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.

 

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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 - #296 - Eagle vs Dog - Episode 3 Hitch-Hikers Guide Don’t Panic

Yes indeed. Eagle vs Dog Episode 3 Hitch-Hikers Guide Don’t Panic - an Imperial Wheat

From the Golden Eagle Brewery and brewed at Raindogs Brewing Co this one in the Style of a : Doppelbock and that's the go in Christchurch, New Zealand

Episode one being the Pilsner and Episode two being The Pan Galactic Gargle blaster which I drank ages ago and rated a 9.

A 500ml bottle this, and it's at 7.5% ABV making it 2.95 standard drink units, around 250 calories. I have high hopes.

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"It's the first helpful or intelligible thing anybody's said to me all day."
If only this beer could be that simple. Complex clove and banana characters from a German yeast, plenty of malted wheat for a full body and flavour, and to top it off we over did it with the late and dry hopping.
IPA meets Hefeweizen sums it up. Apparently just the thing to help recover from a brain explosion after a third puff on a Fallian albino marsh worm

Which is all confusing and that.  Don't Panic is a common name or a beer, because I do research :-) Thais as far as I got, I have not idea if the others are part of a series like this one. I prefer direct plagiarism.

After a few heavier coffee oriented beers, this is real zesty and fruity on opening, really summer like,  you'd be a clown not to pick this as wheat based, and although I am a clown not this time.

This is a blindingly  good beer. There is a lots of summer, there is lots of lemons, orange zest, there is that lovely yeasty thing going on, it looks fantastic orange and has  a fluffy head that shouts of fun.

This is to summarise, just a bit good.

I know there are people that don't like the wheat beer, but they are so missing out on beer that has as a an integral part of their delivery flavour and refreezing things. You may not want a beer that is all about sherbet and Zing and Zang, but unless you're stuck in some bizarre OCD place you have to try to challenge yourself. This beer isn't a challenge, it's so different from a coffee vanilla porter as you can imagine, but I love to jump from one to the other,

This is, then, according to the the pdubyah-o-meter- a cracking 9 and bit's worth on the scale of things. It's not perfect. It's a bit 'dense' to look at as if its cloudy when it it isn't. The sharp notes don't quote reach their promise, but this pours great, looks great and drinks great. A few things to tweak and this would be stunning.

It's lovely and full in the mouth, a full-ish mouthfeel, the aroma stays and carries and you get delivered a lovely orange zestiness that isn't sharp or unwanted and just sits well.

This is nice. Very nice.

The Music this time : Bettye Swan because you need Soul.  Because also it's a bit good, and because MrsPdubyah thinks I'm pretty clever in picking music, it's all bluff.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pOkpwgOOiI&w=420&h=315]

DOPPELBOCK

Doppel means double and while these are stronger brews than the traditional German bocks, they are typically not twice the strength. Color is light amber to dark brown. Very full body with a high alcoholic flavor. Low hop flavor and aroma.

Beer- #109 - Dale’s - Dopplebock

Dale’s Dopplebock brewed by the Dale’s Brewing Co. in the style of a  Doppelbock, in Nelson, New Zealand, where it all appears to be happening.

In accordance with the style’s Teutonic heritage Dale’s Dopplebock is crafted with six German malts enjoys an extended cool fermentation with a classic German lager yeast. Full bodied, sweetish and lusciously malty, the resulting chestnut coloured beer combines toffee, caramel and bready notes with an edge of citrusy tartness from the hops. Soothing and warming, it’s the perfect brew to sip slowly in front of an open fire on a cold winter’s night.

Which is problematic as it's a summer  evening, but I'm not one for protocol, I'm not even going to drink this from a Stein.

Well it is dark chestnut beer, 7.5% ABV in a 500ml bottle (that's 3 standard drink units), with pleasant deep aromas of a more burnt malt, the head came and went, and with little apparent carbonation this just sits brooding in the glass. There is also a sour in the aroma, I'm not sure I've even come across that before, or if I'm being picky.

The taste is pretending to be a big "boom" there is a first flush that promises a lot but it hasn't a lot of length.  Then there is a sweetness, but also a top note of something less pleasing lingering. What I was expecting and I'm not getting is the Alcohol astringent that you could probably expect.

It sounds like I'm bagging on this a bit, but I'm not, it's actually not that bad a beer, and it could stand a match of some strong cheese, or meat as an accomplice. But as sipping beer I don't think I could set by a whole session for just this.

The aroma is bigger than the taste, the taste is a little confused, but I'm still impressed, as mad as that sounds. The pdubyah-o-meter gives it 7 things, making it a passable beer. I'm prepared to admit it might be off base for me.

A muddled thing but then it might be a winter beer and it is a summer evening. I'll survive this and not be upset that there is only one to drink and I'm not making it a big night in.

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• Beer - #92 - Dale's - American Amber Ale (pdubyah.com)

Beer – #25 in a series – "The Doctor" is in the house

Tonight for my delectation I have from The Sawmill Brewing company Leigh, procured me "the Doctor", a Dopplebock.

I looked it up, as I do, on the interwebtubes and they say

THE ‘DOCTOR’
A complex blend of four malts combined with a duo of traditional hop varieties. Rich, warm roasted caramel and toffee notes with a lasting finish and smooth mouth feel. For serious lovers of fine ales. ‘Strong, dark and handsome’. 6.5% alcohol by volume.

I love it when they talk it up. Stephen Bier Liked them and that's all I could find on the interwebtubes, I didn't really try that hard though, it has a name that'll pop up all sorts of weirdness, try it you'll see

So... It's 500ml of a 6.5% ABV beer and they present it in a swing top bottle, so it's looks fantastic, the white label, and the sticker over the swing, all little things that make you go mmm.

Before I even open it I'm worried now that I paid for design over substance, it's not often you'll get a small independent doing something a little odd.


Well Lordy! for dark beer this was dark!

It pours nice (technical term) and has a nice head. And it has a pleasing malt taste, with just enough edge to remind you that it's a beer from the strong end of the shelf. Very nice. And it sits well in the glass after a couple tastes. And (enthusiastic like) it's not a fizzy beer. You'll know what I mean if you know what I mean.

It is a beer that deserves to be with food however, but I'm not so sure it's a match for the prawn curry MrsPdubyah has in mind.

For me then this has then got some substance to back up it's style, and I'm glad I made a difficult choice today from the beer shelf at the Liquorland on Forrest Hill Rd.

And so onto the arbitrary Pdubyah-o-meter for some arbitrary points. This is a nice beer, with a nice taste and nice color, in a nice bottle with tiny writing that my old man eyes can't read, and it's a hit at 8 out of 10 arbitrary things out of 10. So there. Best beer for a while and I've had some corkers.

p.s. I lied about the old man eyes, I've got perfect fuzzy vision.
p.p.s. Didn't spill beer on the keyboard again, that's like 3 in a row now.