Dogfish Head Chateau Jiahu

Brewed by Dogfish Head Brewery
Style: Traditional Ale
Milton, Delaware USA

From a bottle poured light amber color with a fair amount of head. Kind of a sweet flavor with a quick finish.

First: Big kudos for "archaeological brewing". Archaeometry and archaeobotany have finally helped us on a practical level. Second: Fruity like apricots (or I guess hawthorn fruit probably), with clove and giner spiciness. Alcohol is up front, but works with the spiciness, although gives the brew an odd tinge in the finish. Aftertaste of sweet syrup, nectar, and... mouthwash?

Straight amber in color with a small white head that is mostly diminishing down to a thin ring. Aroma is sugary sweet - honey abounds - with an underlying sweet herbaliness and lilac (perhaps the Hawthorn fruit, but not knowing what that smells like, I am just guessing). Aroma has a delicate pepperiness, light ginger or radishes come to mind. Rather malty flavor, alcohol is prevalent but not abrasive, and honey lends a clean, sugary sweetness. Finish is cleansing, herbal and effervescent - reminds me slightly of eucalyptus. Carbonation level is a bit higher than I prefer - I think if this were a bit flatter, it would work better. Overall, a very interesting beer - if this is what they were drinking back in 7000 B.C., our ancient friends didn’t have it half bad.

Pours a cloudy golden color, and a mild fruity aroma. Tastes a sweet fruity flavor but a bit of dull sourness at the end. Complex flavors, a bit hard to describe.

Golden yellow color. Aroma of honey, apricots, minerals. Vinous qualities in the taste with a predominance of honey. Finishes sweet.

Tasting #1. 750ml bottle. Pours a hazy, deep gold with orange and caramel-color highlights. The head is nearly white and consists of very fine bubbles, but it is shortly lived and leaves no lace on the glass. The aroma is a mix of wheat malt and acidic white wine. There is a slight fruity, acetic note - like perry vinegar that strengthens the white wine notes and gives a slight bite to the nose. There is also a slight perfume/flower scent. The flavor starts sweet and floral with notes of muscat grapes and honey. There is a nice residual sweetness and a character of wheat, too. By mid-palate the sweetness and wheat flavors grow, replacing some of the acidity and grape with flavors reminiscent of apples. The finish is slightly dry with a hint of balancing bitterness that is slightly reminiscent of leafy greens (but not really - it’s hard to describe). The bitterness I presume is from the hawthorn fruit. The flavor of alcohol is well hidden and hard to detect (perhaps that is the real source of bitterness in the finish). The mouthfeel is minimally carbonated and full in body. Overall, a very interesting drink - very nice. Score: 6,4,8,4,16 - Total: 3.8. Tasting #2 - same appearance. The aroma is much sweeter than I remember from taste #1. It is sweet with subtle honey, sweet white grapes, and some malt sweetness (perhaps a touch of caramel). The flavor has a slight medicinal character and is quite sweet. There is a definite honey and white grape character throughout. At mid-palate, there is a subtle acidity. As the brew warms, there are very subtle cocoa and caramel malt notes towards mid-palate accompanied by persistent fruitiness (definitely apple/pear, touch of banana maybe, and some white grapes). Finish is somewhat dry and fruity - alcohol is exceptionally well-hidden. Mouthfeel is very full and less carbonated than expected. Overall, good, but a little too sweet and without the exotic character I was expecting from the description. Score: 5, 4, 6, 4, 14 - Total: 3.3. Average score from both tastings: 5.5, 4, 7, 4, 15 - Total: 3.55

This beer is very interesting in flavor and I love it.I like the wine flavor along with the honey. If it wasnt $9 a duece id drink alot more of it. Good beer isnt cheap though and Dogfishhead brewers are geniuses anyway for creating the 90 min I.P.A. one of the best I.P.A.’s out there. Chateau is good stuff though real good for special occasions.

Pours a completely headless pale pinkish-orange. Totally weird nose, very musty and cloyingly sweet, somewhat grapey but also a bit like melted plastic. Starts out tart and spritzy before heading towards spiced mead territory before finishing like a sweeter chardonnay. I appreciate what Dogfish Head are going for here, but I definitely didn’t find this one too palatable.