Holiday Beer of the Day: Samichlaus Classic
By Greg B. Yep, it’s that time of year again. For those of you who know, you can find Samichlaus in the beer stores! For those of you who don’t yet know, this is one of those famous beers that beer geeks, snobs, experts and amateurs all talk about in December. At one point, this used to be the strongest fermented beer in the world (though there have been recent and crazy leaps in alcohol production from yeast.. just look at DuClaw’s Colossus, Sam Adam’s Utopia, and BrewDog’s Tactical Nuclear Penguin). It is brewed on one special day in Austria, December 6th, lagered for 10 months, bottled, and then shipped out to you. I happened to see a 4-pack at the Wine Source, and quickly scooped it up for a holiday/winter review!
With a beer that is 14% abv, it’s good to keep in mind what you’re getting into. Only a nice, hardy glass mug would do for a beer this potent! The beer pours a beautifully clear amber/burnished copper/reddish color with about 1 finger of light tan head that quickly recedes. It has a bursting aroma of malt(s), burnt and caramelized sugars with alcohol mixed in. The taste is close to how it smells, but amazingly the higher alcohol aroma does not translate to alcohol flavor! There is a nutty, malty, caramel sweet flavor that is delicious, and the beer really drinks easy… almost too easy for something at 14%abv. If you’re looking for a beer that will keep you warm this winter (or during the current ‘blizzard’ that is hitting Baltimore!) this will hit the spot! Or, for those of stronger willpower, save this beer. Store it away for a few years and open it, say, 5 years in the future for your favorite winter holiday. This is a beer that will age well, developing darker fruits/sherry qualties and will lose some of the heat of the alcohol from the nose. Or, if you have extras, cook with it. This beer would go great with baked goods, giving them a buttered rum/brown sugar type of flavor. 3.4/5, 14%abv
This seems like nice one! I can only compare to one beer I had a year ago and still think of as one of the best strong lagers. Here’s the beer: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/schorschbrau-schorschbock-16/87119/33607/
It’s got a sweet flavour of fruit and caramel plus that nice, burning alcohol touch at the end!
It was supposed to be the worlds strongest lager, but now I see the brewery has made an even stronger one. Either way, this one at 16% is much like the Samichlaus you review.
Anyway, I think I can get ahold of some type of Samichlaus here in Sthlm… Taking this review in makes me think it’s a beer I’d like!
Ahhh Christmas beers, the time when brewers create high alcohol beverages to let us deal with the stress of the holidays! This beer looks good, I’ll keep an eye out for it!
And if you do see the Samichalus, which I bet you can find, just be prepared for a malt bomb. As long as you’ve prepared yourself in advance, you can enjoy the beer. Also, treat it as a sipping beer… just for your own safety!
Got ya! I went down to the store today, but that was just sheer stupidity; everyone, I mean everyone, in my neighbourhood were there. So I left without the beer.
Anyway, I have to tell you about the beer I had this monday! “Pannepot Grand Reserva”, vintage ale bottled in 2005! Usually it costs like $50 per 33 cl bottle, but the pub had a special offer for this one so I got it for half that price.
I’d already tried the “2006″ and I really liked it, so naturally I leaped at the opportunity to try the “2005″.
It had a sweet, strong alcolic aroma along with something I’d say is butter toffee (if there’s anything like it in US)… The flavour had the same sweetness to it plus some dark fruits probably adding some sweet of its own. On top of that there was a hint of coffee and a bit of roasted malt!
Here’s a link to one of the best beers I’ve ever tried: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/struise-pannepot-grand-reserva-oak-aged/83305/
Merry Christmas and happy holidays!
Wow, 100th percentile! If I see it, I’m certainly going to give that beer a shot! I just picked up a few interesting beers from the store
Ommegang- adoration (Belgian styled ale… lots of spices!)
RJ Rocker – Black Perle (dark IPA)
The Bruery – Rugbrod – belgian style dark rye ale
The Bruery – Black Orchard – Belgian beer with oats, wheat and oats
Another ’2 turtle doves’… either for this holiday or to cellar for a while!
what is this ‘pub’ you go to that has these excellent beers available? It sounds like the place to be in Stolkholm!
Have a great Christmas, and thanks for all the comments on the site, it’s great to have someone to correspond with about beer!
Those seem nice! I haven’t heard much about Ommegang before but if I find any beer from them I’ll try it! The time is 07:34 AM here and I’m going to NYC in a couple of hours, I guess I have a good chance of finding it there!
The pub is Monk’s Café, a restaurant with a thing for beer. http://www.monkscafe.se I don’t know if you can get much out of their website but there it is anyway… Their basic idea is to provide the diners with food and beer of any kind to go with it. I think they have some 1400 different beers at the moment.
The pleasure is all mine, I don’t have that many friends with a passion for beer equal to mine!
Looks like a cool place! I hope you enjoy NYC, you’ll be surrounded by plenty of places to try some great American beers.
Have a great New Years Celebration!
[...] food, wine, beer, culture » Holiday Beer of the Day: Samichlaus … Posted in Beer Lager | Tags: Pyra, Samichlaus [...]