“The World’s Most Extraordinary Beverage” is the boast on the label. I’d have to agree with the boast. A friend and fellow beer lover first alerted me to [tag]Samichlaus Bier[/tag] in December 2006. Not only is it an extraordinary beer, it’s an extremely rare beer.
Brewed only once a year on December 6th, [tag]Samichlaus[/tag] is aged for a whole 10 months before bottling and may be aged for many years to come. Older vintages become more complex with a creamy warming finish.
Now brewed at the [tag]Castle Brewery[/tag] in [tag]Eggenberg[/tag] Austria, Samichlaus (pronounced Sammy-Claws), has an alcohol volume of 14%. No wonder it was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the “[tag]World’s Strongest Beer[/tag]“.
The beer is delivered in a tall neck brown bottle sealed with a crown cap and silver foil. “Schloss Eggenberg” is embossed into the glass. It’s certainly not an everyday beer. In fact I’ve only had one bottle in the 3 months since I bought them (”them” being a rather expensive four-pack!) – that one was a celebratory drink after the Shamrock Marathon in March. Samichlaus is syrupy, smooth, creamy and slick on the tongue – certainly an acquired taste. Can’t wait for the next special occasion to enjoy number 2….
Update (3/18/08): hillside cannibals free banana joe dvdrip download
Following several emails and a couple of comments regarding the “probably the strongest beer in the world” title, I thought I’d provide this link to a beer page on good old Wikipedia.
According to them, it looks like the beer that is considered to be the strongest ever made is Hair of the Dog’s “Dave” – a 29% abv barley wine made in 1994. The strength was achieved by freeze distilling a 10% ale twice. Unless you know different of course…
Oh yeah, the article also states
Samichlaus, by the Swiss brewer Hürlimann, had also been listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the strongest at 14% abv.
Whatever you’re drinking…enjoy!
cost??? where to buy??? this sounds great… but does the alcohol overpower the other tastes?
Comment by Mr_O — March 18, 2008 @ 9:16 am
One of my friends managed to get his hands on a four pack last year. Not sure of his source though I’m afraid. Cost was $20.00 for the pack…
Just did a quick Google and found this:
http://www.internetwines.com/rws28827.html
The alcohol certainly doesn’t overpower the other tastes. It’s quite sweet and has a very complex taste. They say Samichlaus reaches it’s peak after 4 or 5 years, so I guess I should hang on a while longer until I drink another?
Thanks for the comment,
–Steve
Comment by Steve Speirs — March 18, 2008 @ 9:24 am
Sounds wonderful. I’d love to try some sometime.
As far as being the strongest beer in the world, it’s way off. Sam Adams Utopias weighs in at 26% ABV. They also produced a beer called Triple Bock that was 18% (I had a bottle brewed in 1997 and it was delicious, although it definitely needed to be shared – the 8.5oz bottle is a bit much for one person due to the intense flavor). Lastly Avery Brewing Co. produces at least two beers that I know of that are about 14.5% ABV.
Comment by Tim — March 18, 2008 @ 9:32 am
Thanks for the comment Tim. You’re correct of course – I just received an email with a link to Sam Adams Utopia which is unbelievably strong!
Comment by Steve Speirs — March 18, 2008 @ 9:37 am
Dogfish Head also has a 120 Minute IPA which weighs in at 21% ABV.
Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogfish_Head_Brewery
Comment by Austin — March 18, 2008 @ 4:50 pm
Dogfish Head is a couple dozen miles south of where I live.. the pianist for my band actually lives directly in front of the brewery. That 120 IPA is horrendous in flavor but will knock you on your bum, for sure!
Comment by Matt — March 18, 2008 @ 6:38 pm
This is an incredible “beer.” There are several breweries which produce several styles of “beer” in this or higher ABV ranges as already noted. I say “beer” because this is nothing in taste, style or feel like any traditional brew. I’ve had several myself–in fact I have 3 2005 and 3 2006 ageing right now. BTW around Christmas (duh) you can find them at Beverages & More or Cost Plus in So. Calif.
The taste is much more like a sherry or tawny port than a regular beer and should be enjoyed as such: Start it off well chilled and let it warm in the glass, sip over a couple of hours as it warms. The experience is worth the wait. If you’re familiar with brandywines and double/tripple bock styles (I agree with TIm, the Sam Adams T. B. is incredi as well) they will be a good intro to this one. See if you can still find some on the shelves or wait for Santa to put one in your stocking.
Comment by Brent — March 18, 2008 @ 10:50 pm
Great advice – thanks Brent!
Comment by Steve Speirs — March 19, 2008 @ 4:36 am
sam adam’s utopias is a pretty strong beer as well, at 25.6% for the one they brewed in 2007
Comment by doug m — April 3, 2008 @ 5:34 pm
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Pingback by The Strongest Beer in the World « — April 4, 2008 @ 2:28 am
I live in New Jersey. Where can I find Samichlaus? I can’t afford to buy it online and pay $15 to $20 in shipping fees for four bottles of beer!
Comment by Dawn — October 22, 2008 @ 7:54 pm
Not sure Dawn. Do you have a Total Wine near you? I’m in Virginia – there are a couple of stores that sell it locally.
Comment by Steve Speirs — October 22, 2008 @ 7:58 pm
Just checked and there are total Wine Superstores in Jersey. I’ll check them out. Thanks.
Comment by Dawn — October 23, 2008 @ 2:59 pm
Excellent! Good luck
Comment by Steve Speirs — October 23, 2008 @ 3:00 pm
I just bought this beer at Rochester, NY in the Beers of the World store… each bottle cost over 5 dollars.
Comment by Kyle — November 21, 2008 @ 12:01 am
Hey Kyle
$3.99 here in Virginia Beach at the moment. Have you tried one yet??
Comment by Steve Speirs — November 21, 2008 @ 5:52 am
$5.99/12oz. at BevMo here in San Jose, CA for the 2007. Too thirsty and curious to let this sit. Much like EKU 28, there is no need to tax more than one of these in a night. Lovely stuff. And all shall sleep well through the cold night!
Comment by Chris — December 14, 2008 @ 12:36 am
I just had this one, kind of reminds me of Dogfishhads raison beer
Comment by Bao — January 10, 2009 @ 3:48 pm
I found 2 of these in the euro basket in my local off licence in Castle Bar, Mayo, Ireland. I have to say that they weren’t for me, tasted like a mix between beer and port which is not a nice combination. Something to note was that the bottle was different still brewed on the same day for the same length of time and same strength but said it was limited to 200 bottles a year. I was under the impression it was called Santichlaus (which seemed appropriate for the time of year it was brewed) not Samichlaus. But given the date of brew and length of time, percentage and description on the bottle (2nd paragraph) I’m pretty sure it was the same beer. Either that or Samichlaus is the more freely available version of Santichlaus done by the same brewers….
Comment by Josh Fairhead — January 11, 2009 @ 12:20 pm