UPDATED: JAN 6, 2022 Red orange with a medium sized foamy head. strong sweet caramel, honey, malt, dark fruit and golden fruit. Exceptionally long finish. Full bodied.

UPDATED: JAN 3, 2022 3rd January 2022
Can. 2020 version - 13.5%. Clear darkish amber beer, decent bubbly tan head but it's gone in a few seconds. Palate is surprisingly light, mildly dry and has decent fine carbonation. Sweet rich malts, creamy sweetness with plenty of caramel and toffee. Some spice in the mid along with a drop of sherry, whisper of very smooth brandy. Smooth ripe fruits on the finish along with smooth ripe citric peel. Finishes softish and warming. Very nice. Tastes much more like a good barleywine than a dopplebock. Very drinkable for the abv.

UPDATED: DEC 28, 2021 Wee can from Johns. Pours a copper hue, almost no head. A huge malty nose. Slick palate, caramel, toffee, some heat, dark brown sugar. This is very close to the classic Samichlaus. Very good.

UPDATED: AUG 28, 2021 2020 Brown color with minimal off white head that left no lacing on the glass. Caramel, brown sugar, nuts, raisins, roast, and strong booze. Needs to sit a while.

UPDATED: AUG 13, 2021 Can at London Craft Beer Festival. I won’t lie; that smells like pure gasoline. It works, but you can really smell the booze. Thick and sweet.

UPDATED: MAY 1, 2021 250 ml. bb Aug 17/2023. Mahogany brew has a lasting film of creamy bubbles. Nose has raisin, plum, sherry, earthy wood and a hint of soy sauce. Tastes of the same mix. Medium-plus mouthfeel with low-medium fizz. Pretty drinkable balance and only a nice chest warming from the abv for such a big beer.

UPDATED: FEB 26, 2021 2018 12 oz. bottle says 12.4%. The aroma is a light caramel and scotch. Pours a dark copper-brown with light tan head mostly diminishing. The taste is a medium sweet. The body is full, the texture creamy, the carbonation average and the finish long. Surprised at the sweetness.

UPDATED: JAN 9, 2021 8.45 can. Beautiful mahogany color with light head. Aroma is wonderful sweet malt and a touch of alcohol. Smooth, sweet and satisfying. A fitting tribute to one of the world's great beers.

UPDATED: DEC 25, 2020 8.5 oz can from Root Cellar. Pours a clear dark amber color with a small beige head. The aroma and flavor have loads of sweet malts, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, big fruit character, dates, figs, plums, light herbal, viscous syrupy mouthfeel, it dies a good job of living up to the beer that inspired it.

UPDATED: DEC 21, 2020 12 oz. bottle from D's Bottle Shop, Raleigh, NC (2019 bottle listed at 14.1% ABV). Dark reddish-brown pour with a short off-white head. Aroma of citrus and floral hops, toffee, and brown sugar. Taste is sweet with cherry juice, brown sugar, and faint chocolate. Rich mouthfeel, some might say syrupy, with a boozy punch. A nicely done beer! (It has been almost 8 years since I last reviewed Samichlaus, the obvious inspiration for this beer, and my recollection is foggy of that experience to say the least. But my tasting notes are similar even though I am giving this a higher rating. That's possibly because this one has aged for one year, because my palate has changed, because this version is better, or some combination of these factors.)