Samichlaus bills itself as “The World’s Most Extraordinary Beer”. That’s a pretty big claim given the number of great beers out there today. My Brother sent me a bottle of it as part of our great Thanksgiving beer exchange (using our parents as the transport service). I finally got around to trying it to see if it lives up to the claim on the bottle:
I enjoyed my single bottle of Samichlaus. It is a HUGE beer, weighing in at 14% ABV. It’s one of the strongest beers I’ve ever had and you could tell it had a lot of alcohol both in the aroma and the taste, although it wasn’t overpowering. The beer poured a very nice extra-dark copper color with a thin head. I could see the “legs” of the beer on the sides of the glass. The overriding flavor was of dark honey, molasses, and brown sugar. There was also a bit of a Bourboun or Cognac flavor along with dark fruits. The aroma and taste were fantastic. Drinkability was OK, especially considering the high ABV. This is definitely a sipper though. It took me well over an hour to drink the bottle and even then, after a fairly big dinner, I still felt the effects a bit. Take your time with this one, or better yet, share it with a friend. In the end, Samichlaus is a great beer(and I think it will age fantastically) but I wouldn’t call it “the world’s most extraordinary”. Still, it is definitely worth trying .
Here’s the score
1. Appearance- 8 points (out of 10)
2. Smell- 9 points (out of 10)
3. Taste- 19 points (out of 20)
4. Drinkability- 8 points (out of 10)
Total 44 (out of 50) Points- 4 Mugs
ABV 14%
Approximate Calories: 340-380 (330ml)
