Samichlaus Bier 2003
I just had the most delightful beer! I'm not very experienced at writing beer reviews but I paid very close attention to this wonderful and complex beer and will do the best I can to describe my experience using my fairly unrefined pallet.
Name: Samichlaus Bier
Origin: Austria
Style: Dopplebock
ABV: 14% (!!!)
Apparently you can let this one age for several years and it gains complexity but my particular beer was brewed in 2003 and I couldn't wait anymore so I just drank it! The beer poured a clear, very dark redish-brown color with no real head or lacing to speak of. The smell of roasted malt was clear immediately after pouring. It also smelled of molasses and caramel, raisins, something nutty, some coffee, and plenty of alcohol. The flavor was very similar to the nose, except the alcohol wasn't as overbearing as the smell and ABV would have suggested and the malt, raisins, and dark fruits really stood out. Also, the generic nutty taste revealed itself to be what seemed like almonds and walnuts. There was a bit of a soy sauce type taste, but not in a bad way. The mouthfeel was thick and oily with a pretty small amount of carbonation. It stuck around in my mouth for quite some time where the molasses, coffe, nuts, and mildly bitter flavor lingered. There was also a quality to the finish that reminded me of some cream sherry that i've had before. This beer was very robust, filling, complex, and really enjoyable, but I wouldn't want to drink more than one in a sitting. Just drinking this one took a very long time, but I enjoyed every sip down to the last drop. I have another bottle of this from 2004 and I think I might just store it somewhere for a few years and see what even more time does to it.
I also posted this on beers
Name: Samichlaus Bier
Origin: Austria
Style: Dopplebock
ABV: 14% (!!!)
Apparently you can let this one age for several years and it gains complexity but my particular beer was brewed in 2003 and I couldn't wait anymore so I just drank it! The beer poured a clear, very dark redish-brown color with no real head or lacing to speak of. The smell of roasted malt was clear immediately after pouring. It also smelled of molasses and caramel, raisins, something nutty, some coffee, and plenty of alcohol. The flavor was very similar to the nose, except the alcohol wasn't as overbearing as the smell and ABV would have suggested and the malt, raisins, and dark fruits really stood out. Also, the generic nutty taste revealed itself to be what seemed like almonds and walnuts. There was a bit of a soy sauce type taste, but not in a bad way. The mouthfeel was thick and oily with a pretty small amount of carbonation. It stuck around in my mouth for quite some time where the molasses, coffe, nuts, and mildly bitter flavor lingered. There was also a quality to the finish that reminded me of some cream sherry that i've had before. This beer was very robust, filling, complex, and really enjoyable, but I wouldn't want to drink more than one in a sitting. Just drinking this one took a very long time, but I enjoyed every sip down to the last drop. I have another bottle of this from 2004 and I think I might just store it somewhere for a few years and see what even more time does to it.
I also posted this on beers