Samichlaus Classic
Brauerei Schloss Eggenberg

Samichlaus ClassicSamichlaus Classic
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From:
Brauerei Schloss Eggenberg
 
Austria
Style:
Doppelbock
Ranked #33
ABV:
14%
Score:
90
Ranked #9,605
Avg:
4.02 | pDev: 16.17%
Reviews:
1,208
Ratings:
2,274
Status:
Active
Rated:
Feb 21, 2024
Added:
Feb 25, 2001
Wants:
  203
Gots:
  442
The once strongest beer in the world is back! Brewed only once a year on December 6. Samichlaus is aged for 10 months before bottling. This beer is perhaps the rarest in the world. Samichlaus may be aged for many years to come. Older vintages become more complex with a creamy warming finish. Serve with hardy robust dishes and desserts, particulary with chocolates, or as an after dinner drink by itself. Brewed under the exclusive licence of Feldschlösschen-Hürlimann-Holding, Switzerland.
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Ratings by Greywulfken:
Photo of Greywulfken
Reviewed by Greywulfken from New York

4/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Uh, sugar beer? Wow. My bottle was bottled in 2007, bought (obviously) in 2011 - it was the only one on the shelf, and it had never been there before, so I had to try it.
Hard to review because it is quite unlike any other beer I've ever had.
Purchased a new bottle (2010 bottling) for comparison.

A: Looked like the color of any other dark ale - made me think of some barleywines and grand crus I've had. But no head whatsoever. No lacing. Orange-brown. The head around the inside edge of the glass (all that there was of a head) was a thin white stripe. Motes of lace slid back down into the drink immediately.

S: coffee, toffee, maple, sugar. Reminds me of pastries and bourbon.

T: sweet. I have had sweet beer before - bourbon county stout, imperial whites and imperial stouts, some others - but all those had a syrupy, thick, rich, almost nutritious feel - this was like, brown sugar water. I didn't taste the alcohol at all, but based on the number of typos I've been correcting as I've typed, uh, the alcohol is obviously there. (Starting to think I should leave the typos in to show you). Noticed that more flavors and aromas were present in the 2010 bottle than the 2007 bottle. Both equally sweet, neither harsh, obviously, but the 2010 bottle had a teensy bit of bit/astringency, whereas I don't recall any from the 2007 bottle.

M: Thin. Watery. Light. No carbonation to speak of. An unusual brew. I could totally see drinking this at Christmas in Austria around a fire with pastries and treats. I mean, it is like drinking (I have no other frame of reference) maple sugar water - not like anything else I've tried.

O: In retrospect as I compare the two bottles, and in light of the many good beers I've had between the two, I would say this beer is worth trying, but a little too watery/sweet for my tastes. I like the idea of this beer more than the drinking of it.
Aug 27, 2011
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.96 by PvtSnowball from Florida

Feb 21, 2024
 
Rated: 4.22 by chrishiker1409 from New York

Feb 20, 2024
 
Rated: 3.62 by beerrat from Virginia

Feb 18, 2024
Photo of Nass
Reviewed by Nass from Florida

4.25/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 3.5
From the can, the pour is amber colored with a generous amount of carbonation. The 14% abv drinks more like a 9% beer, it's well constructed. I'm not sure how old this beer is because I can't find a date on it. Moreover, on the taste I'm getting sone dark prunes, caramel covered raisins, & burnt toast near the finish. This was a fairly decent doppelbock, I would like to try the bottle & draft versions. Cheers! A-
Feb 06, 2024
Photo of VABA
Reviewed by VABA from Virginia

4.07/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Pours a nice clear dark amber color with a slight head and lacing
Aroma has caramel and fruit hints
The taste follows the nose with caramel and fruit flavors
A medium bodied decently carbonated beer
A good Doppelbock
Jan 25, 2024
Photo of mikeg67
Reviewed by mikeg67 from New Jersey

3.93/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
11.2 oz bottle. Pours dark amber with tall, short lived, fluffy off-white head. Aroma is of some vinegar, cherries and caramel malt. Body is full, creamy and smooth. Taste is of caramel malt, spices, cherries, Portwine and some woody notes. Finish is long, sweet and spicy. Very complex sipping brew.
Jan 22, 2024
 
Rated: 3.74 by Chuckdiesel24 from Illinois

Jan 18, 2024
 
Rated: 4.3 by EdFed from Illinois

Jan 13, 2024
Photo of paylstep
Rated by paylstep from Canada (ON)

1.6/5  rDev -60.2%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
worst taste
Jan 04, 2024
Photo of jjamadorphd
Reviewed by jjamadorphd from Florida

4.51/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
I let this age for a year, I'm so glad I did...

In short, this is the booziest dessert beer I have ever had. Beautiful copper colored brew with highlights, sweet smell of figs blended well with the high alcohol content. Mouthfeel is silky smooth with a light carbonated bite. Now, the taste, a malty sweet brew that hides the alcohol mildly. An exceptional beer, one I have to get my hands on again so I can let it age a couple of years next time through.
Dec 31, 2023
Photo of brewandbbq
Rated by brewandbbq from New Hampshire

4/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bottle from 1994.

Pure plump, sweet malt through and through. Mostly flat.
Dec 24, 2023
Photo of Grax
Reviewed by Grax from Iowa

4.35/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Aroma is a faint set of figs, caramel, and boozy raisin. The body is a pungent and creamy set of flavors following the aroma, I taste fig, caramel, maple-drizzled boozy raisin, This beer tastes like drinking a fruitcake soaked in rum and maple syrup, without any of the sickly sweetness you might find in a pastry stout, for instance. An extremely satisfying and delicious beer.
Dec 20, 2023
 
Rated: 4.23 by NWHopinator from Oregon

Dec 14, 2023
Photo of Beers-es
Reviewed by Beers-es from Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
From a 330ml can, pours a clear deep coppery ruby. Thin head of tan foam dissipates quickly. Smell is complex, with toffee, sweet dark fruits and chocolate. Taste follows. Feel has just a hint of richness. Light carbonation. I'm really loving this beer, great for a cold, rainy November night.
Nov 22, 2023
Photo of Ushouldbeworkinh
Reviewed by Ushouldbeworkinh from England

4.36/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Beautiful clear dark red copper. Bubbles when pouring, but nothing after, flattest beer I've seen. Smells sweet, malty, slight spice, hint of alcohol. Reminds me of King Arthur Barleywine by Tartarus. Taste is very much the same. Feel is smooth, if a bit thin. Much more of a barleywine than doppelbock to me.
Nov 06, 2023
Photo of papposilenus
Reviewed by papposilenus from New Hampshire

3.95/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75
From a 330ml can with an indecipherable date-stamp. Served in the last surviving precision designed, German engineered, preternaturally fragile Spiegelau BA tasting glass.

Pours caramel coloured with absolutely minimal head formation and a barely rousable super-slippery film of lacing. Looks very much like a (very large) glass of bourbon.

Nose is rich and robustly malty. Aroma of golden syrup and hay.

Taste is sweet and boozy. Tasting caramel and maraschino cherry. A smidge of ashy bitterness and a ton of sugary sweetness.

Edit to add: Rug said ‘baked apple’ in his review and that’s a great call. It doesn’t actually change my opinion at all but it’s right on and I wish I’d picked that up while I was writing my own review.

Feel is clean and smooth, surprisingly not heavy bodied - if that’s a fair way of describing something - gently but adequately carbonated and - again, surprisingly- not the slightest bit boozy.

Overall… OK? I mean, at 14% abv it sure as fuck gets the job done, right? but, aside from that, there’s not much going on here for me. Tooth decay is a serious consideration, however.
Sep 15, 2023
Photo of LBThiele3382
Reviewed by LBThiele3382 from Michigan

2.76/5  rDev -31.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.75
Europeans may make good adjunct beer, but USA all the way on craft beer! This stuff is weak! And I don't mean on the ABV. 14% but about 25% on flavor. Poured a dark honey color and flat as a pancake. I could tell you the flavors I'm picking up but they're so weak. It's sweet and bland. Not even boozy for 14abv. I drive American cars and drink American craft beers for a reason! My Turbo charged Buick Regal has Balls, even with 107,000 miles on it!! This beer does not!! Pass!!!
Jul 25, 2023
Photo of illusionistlynx
Reviewed by illusionistlynx from Maryland

4.8/5  rDev +19.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
2021: Served at 48F. Dark amber with a hint of red, no head. Bold, complex and rich flavor. The alcohol punches through but is not overwhelming. Opens up around 52F to express more subtle notes. Christmas in a bottle.

Edit: After having a 2nd one of these I'm blown away by the incredible range of flavors. This is one of my top 5 beers of all time.
Jun 15, 2023
 
Rated: 3.76 by MrJones07 from Spain

Jun 10, 2023
Samichlaus Classic from Brauerei Schloss Eggenberg
Beer rating: 90 out of 100 with 2274 ratings