The grandkids had decided long ago that Santa wasn’t real, and yet the presents from himself the once a year elf kept coming. So, they were debating whether Santa Claus was me or Grandma. Since Santa is a jolly old man with a beard, and I am a cranky old man drinking beer, they figured it must be Grandma. Although the beard part was an unresolved detail.
Christmas Day means that something special is brewing for the Cranky Old Christmas Countdown. How about the self-proclaimed strongest beer in the world! * At 14% it’s certainly the strongest one we’ve sampled to date. Austrian brewer Schloss Eggenberg’s Samichlaus is Austrian-German for Saint Nicholas. ** This barley wine is brewed once a year on December 6th (St. Nicholas day) and aged for 10 months before bottling. Let’s put it this way, this one is not a fridge stocker or a tail gate party pint.
Blackberry dark with a Rodolph red tinge to it. Not a surprise at all that it has a very strong boozy grainy sweet aroma. First sip is a very sweet dark berry flavour with a dry boozy finish. Not too boozy considering, but a very strong distinct flavouring. Sherry sweet, not a lot of beer flavour happening here. Over the top and back again. Let’s put it this way, there will be no big swig test today. I was sipping and hoping it would settle into something smoother and more accessible than a syrupy sweet blackberry sherry boozer. The high ABV is having its sway with me! I mean its way with me.
A unique brew, not for everybody, in fact it’s not for almost anybody including me. I took one for the team, although by the time I was finished (I did finish it) I wasn’t sure which team I was taking it for or why I even would.
This once a year beer turned out to be once a year too many for me.
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