Samichlaus Barrique
Brauerei Schloss Eggenberg

 

 

 

Bottled, undoubtedly bottle conditioned and purchased from The Epicurean in West Didsbury
Pours a rich brown sugar body
Aroma is sweet sweet sherry
Flavour is pure sugary booze
Fresh is really good can see just how awesome this would age

 

 

 

75 cl bottle, bought at Echarle Huevos. Served at home in a Samichlaus glass.
They did it again. Medium head that vanishes in the blink of an eye, no lacing, pretty red colour. It's excatly like the classic, but some notes of wood. I could finish my revier here, but...
In the nose you note a lot of things as it warms: brandy, port wine, vanilla, figs, dates, chocolate, spices, nutmeg, caramel, red fruits... everything.
Full body, dense creamy texture, no carbonation. Sweet licorous finish. Taste is similar to the aroma, vanilla, chocolate, brandy, port wine, sherry wine, dates, figs, caramel, red fruitsand, as I said before, some wood.
Fantastic, wonderful... no words.

 

 

2013 vintage. time has obviously done this well, but it also sort of feels like it is just getting started, and that its nowhere near as mellow, mature, or refined as it would get with another ten plus years in the cellar! this beer is built for extended ageing. very cool to get to try this special barrel aged variant, in wine barrels i believe, of this ludicrous dopplebock lager, perhaps the strongest one i have ever seen in this style. it has a deep dark richness to it, lots of body, surprisingly lively on the head, and with a pretty deep chestnut amber to brown color, looks big. the barrel influence here is pretty mild, i get the wood more than any wine or spirit that was housed in it, and the woodiness is nice with the sweeter malt, it grounds it a little bit, and keeps the sweetness of the grain from getting out of hand at this size. i like the nuttiness, the classic dusty european quality to it, and the leathery toasted heartiness. i get light anise, cigar, brown sugar, and candied orange zest, all really well integrated and flashing in and out as subtleties. oak tannins peak through for a flash, a little cardboard, and some split barky firewood. this beer needs a warm crackling fire and a comfy couch, one could survive the harshest of winters with little else. i would appreciate this one in a cured meat context, a fruitcake dessert session, or next to good espresso on a chilly morning. these beers, all of them, are almost too much, but they stop just short of absurd. the barrel helps, this put me in the holiday spirit...

 

 

 

 

 

From Cerveceriainternacional. In Teku glass. Playing A Golden Wake. Great! The barrique balances what I remember was a bit oversweet brew and makes it pretty more enjoyable and balanced. to drink with care though, giving its high well-hidden alcohol

 

 

Bottle Date: 2013
Palate Contaminants: a steak

I've had this for too long. Maybe because I didn't realize it was a fourteener when I bought it.

The look is a very dark amber. It's clear for a few inches, then starts blocking light. Not much head.

The smell is tea, molasses, and marmalade. It's a little woody, too. It's sweet, but not particularly strong.

The taste is sweet and malty, and the wood and tea carry over from the nose. The marmalade gives way to what is more along the lines of scorched sugar. It's sweeter than I thought it would be, but it's not overwhelming. It's almost like Woodford Reserve, but less intense. The wood and tea flavors linger.

Feel is barely carbonated. It has moderate-heavy weight, and the sweetness really hangs around on the back of my tongue.