beoir (51), st paul, Minnesota, USA Mar 28, 2008 sweet malty aroma. super sweet, almost like a desert wine, but the alcohol cuts right through. honey raisins, bitter finish. zeke626 (301), Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA Mar 27, 2008 Bottle, pours a pale orange with white head. Aroma of candy and sweet malts. Medium-bodied. Flavors of sugar, malts, maybe caramel/toffee, and alcohol. Warm, alcohol aftertaste. BDR (2139), Roseville, Minnesota, USA Mar 27, 2008 Orange-amber color with faint white head. Sweet candy sugar aroma with faint malt notes. The flavor was a bit hot but caramel malt and candy sugar flavors cut through. jhumphries69 (717), Tyrone, Georgia, USA Mar 24, 2008 33cl bottle. Pours a brilliant orange with gold highlights and a thin, white head. The aroma is slightly fruity with notes of apple or pear. There is also a touch of sweet malts and a decent bit of alcohol. The flavor is very sweet - like sugar-glazed corn flakes. It is also very boozy - like schnapps. There are notes of rich caramel and malts around mid-palate with subtle notes of bitter hops, fruit (apples, white grapes), and alcohol. The alcohol is strong and gives impressions of peppery and minty flavors. The finish is sweet with a thick and firm, noble hop bitterness - a touch cidery, too. It is also very warming as the alcohol goes down. The mouthfeel is well-carbonated - it gives a slight sting on the tongue when combined with the heavy level of ethanol. Overall, this is an interesting, mega-malty beer - but not nearly as complex and interesting as the original, darker Samichlaus... beerinmarch (2781), Alabama, USA Mar 23, 2008 From the bottle. Pours rich honey gold with a small white head. Big sweet nose, boozy and a deep rich maltiness. Hints of honey and pepper, cereal and glazed doughnut. Cloying and sweet on the palate, alochol wears a "hello my name is" nametag as an arrogant display. Heavy and bold till the end, but come on, you knew that going in, so you should be prepared, and its an interesting beer in its own. ChainGangGuy (2523), Kennesaw, Georgia, USA Mar 22, 2008 Appearance: Pours a clear, honey-colored body with a tiny white head.
Smell: Sweetish, candylike aroma with notes of peach schnapps, sugar-coated matls, and booze.
Taste: Sugary sweet malts with a taste of dark fruits soaked in alcohol. The beer gives you a sly wink then pours some grain alcohol down your gullet. Slight peppery hint. Sweetness of the finish doesn’t disguise its harshness.
Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation. Slight stickiness.
Drinkability: Many of these high ABV beers are a joy to drink and deftly hide their alchol amidst a truly succulent taste. The Samichlaus Helles is neither of those! As with its darker brother, hopefully some time locked away will bring some sense to it. Walt (2289), Chicago, Illinois, USA Mar 21, 2008 2007: Pour is clear golden with an almost non-existent white head...smell is lightly toasty and sweet with some grass and strong alcoholic notes...taste is sweet and alcoholic...lightly malty, but somehow not as alcoholic as regular Samichlaus...sticky sweet alcoholic finish... CaptainCougar (5379), Rockville, Maryland, USA Mar 21, 2008 Pours a deep viscous golden with a spotty-lacing white head. Aroma of lightly-sweet grainy German pilsner malt with a touch of alcohol and a hint of light fruity complexity. Body starts rich and sweet with a touch of caramel and Vienna malts toward toward a very warming finish. Doesn’t quite have the complexity of the darker version and will certainly need some time to mellow.
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