Schloss Eggenberg Samichlaus Bier Helles

Brewed by Brauerei Schloss Eggenberg
Style: Doppelbock
Vorchdorf, Austria

You can tell this beer is huge right from the get go. Pours a nice clear orange color with a white head. The aroma is massive though. Fruit and alcohol and tons of malt. Flavor is more of the same. Very sweet. I’ve got one bottle left from a 4 pack and might cellar it away for awhile to see how the character changes.

Big and malty, not a Helles, not really a doppelbock, not any classification for this beer. Very uniqe beer though, not bad. Definitely a Samichlaus.

Pale yellow of color with a white head. An aroma of alcohol, malt and weak notes of fruits. A flavor with notes of alcohol, malt, honey and fruits.

THOUGHTS: Not a bad beer, but not a good doppelbock. It didn’t look, smell or really taste like one. But it also wasn’t really like a Helles either, so I guess saying it is a doppel isn’t that strange. Can’t wait to age a bottle, because there is potential, but this fresh bottle was like sweet tasting jet fuel. The fumes nearly made my eyes burn. Bonus point though, because it was better than the sum of its parts. TECHNICAL: Bottle. Poured a light orange, with a small. white head that fully diminished and left no lacing. The aroma was moderate to heavy malt, cherry and alcohol. The initial flavor was moderately sweet and lightly bitter; while the finish was heavy to harshly sweet and sour with a short to average duration. There was super sweet malt and alcohol. The medium body was sort of oily but mostly just felt like alcohol with soft carbonation and a moderate to heavy alcoholic finish.

This clear orange ale poured with a short head that quickly disappeared. There is a strong citrus and malt aroma. This is not a doppelbock, but rather a strong ale or a barleywine. The flavor is fruity and sweet with notes of honey, and leaves some heat on your palate.

Bottle 11.2 oz: Stong malt aroma. Amber pour with minimal head. Strong sweet malt tatse but very smooth fruity finish. Tates clsoer to some barley wines I’ve tried then some of the Doppelbocks I’ve had... very good.

33cl bottle from Total Wine (Tampa). Pours a clear amber with a very thin head that dissipates quickly to near nothing. Aroma is malt, bread, yeast, apple, pear, phenol. Taste is sweet and malty with notes of honey, phenol, sweet pear. Strong phenol notes hit about mid-drink until finish and the alcohol really comes through in this one. Very strong but overall very enjoyable.

330ml bottle, 2007 vintage. Big, sweet malt nose, plenty of brown sugar and dried fruit character, with notes of anise, golden raisin, toasty bread, vanilla and overt alcohol. Clear light amber color with a lasting, fine head and very fine lacing. Flavor is very powerfully malty and rich, incredibly sugary, honeyish malt dominates, being tempered by the peppery alcohol and moderately bitter, spicy, warming and incredibly long finish, showing hints of maple sugar and old wood late. Active, full mouthfeel with a very generous body. Really actually pretty nice now, but certainly would make a good long-term cellar candidate as indicated.