll take a rum or tequila.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2011 12:01:17 | More by Brunite

Rastacouere

Quebec (Canada)

2.2/5  rDev -44.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1

2001 version: Red/Orange beer with a VERY sweet bouquet that can't quite hide alcohol content. The taste is very strong in alcohol, I didnt expect it to be well hidden like in many trappists ales, but here it really seems like we have liqueur-like alcohol sticking to candy, syrup, wood. I don't understand most people's passion about this beer or it wasn't old enough, too sweet.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2004 05:43:49 | More by Rastacouere

beerdrifter

Germany

2.2/5  rDev -44.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

Picked this up at Ammersino Feine Getränke in Vienna, Austria. Crystal clear ruby-amber pour with really quickly fading thin head and minimal lacing. The nose is all malt with hints of orange, dark fruits, rasins and alcohol. The taste is just one huge, syrupy, sickly sweet malt bomb. Very complex with tons of dark fruits, maple syrup, orange jello, caramel, toffee, candy, molasses, cherries and brown sugar. The alcohol is overwhelming. Thick, syrupy, oily, and extremely rich mouthfeel combined with the over the top sweetness makes this nearly undrinkable for me. I'm shocked at the reviews. I know this is considered a world class beer, but I don't get it.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2011 18:20:25 | More by beerdrifter

Amalak

New York

2.25/5  rDev -43.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

I had a bottle of this beer. It had a gorgeous clear brown color, average head and average lace. I didn't detect much of a smell to it.

It hits hard at first, similar to a port. It has a bad after taste. Where more beers like this have a smooth feel to it, this after taste is quite sour and stays in the back of the throat. Not a fan.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2009 00:28:30 | More by Amalak

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

JanM

Sweden

2.3/5  rDev -42.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

The world's strongets lager? Well you have to taste it. Iit poured with very little foam and a red amber color. The smell was of fruits and candy. It tasted very sweet and fruity, almost like some kind of thin syrup. An alcohol burn in the throat. This beer needs the right man/woman to be appreciated. I'm sorry but I couldn't finish it. If they changed the name into something like Rambo 10 000 it would be a big seller in India!

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2005 18:22:36 | More by JanM

BamaScholar

Tennessee

2.3/5  rDev -42.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5

this beer is the 6 december 2004 bottling.

i'm not sure i see how this beer is true to the style if general ABV is 6.5 to 9.0...it was a gorgeous pour but smell and taste are sickengly sweet, alcoholic burn, and candy fumes. one taste is one-dimensionally interesting...not balanced or full-bodied, you just want to swallow it as quickly as possible.

it was worth trying this bad boy to get an idea for it but i like a beer to exhibit some complexity or interesting notes...the world's strangest beer is tough to get down...maybe longer aging makes for a more well-rounded experience? not recommended...

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2005 03:40:28 | More by BamaScholar