Samichlaus Classic Bier - Malt Liquor??

If this is the old Samichlaus I had many years ago it is a dopplebock. Kind of a souped up version. Almost eisbock like. Awesome beer.

 

Yup, it's all malt. A malt liquor will have a fairly significant amount of corn (usually) adjunct.

This just has to be a labeling requirement, I'd guess due to the alcohol content.

 

Labeling laws due to the strength

 

The brewery website, in German, shows the label as saying "Malt Liquor." Doesn't seem like laws in a single US state would lead to that. (They also have a box on the web page that says "Barley Wine."

http://www.schloss-eggenberg.at/de/unsere-biere/samichlaus-schwarzes


The importer's web page is noncommittal.

https://wettenimporters.com/products/samichlaus-bier-14/

 

?

It's no stronger than imperial stouts with many being much stronger ie. Black Tuesday. 120 Minute is a strong DIPA that comes to mind also

 

From what I remember reading a while back, it's the same reason why some beers are "ale in Texas" according to the labeling -- some state laws wouldn't allow "beer" over a certain alcohol percentage, but "ale" and "malt liquor" over those limits were fine, so some breweries ended up labeling their beers as "malt liquor" for that reason.

 

Just the same label Eggenberg has always used for US-labeled Samichlaus, starting circa 2000, so dating back to the era when some states still had an ABV limit for products labeled "Beer" - most notably, Texas (i.e., the "Ale in Texas" era). On the Federal level, "Malt Liquor" means nothing:

...while in Texas (and, earlier, several other states w/similar labeling/tax requirements) anything over 4% ABW had to be called "ale" or "malt liquor". Most US brewers (possibly because of the stigma) went with "ale", while many foreign brewers/importers went with "malt liquor". German-brewed Lowenbrau was labeled "malt liquor" for the US market.

In pre-Pro US on the Federal level, the all ecompassing legal term for all beers was "malt liquor" - after Repeal, it became "malt beverage", but many state laws still use "malt liquor" for all beers.

Not always:

 

I remember "malt liquor" identifying some German, Austrian, and, I think, some Polish beers some years back. A 40 ouncer of Samichlaus just might sell!

 

Although I do get a hint of a doppelbock taste from it, if I was sampling it blind I would've said it was an English barleywine. (I've never had an eisbock, never even seen one other than Aventinus weizen-eisbock which I can't bring myself to pay for yet.)

 

Of course,ignoring the quirks of legislation,all beer is malt liquor.

 

Right, but Samiclaus's history goes back much longer - it was first released in 1980.

 

Was it the only 14% beer in 1980 or were there other strong beers in 1980?

 

I've seen some online mentions that at the time it was recognized by Guinness World Records as the strongest beer.

It might still be the world's strongest lager that isn't an Eisbock undergoing freeze distillation? Not sure.

 

Those are just numbers and don't mean anything. Personal tastes are personal tastes. Just because it has 4.02, I should automatically love it?

 

If I recall correctly . . . it had something to do with regulations and label requirements which cover more than a handful of states. It's similar to the more well-known "Beer in Texas" labeling convention.

At any rate, I love me some Samichlaus. And what is it, like 14% Giddy-up!

 

And it had its own "proper glassware" - a stoneware mug.

That is the actual size - no Photoshopping involved.
Holds about 4 oz. w/o a head, so you got ~3 mugfuls in each 12 oz. bottle!