Schloss Eggenberg Samichlaus Bier

***review from Jan 1, 2008***
2002 Vintage - just wiped off all the dust from the bottle. I didn’t have a clue what this was when I first purchaced it on impulse, not even knowing it was 14% - at the primo beer store in Temecula, CA, I believe in January 2004. This will be the biggest beer I’ve ever sampled and I’ve waited a long time to hit this one.

Man, it pours out THICK. Very dark copper brew with barely a ring - no surprise there. I already know that I love these type of brews so everything here makes me happy including finally standing up after finishing it and falling head first into the wall or the cat litter. Listening to the bluegrass versions of Primus songs is a good mood setter. The aroma is not overwhelming. Caramel, molasses, almonds, vanilla, a sweet candy - possibly cherry flavoured. The taste is pretty good and pretty intense - molasses, spice and alcohol (the alcohol is definetly not a deterrent as there is no way you can notice the 14% which is amazing), sweet dark fruits, pepper, caramel, vanilla and nutty (not quite almond). The alcohol is so well hidden but all you have to do is breathe deep and you get clobbered by it. Full bodied, very think and viscous like an isbock, thick middle and finish. I’ve finally really noticed the hops in the aftertaste. Finishes with a very heavy rich malt taste. Notable alcohol at this point. Well, I like this stuff a lot. It’s not overly impressive in a ’blow you away’ way but it is still packed with ample flavour and keeps your liver cringing. Took me an hour to drink, enjoying it the whole way. Happy New Years, maggots.

Bottle. Portwine, plums, malt and alcohol in aroma. Deep golden redbrown colour with small beige head. Sweet malt flavour with plums and ripe fruits. A bit oily texture. Low carbonation.

2007 Bottle. Pours clear dark copper brown with a thin, foamy grey-tan head that fades to a ring pretty quickly. Aroma is sweet malt, toasted grain, lots of dark fruit, toasted nuts, apples, hints of sweet bread spices, dark caramel, a little roast, bready malt and just a little vanilla. Flavor is sweet grain up front, a little bread crust, overripe apples, pit fruits, hints of dark fruit (not nearly as much as the aroma) banana nut bread, dates, wood notes, vanilla, lots of amaretto, caramel and burnt sugar. The finish brings about more woody and nutty notes, just a hint of bitter and herbal notes. Palate is thick, chewy, sticky, and slightly oily on the finish and has a sharp but weak carbonation with a decent alcohol warmth. There are quite a few things going on in this beer, some of them are a little less than appealing but overall it comes together well for a nice winter warmer, now if it on’y weren’t 80 degrees in my apartment tonight......

Okay, I sat on this baby for 18 months to try to make sure I had the proper experience. Beer pours with no head, ruby brown, very little to no head. Strong alcohol aroma. This baby is going to be strong. First sip made me shudder...it’s sweet. It’s really sweet. I’m not kidding...it’s sweet. Tremendous presence of oak and chewy fruit. Creamy thick mouthfeel. A little hops (none) would have gone a long way. Better cold, as it warmed it was even harder to drink. The problem is that it’s impossible to drink even half of this before it warms up. A good experience, but not worth a year and a half of hype.

"(2007 addition) Once the worlds strongest beer but not no more however at 14% this will be the strongest I’ll have ever had by a couple of percent and I have no clue what to expect from this. Dark brown body with a fairly descent head considering the high alcohol content it even sticks around for a while. Apple, wood, spice, some alcohol but not as much as you’d think considering the 14% all show up in this aroma. Sweaty feet?!?!?! Why am I smelling sweaty feet? Aroma actually reminds me of a Belgium quad, this aroma is so interesting I’ve been sniffing now for 15min without taking a sip. Wow this is a sipper took too big a mouthful on my first attempt and I almost launched it out and across the room. This is a big bold beer, the intensity is amazing. Very bold wood and malts flavor with a spicy alcoholic burn but in a good way. Sweet almond and rice crispies keeping showing up and leaving along with plumbs and cherries. You can taste the alcohol but for what this beer is it works, it doesn’t dominate the flavor but it makes you drink it slow and steady. My stomach feels so very warm. Very complex yummy brew I’ll be saving my other bottles for a few years to come me thinks.

2007 bottle..deep amber pour,thin white head that dissipates quickly,thin ,sparse lacing.aroma is a blend of dark fruit,(plum ,raisin,fig). very malt driven,alcohol is very upfront, thick and creamy.nice alcohol warmth ,almost rummy. decent spicy bitter finish.excellent night cap.

Rating #1000 for this beer, guess i’ll have a big impact. Pours a dark viscous amber body with a thin lacing. Big chewy dark fruit and a robust rum vodka alcohol warming. Completely malt driven body with fruity esters and a viscous etoh, well not to bad given 14% abv, gotta give some credit for that huh.

Deep amber, no head. Very fruity/malty aroma. Full body, some fizzyness. Malty. A little hoppyness. Not too complex. Pretty useless. Not for dessert or pleasure. Fits the BJCP description perfectly. Purchased in at Hercules Fancy Grocery in New York.