Schloss Eggenberg Samichlaus Bier

Brewed by Brauerei Schloss Eggenberg
Style: Doppelbock
Vorchdorf, Austria

12 oz bottle, 2004 vintage. Pours a clear bright copper body under a very fizzy two finger beige head that almost completely disappeared. Aroma is an all out malt bomb with a hefty dose of alcohol fumes. Very clean though overall. Flavor starts out very sweet and one dimensionally malty and finishes with a hot alcohol burn. Alot of fig, date and toffee in the middle. Mouthfeel is thick and full bodied yet for all the sweetness it isn’t overly cloying. Carbonation is soft and fine. Overall, this is as fresh tasting as ever, even after almost two years. Gonna take a long time for this to take on an aged character.

2001 vintage, tasted as part of an impromptu sampling of several "big" beers for a friend's birthday. Reddish-brown colour a small, quickly disappearing head. Body is very still with just a minimal amount of carbonation. Strong, alcohol aroma with malt and dark fruit notes, reminding me a bit of port or sherry. Flavour is big and warm, with notes of malt, dark cherry, plum, and caramel, and an obvious kick of alcohol in the finish. I think that another couple of years of aging would've mellowed the boozy edges of this one, but it was still a nice way to finish the evening.

Bottle - Received in a trade with Jonathan3485. Thanks Jonathan - Pours amber with a short white head. Aroma is malty sweet caramel malts a touch of the alcohol and maybe some apricot sweetness. Flavor is fruity some notes of apple, alcohol, caramel malts very sweet. Some candy sugar must also be present. On the palate this is very sweet and almost sticky to drink. Alcohol can be found and felt throughout. Not a drainpour. It is a sipper but not outstanding by any means. Too sweet and too much alcohol is found in the taste for my liking.

2000 bottle drank in 2003: Pours a clear red-brown color with a large bubbled head that quickly fades to nothing. Huge burnt molasses aroma that triggered memories of Sam Adams Triple Bock. Deep vanilla sweet taste with touches of wood. Chewy mouthfeel that turns into an alcohol burn the whole way down. An excellent sipping beer.

Whoa. Make sure you don’t have anywhere to go after this one. The alcohol, at 14%, packs a little punch even on a full stomach. Very satisfying and enjoyable. I found this one at a liquor store near Cafe DuMonde in New Orleans, and I would really like another. Good beer if you can find it.

Bottled 2003, Sampled March 2004
Pours a clear red-copper color. The head is a tan color, but it quickly dissipates. There is a heady malty aroma that is interspersed by notes of alcohol, and a hint of cherry as well. The beer is sweet, and seems to have some nice spicy hop notes still perceptible in this young example. Notes of spice cake, alcohol, and sweet malt are interspersed. This beer again surprised me in its relatively light body. The flavors are still quite fresh in this young example, there are no notes of oxidation, and the fresh hop character is quite outstanding.

Vintage 2001, Sampled 18th of December 2003
Pours a deep reddish copper color, it is very clear as well. A thin tan head forms when the beer is roused in my glass.

Thick beastly malt aromas emanate from my glass. Alcoholic notes underlie the malt in the aroma.

The taste is actually surprisingly light for a beer of this size. The taste is sweet and ends with a bit of spice (notes of allspice perhaps). There seems to be a hint of acidity here as I take my first sip. Very drinkable actually. It lacks the complexity of the aged Hurlimann Samichlaus that I had recently, but it is eminently more quaffable. Fairly clean lager profile, but the strain of fermenting this beer has allowed for a positive yeast flavor contribution. The beer is slightly hot in the finish from the alcohol. Deep fruit flavors are here; notes of raisins that have been soaked in rum, brandy-ish with subtle notes of vanilla. The spiciness of this beer seems to be perhaps a hop contribution, it is lightly bitter in the finish as well, but it is fairly subtle in this massive malty brew.

I was just imagining how incredible this would be if it was lightly aged in oak, wow that would be good. While not as complex as the Hurlimann version, it is much more drinkable, softer and I enjoy this just a bit more. I don't know that it is better though.

Bottle. Almonds, alcohol and raisins. Sweet syrupy body lessening into an aniseedy finish.

Burnt Beer Night: Dark Brown Coloring With Red Tint. No Head. This Beer Has Some Bangorang to it. Wonderful Winter Brew. Malt, Alcohol, Fruit and Prunes on the Nose. Alcohol isn’t Hidden at all When it Goes Down your Throat. Sweet Malt Taste along With Some More Fruit and Prunes. Very Enjoyable and Worth Keeping Some Around to Age!