Castle Eggenberg

Beer has been brewed at Eggenberg Castle since the 14th century. Commercial brewing at its location began in 1681 when Michael Weismann purchased the property from the Monastery of Kremsmünster. It has been owned by the Forstinger-Stöhr family since 1803.

Brewers of one of the strongest lagers in the world, Samichlaus (Santa Claus in Swiss German) sits with a hefty abv of 14%. It was originally brewed by the Hürlimann Breweryin 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. 

Eggenberg also produce the Schloss Eggenberg Hopfen Konig Pilsener, a true Austrian delight.