Dogfish Head Chateau Jiahu

Poured out, it produced a very nice, clear, golden color. It actually looked a lot like sparkling apple juice. It had a very full head when I poured out it but it fell quickly. It produced a constant fizz as well. It smelled a lot of grapes - almost wine-like in scent. There was a dash of hops in there, but not too much. Otherwise, this had a very neutral, almost lacking, scent. It tasted quite bitter - almost dry. Along the dry lines, I noted that it tasted a lot like a dry, white wine. There was also a slightly alcoholic taste at the end, but not a whole lot in the lines of beer flavors. The texture was a lot like wine. Smooth but a little watery. The only reason it was smooth was because it had little-to-no body and there was nothing to get in the way.

Yellow/golden color with a big white frothy head that quickly fades into nothing. This beer reminds me greatly of sparkling cider when the head dissapears. It is also highly carbonated. The aroma does not have much going on and the only things that I can pick out are white grapes. I can really tell that this is an acient brew once I taste it, it tastes almost nothing like beers that we know and love today. There is an inital alcohol kick and then the taste moves to a wine-like-flavor.

Pours a medium-dark straw color. Very light white head that dissipates quickly. Aroma smells strongly of grapes, raisins, and honey. The flavor is similar to the aroma with prominent grapes and raisins with a very long finish of clean malt. This is a very different, very fantastic beer!

Bottle. Pours a hazy light amber color with a moderate, white head that dissipates very quickly. Lacing is moderate. Aromas of grapes, honey, slight malts, and raisins. Mouthfeel is very smooth, with an almost flat wine-like feel before ending in a creamy and slick finish. Flavors of grapes and raisins abound, with hints of honey and a nice light malt finish. Great beer that was aged since it’s birth and worth the wait!

Bottle. amber-gold appearance with medium head... aroma of alcohol and fruits... flavor is very sweet, great deal of honey it seems... fruity notes with a warming alcohol power... very well balanced... some say it’s too sweet, but I liked it more for that reason

Bottle. Pours a hazy gold with a medium sized white head. Sweet, almost metallic grapes, light wine, oxidized cardboard. Medium bodied, sweet. Really sweet. Honey, a little bit of spice. Finishes up with some slight booze. Overall just way too sweet.

Thanks to alaskanwarren for the bottle. Golden-orange pour. Smells like sweet honeydew melon, no hop aroma, but inviting. Flavor starts with melon and peaches, fading into lingering meady notes with a touch of bitter hop. Interesting stuff. I’m not sure what hawthorn smells like, and I’m not really picking up any jasmine (I’m a big fan of jasmine tea). The malt adds body, but is mostly in the background.

Draft at redlight redlight. The story about and the history behind this beer is in my opinion the most interesting thing about it. The overwelming fruit flavors dominate all else and keep it from being very complex. A slight hop in the finish and the high alcohol notes redeem it but not quite enough. Bravo to Dogfish Head for trying these kinds of things, but this one isn’t my favorite.