An exceedingly strong
lager beer, probably the strongest and densest in the world, brewed only on
December 6, the Feast of
St. Nicholas, and released the following year around the same time. It is a dark red-brown color, almost black. Its viscosity is close to that of
cough syrup.
The one time I tried Samichlaus (
1994) it was after my brother ordered a case at the suggestion of a liquor store owner. I had to stop after three sips. Perhaps the weighty stuff didn't have an easy trip across the Atlantic. Nevertheless, it made for years of "Santy Claus Beer" jokes between my brother and me.
Zürich,
Switzerland's
Hürlimann Brewery once produced Samichlaus along with its low-alcohol
Birell beer. Low sales caused Hürlimann close its Zürich brewery in
1997, and production of Samichlaus stopped. When word of Samichalus's demise leaked out via the beer news web site
Breworld, it caused an uproar.
In
1999, Hürlimann granted the Austrian brewer
Eggenberg the exclusive right to produce Samichlaus, and its fans were overjoyed to see its release in late
2000.
(Hürlimann was bought out by Carlsberg Brewery in 2000, but Eggenberg is still the sole manufacturer of Samichlaus).
http://www.ratebeer.com/Story.asp?StoryID=16
http://www.realbeer.com/spotlight/tastes/samichlaus2000.html