Samichlaus Classic Doppelbock by Schloss Eggenberg – Awesome Beer

Samichlaus Classic Doppelbock by Schloss Eggenberg is Austrian for: massive smash you in the face beer.

It is also a not so subtle reminder that while we brew some awesome beers here, the Europeans have over a thousand years more experience than we do, and when they do it right, they really do it right.

I’ll let the guys from BeerJerk NZ tell the story of this beer, as they do it better than I can:

Back in the 1970’s, the Hürlimann Brewery had a way with yeast. In fact, 5 generations of Hürlimann brewers had passed down knowledge, with Albert Hürlimann becoming a world leader in the scientific study of yeast. In 1979, Samichlaus was brewed with a strain of yeast designed to ferment at higher alcohol levels. The beer became the strongest in the world and caused quite a stir in the beer community. This was a time before Brew Dog started cheating by freeze distilling beers to increase strength. In 1997 the brewery closed its doors after 161 years in business. Fortunately for us, in 2000 Austrian brewery Schloss Eggenberg teamed up with the original Hürlimann brewers (and their special yeast strain) to revive the unique lager beer Samichlaus. Schloss Eggenberg is an actual castle and the oldest family owned brewery in Austria. Beer has been brewed there since at least 999 A.D and commercially since 1681.

Believe it or not, this a lager. But it’s a lager in the same sense that a Pagani Zonda is a commuter car, or a howitzer is just a gun.
To start with it’s 14% ABV, yes that is 3 times your average lager. It is also stored (lagered) for 10 months before release, and continues to mature in the bottle. This particular example was bottled in 2014, making it 2 years, 3 months and 18 days old. Trying drinking your average beer after that amount of time in the bottle and it will taste like rotten hay.

Samichlaus however tastes amazing. It is a sipping beer, something to be enjoyed gradually over a period of time. Like a fine cigar, or a good bottle of whiskey it should take several hours to consume and imbibe properly.

It is strong, very strong but, complexly and intriguingly so. Each sip is a little different, each time you return to the glass you discover a new flavour. There are rich sweet tones, stone fruit, prunes and plums with malty notes of caramel and toffee. Layers of chocolate mix with different fortified wine tones, one sip can remind you of a great port, while another will reveal hints of sherry.
But the layers of sweet are cut with lots of balancing bitter and sour notes. There is grapefruit in the after taste, rich pine and hints of smoke come after the first contact with your tongue, mixed with layers of flavour that remind you of highland whiskey aged in oak.

This beer is deep and complex, something to dive into and explore and enjoy. It’s also something very special, if you truly like beer, real beer that is, then grab one of these if you are lucky enough to see it. It won’t be cheap, but it will be worth it.

If you are looking for something local that comes close, then Epics The Observer is a similar style, deep rich and complex. But it lacks some of the refinement and depth of the Samichlaus. But then I’m sure it won’t take Kiwi brewers a 1000 years to get this good.

-Moppie

 

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