Dogfish Head Chateau Jiahu

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

I wasn’t quite sure what to make of this beer before trying it. I view most of these "ancient recipes" with skepticism (Midas Touch included), as I believe there is a reason we’re not walking around festivals drinking flat beer through a long straw from urns. Nonetheless, I was intrigued by the ingredient list and wanted to give it a try. It pours a slightly hazy lemonade color, with lots of densely packed tiny bubbles (typical evidence of secondary fermentation). Aroma is slightly sour fruit. Flavor was of white raisins, with a layer of candy sugar atop them (must be the honey?). I didn’t find this beer to be as complex as I’d hoped, and it didn’t really score huge points with me for drinkability either. Mouthfeel was quite nice. However, I would call it unique, and it definitely wasn’t bad. I guess based on the uniqueness alone, I’d weakly recommend it.

hazy orange with a small creamy white head. lighty sour fruity aroma with notes of grape, white wine, and citrus. flavor is sweet with lots of bready notes in the finish. notes of honey, rice(hint of sake sweetness), and candy sugar. similar to, but much better than, the midas touch. carbonated but somewhat creamy palate. med-full bodied.

Draft in Rehoboth DE brewpub. Poured a murky cloudy yellow with a thin head. Very fragrant with a fruity/flowery/sweet smell. Tasted fizzy like soda and very sweet....but enjoyable.. Thirstquenching and cleared the palate. Cannot taste the alcohol but you glow after a couple !

Right up the alley of the Dogfishead motto....anyway, this one is slightly above average. Worth sharing with a group of friends to see an ’earlier’ version of beer. Enjoyed fromt the 750mL offering, this one isn’t dynamic in any fashion and not worth the price. But for the Dogfish fanatic, it is worth a once over.

Tap at Blind Tiger. Hazy golden-amber color with a thin white head. Spicy and malty with a lot of sweetness. It’s one of those beers that if you spilled it on yourself you’d be super sticky and covered in bees. Too sweet I think, it cuts into the subtleties of this beer.

Tap @ Dogfish Head event, Blind Tiger, NYC. Pours an opaque golden-orange color with a slight white head. Aroma is citrus and rice with some barely-detectable spice notes as well. Taste is fruity up front, with detectable citrus, apple, and pear, and very sweet. An interesting experiment from DFH and a solid beer overall.

750ml bottle: Mine poured into the glass with a bit of fizziness, but no head to speak of and what was there was gone almost instantly. The color is a cloudy, orange hued dark golden. The aroma is nice. Hints of spices and slightly orange to the nose. Maybe pears and honey too. Somewhat sweet, with notes of pears and honey to the taste. Also some spiciness. This is really good. It is interesting that someone may have been sipping a similar concoction 9000 years ago. Another fine and creative beer from a great brewery.

Thin head which dissipates quickly. Light carbonation. Sweet honey aroma with some peaches, spices (nutmeg), and some other dried fruit. Something is really jiiving well in this aroma for me. Color is a cloudy medium golden orange. Flavor is light and fruity with a noticable alcohol presence. Sweet and fruity flavor with a bunch of spices in the background. Lively carbonation in the mouth. Finishes slightly dry and sweet and warming. A pretty good and unusual brew. Me likey!