Schloss Eggenberg Samichlaus Bier Helles

Brewed by Brauerei Schloss Eggenberg
Style: Doppelbock
Vorchdorf, Austria

Vintage 2007. It pours a beautfiul deep copper beer with a quick dimnishing fizzy head which eventually dissapears completely. Sherry, walnut, apple, apricot, vanilla and almond showing up in the nose- surprisingly inviting. Complex taste. Smooth, soft, full bodied, sweet and reminiscent of almond, maple syrup, apple, vanilla and apricot. Beautiful malt profile. Low bitterness. Alcoholic on the swallow. Salty malty finish with crackers, apple and walnut appearing. A nice surprise.

It poured a clear golden liquid without a foam. It smelled alcoholic with some butter. It had a strong alcoholic taste with some bread. It was hard to drink but not as bad as I make it sound.

Bottle from Fall 2007. Knowing that this massive malt bomb would need some time to chill, I let it sit for nearly 2 years. Having finally tried it, I’d say it can probably go another half decade before any sweetness subsides. The pour yields a clear, dark, pure amber colored body with virtually no head or lacing. Ultra-sweet aromas of red and green apples and vanilla sport a surprisingly crisp, cider-like acidity that lends a bit of zest to the intense maltiness. Golden raisin lends further fruity sweetness. It actually smells pretty damn nice, though the flavor takes a downward turn. Dominated by extreme levels of caramelized sugars, the boozy, brandy-like profile is too sweet for me. The apple tastes fine, but the sugar makes it like drinking a hot, alcoholic syrup. Sticky and full on the palate, this brew makes me want to run to the dentist. While I think it has the potential to be downright delicious after 8-10 years of careful cellaring, I simply don’t have the patience. As it stands, it’s tolerable only in shot-glass sized doses as a dessert.

Intensely sweet aroma with a slight alcohol twinge, both of which follow directly into a complex flavor. I like this slightly more than regular Samichlaus

Poured to stemware at a recent lager seminar a dark golden tone with off white bubbles and light spots of lacing. The aroma was vinous, some sweetness and fruit as raisins and dates, with a wisp of alcohol. The flavor was potent alcohol, sweetness as honey, and hints of caramel and favorable butterscotch. Full bodied and warming.

At one point in time, Samichlaus was the strongest beer ever brewed. That is not the instance now with the Samuel Adams Utopias, but the beer is still a classic in its own right.

Deeply brilliant ambers, garnets, blood-oranges, and rustic coppers fill my glass to full while a soft copper-tinged head fades quickly in the face of a potent nose. Tempting fate, I swirl my glass and receive a life-affirming slap in the face. No lace, but this richly thick beer leaves tears beautiful enough to rival the finest single-malt. Rich. Spiced. Sipping rum and alcohol warmth is immediately evident along with rum soaked wood, maple glazed apples and pears sliced and warm from their braising in honey. Cinnamon sticks sprinkle and black plums snap as I bite into their crisp acidic skins, juices running down my chin. Pineapple teases from the background while more warm spices and wood hit the back of my nose. Rich, heavy, sweet, spiced, and decadent in all the best ways possible, her differences are subtle and refined. My first quaff coats all porous surfaces in sweet warm love-making. Cooked oranges, apples, and pears glazed in warm maple and honey are sprinkled with cinnamon and nutmeg while plums and white raisins beckon. The finish is dry, spiced, and oozing rummy wood. Licking my lips, honey and maple greet me once more while sweet rolls give her body some meat to wrap my tastebuds around. A definite sipper, the warmer she gets the more she opens herself up to me. Every aspect of her palate melts into a toe-curling orgasmic climax that lingers long after my Samichlaus Helles is gone. I literally licked my lips after each quaff; a resounding smack of satisfaction. My body is warm, my heart smitten, my soul soothed, and I owe it all to her sweet, spiced, dry, woody palate soaked in maple and honey with glazed apples, pears, oranges, plums, and white raisins. A beer lover’s delight.

Just like her older brother, I have multiple bottles of the 2007 Samichlaus Helles aging for future supping. I think I shall give her a good five years or so before I crack open another bottle of this particular vintage. Seeing as August is fast approaching, the 2008 batch of Samichlaus should be available very soon. I’ll be sure to grab a 4pack of both.

from Amstein; 2007 vintage - clear amber colour with a very poor head retention; sweet and thick malty nose; aroma of raspberries marmalade and apple; very thick and full-bodied; very very sweet; long malty and fruity finish with warming alcohol notes - surprisingly good

Sampled from a bottle at Redlight. Pours an orange color, some haze, with a nice initial white head. This is very sweet and somewhat syrupy with a lot of caramel and toffee flavors, a touch of dried fruit, with a little alcohol sting in the finish. However, for a 14% brew it drinks lighter than expected. Drinks like a barleywine in many ways. A real sipper but I liked it.