Samichlaus Schwarzes
Brauerei Schloss Eggenberg

Copenhagen 8/9 2018. 33 cl bottle from Ølhandleren from Give. Ancient bearded bloke on the label together with the self-confident tagline: “The World’s most extraordinary beverage.

Pours opaque dark brown with very small off-white head. Settles as meagre remnants foam floating aimlessly around. No Lacing.

Aroma is heavy sweet and kind of nauseating. Very intensely odor of melted sugar, malted barley and alcohol. Almost as intense as a fortified wine.

Soft carbonation. Medium thick, soft and creamy texture.

Flavor is heavy sweet without any noticeable bitterness. Aftertaste is sweet with a prominent alcoholic burn. Lingers for a long while.

If you like your beer, annoyingly and overwhelmingly sweet this might be the world’s most extraordinary beverage. Otherwise it might just be a annoyingly sweet piece of alcohol.

2022 vintage
Pours a tan fizzy small head with lower retention, a bit of lacing, dark molasses brown color, almost chestnut

Nose rich sweet malts, syrup, molasses, toffee, nutty and spicy, stewed prunes and dark fruits with some holiday spices, some potpourri alcohol, mild port-like oxidation, mild smoke, pumpernickel bread

Taste comes on quite sweet, more molasses up front, candied fruits but again that rich cooked prune and fig like character, more of the holiday spices and a bit of spicy rye, into pumpernickel bread again interestingly, syrup, toffee, fair warming tingly alcohol and a touch fusel, a bit of burnt cookie or brownie, a bit of spicy hop bitterness late, finishes a bit sweet but much less so than I expected

Mouth is fuller bod, higher warming slight tingly alcohol, lower carb, syrupy

Overall OK, not something I can really enjoy much of, too sweet and rich, burnt flavors come in a bit too much, but I do like the pumpernickel bread aspect and hops are a nice touch

I grabbed this one from Purvis in Melbourne in February 2026 and eventually drank it in May of that year.

L: The beer is a ruddy, ruby-tinged black in the glass. There is but a smattering of head around the edges of the beer. No bubbles can be seen.

S: The nose is an inviting hit of malt, cocoa, berries, chocolate, marzipan, burnt sugar and figs.

T: The taste has brown sugar, rich toffee, soy, marzipan, figs, burnt chocolate cake,, and booze (oh my God, the booze!). It's sweet, but at least before the beer warms up, the alcohol keeps it in check. There's pleasant warmth in the throat and gut, and nice numbness on the tongue. This one feels far more balanced to me than the Classic, which started off in a similar shape but became cloyingly sweet as it warmed up.

M: The mouthfeel is full, rich and sticky. My lips are coated in a sweet, sugary layer of beery goodness. The carbonation is decent enough that it can work with the booze to hold the sweetness in check.

O: This one is very enjoyable. Like its stablemates, it's meant for slow contemplative consumption, and I'm happy to follow that advice!

Cheers!
#821

 

 

2022 bottle poured at fridge temp. Pours an extremely dark brown - almost black. No head. The nose is fantastic. Black licorice, figs, prunes, raisins, dark toffee, maple candy, and molasses. Wow. This is one of the best aromas from a beer.

The taste takes a slight turn from the nose, but largely in line. Sweet brown sugar hits first. Boozy. Toffee pudding, peanut brittle, maple candy, malty, raisins, currants, slight blackberry note. Sticky and sweet is a good way to describe this one. Really enjoyable and, although boozy, does not come across as 14% ABV.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a nice toffee aftertaste. Lovely beer overall. Highly recommended.

 

 

Dark brown in color with this tan head. Nose is reminiscent of dark candy, maybe molasses or hoarhound candy. Nice sweet flavor. Abv is very evident with good warmth very much barley wine like.

 

 

A very nice lagered barleywine. I get dried plums, dates, and a hint of fennel. It’s slightly less sweet than its “Classic” cousin but fully malt forward nonetheless. I like it as is but would love to try one with more bittering hops, not unlike the way European Pilsners are hopped…That said, what a nice winter treat.

 

330ml bottle into a goblet. 2016 release, so 7 years old.

Black body with a brief off white head. Massive dark fruit aroma with dark rum booziness. Fruit less in the taste, but still present. Finish very warming with a fleeting roast note. Quality sipper.

Bottled, poured like bottle conditioned just in case and purchased from The Epicurean in West Didsbury
Pours a jet black body with minimal tan head
Aroma is Pontefract cakes
Flavour is the darkest rum

2016 vintage; drank 2/16/23 @ the Yarchives.

Black/brown appearance.

An even pour yielded a minimal tan head; almost no lace.

Medium roast coffee bean, cream, sarsaparilla & library book notes in the nose.

Creamy medium mouthfeel.

Cream, caramel, medium roast coffee bean, faint library book.

Unique & tasty!

 

11.2oz bottle. Poured out an opaque, jet-black color with a small, light khaki-colored head of foam. It left sudsy trails of lace on the glass. It smelled of toffee, caramel, roasted malt and booziness. Sweet toffee and caramel taste. very boozy. Little bitterness.

 

2022 Vintage

A - Deep garnet burgundy colored pour with perfect clarity, no carbonation, and no lacing.

S - Light spiciness, sweet sticky malt, and some delicate smokiness.

T - Toasted toffee caramel malt, light spiciness, a littl bit of woody oak, and big alcohol presence.

M - Light syrupy and silky smooth texture with alcohol permeating up into the sinuses and warming in the back of the throat.

O - The alcohol gets in the way of this beer.