Pours medium gold, very clear, and with a medium but quickly fading head. Aroma is almost pure malt, very little hops, but some. Alcohol does come through, although very cleanly, in the aroma. Palate is full, and appropriate. Flavor is a wonderful malty, alcoholic and very clean beer. Uber-maibock anyone?

Packs a powerful punch that does let go. The first sip hits you hard with with dark caramel malts. The nose and aroma will knock anything back. The only downside is a slight corn after taste. Get this, try it.

Pours just like any other helles - pale golden color, thin white head, and you can see through it quite well. Nose is a little tepid. Some honey & sweetbread aromas. Palate packs a whopper malt character with honey-like sweetness, alcohol punch to your face, and a syrupy thick mouthfeel. It’s not almost syrupy, it is syrupy. This could be served on buttermilk pancakes if desired. Finish is warming with plenty of alcohol presence.

12oz btl from fourwinds int, pensacola..beautiful pour with very thin head. abv hidden nicey...very complex....good brew

Red label Samichlaus Helles was picked up in a 12 oz., brown bottle, and poured into a goblet. The beer came out fizzy and developed almost no head, but the body was a crystal clear, pale gold. The smell was quite an fruity and alcoholic treat. Lots of pears, apples, and grapes on the nose, soaked in cognac. The taste was warm, sweet, and ... well it was hard to get past the sweet. The spices (anise and pepper), vanilla, and fruits were all drizzled in lots of powdered sugar. Some might find this level of sweetness cloying, but I found the strong countering by the drying alcohol a sufficiently palatable combination. As I got further along, some hop bitterness showed up as well. Very richly textured, and oh so warming. Some might consider this a good fireside sipper, but I’d be beware of igniting the vapors. Fits all the classic definitions of a cellarable a beer, and I sure will be stashing away some for a decade or more to get it to peak.