Samichlaus Bier brewed by Brauerei Schloss Eggenberg - Austria

Samichlaus was once the strongest lager beer  in the world, at 14% alcohol by volume. The name means Santa Claus in Swiss German. It was originally brewed by the Hürlimann Brewery in Zürich, Switzerland. Hürlimann's founder Albert Hürlimann was a world leader in the scientific study of yeast, and the brewery has a long history of yeast development. The Samichlaus Christmas beer was first brewed in 1979 for sale in 1980. Production continued annually until 1997, when the brewery closed. In 2000, it returned, this time produced by Schloss Eggenberg in collaboration with the original Hürlimann brewers, using the original Hürlimann Samichlaus recipe. The beer is only brewed once a year, on December 6 (which is the day of Saint Nicholas), which makes it a relatively rare brew. It is in the style of a Bavarian Doppelbock, and undergoes unusually long fermentation by traditional cold lagering over a ten month period, leaving very little residual sugar in the final beer.
 

       
Beer Review by Beer Advocate:
Appearance- The beer pours a very light gold. It is a little weird to see a doppelbock pour so light! The body settles in at a dark copper / light amber. The head is a bright white, but the soapy foam is barely a pencil-width.

Smell- This nose is very balanced between the fruity raisin and apple notes and the slightly spicy and herbal notes. The mesh works extremely well, giving it just enough raisin for a dopplebock.

Taste- There is much more booze present on the palate. It is more of a brandy, but that is probably due to the fruitiness inherent in doppelbocks.

I will say, this just oozes raisin and apple. Although it is just as herbal and sort of peppery. A really nice balance is struck , making a fantastic drink.

Mouth feel- A big medium body that is incredibly creamy. There is a decent amount of coating, and for such a high alcohol content, it goes down very well.

Overall- This doppelbock is quite wonderful. The smell and taste strike a wonderful balance between spices and ester, raisin notes. The mouth feel is also fantastic. If ever in the mood for a higher alcohol sipper, you could hardly do better.