one of the leftovers of the first strong beers session was a bottle of brauerei schloss eggenberg’s samicalus bier that CB brought over.  after he told me it was one of his favorites, I had to give it a try.

• samiclaus is very potent, clocking in at 14% abv.  I read somewhere that it held a guinness record for strongest lager (although, with all the freak beers out there these days, it’s hard to believe that record still stands).
• beeradvocate classifies it as a dopplebock, but in my opinion, this type of alcohol puts the brew in the general (belgian-inspired) category of  “strong beer.”
• the beer is brewed one day a year (12/6), and there are even events out there to celebrate it.
• even after a cold pour, a slight alcohol note was present in the glass.  the beer had a sweet malt back that was smooth with a slightly estery finish.
• after drinking about a quarter of the glass, I could see how this bad boy could have caused a lot of headaches.  the alcohol isn’t totally up-front, but it isn’t hidden either – it’s just teetering on the precipice.
• in the future, I would readily split a bottle of this with 3 or more friends, or grab one to hold on to for at least 5 years, since, according to the brewer, “older vintages obtain a complexity and receive their creamy warm aftertaste.”