Beer - #414 - Schloss Eggenberg - Samichlaus Classic

A special her of sorts this one - Schloss Eggenberg Samichlaus Classic

Brewed by Brauerei Schloss Eggenberg in the style that we know as: Doppelbock and they are in Vorchdorf, Austria

A well presented 330ml bottle of beer that is a massive 14% ABV,  making it 420 calories in the bottle, and the bottle contains 3.65 standard drink units.

 

[caption id="attachment_8896" align="alignright" width="300"] Selfiness[/caption]

The once strongest beer in the world is back !

Brewed only once a year on December 6. Samichlaus is aged for 10 months before bottling.

This beer is perhaps the rarest in the world. Samichlaus may be aged for many years to come. Older vintages become more complex with a creamy warming finish. Serve with hardy robust dishes and desserts, particulary with chocolates, or as an after dinner drink by itself. Brewed under the exclusive licence of Feldschlösschen-Hürlimann-Holding, Switzerland.

So rare,  low hops, low aroma and a bus load of silly, climb in I say...

Beer - #303 - Gösser - Gösser Beer (Export)

A Can. A gift. Gösser Beer (Export). It's been sulking at the back of the fridge for ages.

Brewed by Gösser (Brau Union) in the style of a Pale Lager and I'm being all continental because they're in Leoben, Austria

A 500ml can, 5.2% ABV which is about 2.02 standard drinks,  and this is 156 calories a serve.

[caption id="attachment_6654" align="alignright" width="300"] This can has lived in the fridge an bears many battle scars from being shuffled around at the back.[/caption]

This bottom fermented, light beer tickles the palates of beer-lovers around the world. Its aroma is mildly malty and its refreshingly sharp tang derives from balanced hopping

Is how they put it.

Even paler pour than the Zipfer beer, similar head but not as persistent. Aroma is again that earthy light thing.

Head dissipates quickly though, leaving a pale beer that looks under-carbonated.

Oddly ever less taste than other beers that I've had.

Mikey clearly had some intentions when he passed this on to me to try, and dare to write about. Cheers Mike.

Couple of things that might make this better. Splash of Lime, or a splash of lemonade making it a shandy.

Really this doesn't appear to have any redeeming features at all, which is possibly its redemption. They're not a local beer to NZ, so there must be some context.

If you're hunkering down at home  for sports-a-thon or at a party where you have to take something, usually so you can drink beer that someone else brought with them, and you want something inoffensive, and that everyone would be happy to drink then this is possibly a good choice.

For someone that enjoys a beer with a flavour then this isn't it. It might be a beer that has a place, and I can imagine a number of places where this would be beer that is served to the masses (I mentioned sports, perhaps also concerts).

For quaffing this is below average, for although there isn't a leading taste or a theme there is a taste that sits in the background thats just a little harsh and annoying, making you stop to think about the taste on the back of the palate. It's pretty persistent too.

So for that the pdubyah-o-meter says 5. A polite beer to keep in the fridge perhaps, or a four or six pack to take and leave some at a party. I wouldn't do that, but if I had to I would take and drink a couple, I might not be the happiest of people at the party but at least it's going to give you a buzz.

Related articles

• Beer - #302 - Zipfer - Pils

Beer - #302 - Zipfer - Pils

Zipfer - "Ein Glas heller Freude ("A glass of delightful joy", play on words - "helle Freude" means "delightful joy", but "Helles" is also a type of beer)

Brewed by Zipfer (Brau Union) in the style of a  Pilsener and of course they're in Zipf, Austria

500ml bottle of a 5.2% ABV beer, and this is 156 calories, making it all about 2.05 standard dink units.

This was a gift from my very good friend Mike, and I've just got around to drinking it. It is a sunny Sunday and it seemed a good idea. Rugby League is playing on the goggle box and there is cricket on too, although the latter isn't going so well for New Zealand.

Zipfer Original - A glass of bright enjoyment

A beer of the highest quality with a refreshing, finely hopped flavour. The foundation of the Zipfer brewing recipe is formed by carefully selected hops from the finest garden regions, in combination with outstanding malt. The experienced touch of the master brewer and a slow maturation process then gently turn this beer into the slimline, lightly hopped Zipfer Original

I don't have a lot of hope for this, Mike handed it to me with a smirk on his face, and I accepted in the same good grace. But I can't avoid drinking it any longer. So Cheers Mike!

Light earthy aroma on opening, pours a really golden pale colour with a decent and persistent head, looks lively in the glass. Aroma is mostly the dull hops.

mm.  This is pretty tasteless to be honest. You'd probably expect some more bite from a beer, a tang, something, anything. This is almost flavoured water.

Not a totally unpleasant drink, this has a pleasant soft and foolish mouthfeel to it, and it is easy drinking, the latter mostly because it's cold and outside the sun is making it warm.

I've managed to quaff this in quick smart time, which is a good and a bad thing.

I laughed out loud, MrsPdubyah asked why, I had to explain that I have many beers that are so much worse than this. This is passable, drinkable and not un-enjoyable. It's not something I'd like a lot of though. The random pdubyah-o-meter says 6 for this. Really it's pretty in-offensive, but you'd be hard pressed to explain what it is about it you actually liked.

PILSENER

While the definition of "pilsner" is open to much debate in the beer community, it generally refers to pale, hoppy lagers, ranging from 28IBUs and up.

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