Schloss Eggenberg Samichlaus Bier Helles

Brewed by Brauerei Schloss Eggenberg
Style: Doppelbock
Vorchdorf, Austria

I didin’t know about this one until I saw a bottle in De Bierkoning in a trip to Amsterdam last year. Wish I had bought more bottles. Served in my rare Samichlaus glass, it pours some more head than its sister and lasts a bit more, but you can say it doesn’t last. Very nice maber-orange colour, and absolutely beatiful when you hold it to the light. Smells of honey, tropical fruits, dried fruits, and even almonds or hazelnuts or similar. Licorice, caramel. Silky sweet, maybe too sweet, flavor. Palate is similar, orange, honey, hazelnuts... only add a touch of oak. The finish is more like an orange liquor than a brandy, a difference to the Samichlaus we all know. The only "bad" thing that I could find is that I would have like it a little less sweetness, but when you have a beer like this, who cares?

750mL painted brown glass swingtop. "Bottled in 2007." This is one of 12 bottles that came into the state of Vermont recently. Appearance: Almost no carbonation. A clear, orange/gold hue that gets thin and watery at the rim, going more burnt yellow towards the edges. Nose: Sweet Jesus! Candy malt, light caramel, yellow plantains, a quick zip of licorice, candied orange peel, and some prickly alcohol. Palate: Medium bodied, almost no carbonation, and a little hot and sweet up front. As the sugar-shock fades, toasty malt notes come out. A little creme brulée, Marcona almonds, a faint whisper of citrus, a touch of ripe banana, and sweet buttered oak. A warming finish of alcohol carries the flavors on for minutes after the sip. Notes: At 14% ABV, this beer is surprisingly balanced. It’s hot, and a little prickly, but it doesn’t feel like 14. 10 maybe. The finish is incredibly long, and the ageability of this beer is out of this world. I might have to buy some for my children...maybe it will be mature by then! Oh man. The finish is amazing. The banana/plantain thing comes in and out of focus for minutes after the sip. I’m going to go make some seared dry-rubbed Pollack and some red beans and rice to have with this!

Pours medium gold, very clear, and with a medium but quickly fading head. Aroma is almost pure malt, very little hops, but some. Alcohol does come through, although very cleanly, in the aroma. Palate is full, and appropriate. Flavor is a wonderful malty, alcoholic and very clean beer. Uber-maibock anyone?

Packs a powerful punch that does let go. The first sip hits you hard with with dark caramel malts. The nose and aroma will knock anything back. The only downside is a slight corn after taste. Get this, try it.

Pours just like any other helles - pale golden color, thin white head, and you can see through it quite well. Nose is a little tepid. Some honey & sweetbread aromas. Palate packs a whopper malt character with honey-like sweetness, alcohol punch to your face, and a syrupy thick mouthfeel. It’s not almost syrupy, it is syrupy. This could be served on buttermilk pancakes if desired. Finish is warming with plenty of alcohol presence.

12oz btl from fourwinds int, pensacola..beautiful pour with very thin head. abv hidden nicey...very complex....good brew

2007 Bottling bought from the Party Source in Newport, KY. I am very surprised by the lower ratings, as I thoroughly enjoyed this monster of a beer. It more than held its own with my Arturo Fuentes Cuban Corona cigar. This beer had an aroma of a Red Charms Lolipop and quite an impressive thick appearance that created legs on the side of my glass. A huge beer, no head to speak of, big, fruity, sweet with flavors of life savors and definitely finishes hot. As is warmed, the complexities became more pronounced and it became smoother. An incredible creation, can only imagine how this beer would age. Intense, very intense.

Red label Samichlaus Helles was picked up in a 12 oz., brown bottle, and poured into a goblet. The beer came out fizzy and developed almost no head, but the body was a crystal clear, pale gold. The smell was quite an fruity and alcoholic treat. Lots of pears, apples, and grapes on the nose, soaked in cognac. The taste was warm, sweet, and ... well it was hard to get past the sweet. The spices (anise and pepper), vanilla, and fruits were all drizzled in lots of powdered sugar. Some might find this level of sweetness cloying, but I found the strong countering by the drying alcohol a sufficiently palatable combination. As I got further along, some hop bitterness showed up as well. Very richly textured, and oh so warming. Some might consider this a good fireside sipper, but I’d be beware of igniting the vapors. Fits all the classic definitions of a cellarable a beer, and I sure will be stashing away some for a decade or more to get it to peak.