Dogfish Head Chateau Jiahu

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

From a 750ml bottle. Coming off of a wine-tasting, so my nose is a little off, but here it goes... Poured a bright amber-pink with bright white, quickly dissipating head. If I didn’t know better, I’d say that this was a Magner’s cider with that pink hue. Looks just like it. Aroma is low-key-- just a hint of malt. Flavor is relatively uncomplicated. Malty, perhaps a bit cloying, some hop bitterness, and an unidentifiable spicyness. Slight lingering bitterness, but in general, this brew has a weak finish. Bit of a coffee-like acidity in the finish, there, too. Effervescence resembles a Belgian abby ale. In short, not bad, but remarkable only in the fact that it possesses a weird combination of traits. A little disappointing for a Dogfish Head.

Bottle. Aroma like a white wine, like a reisling. The mouthfeel is very smooth and pleasant. The beer is full bodied, and the flavor is mostly sweet and grapey with a slightly sour/tart finish.

Frothy, light. Sour, fruity, grape and white wine notes. Light yellow, lightly hazy. Not particularly satisfying. I remain a fan of Dogfish Head despite having had a string of experimental beers that just didn’t satisfy. Perhaps it’s just that I respect experimentation such as they’ve continued to do.

This beer has honey and raw grapeflavors. Some taste of bitter grape skins, but there is not much and they work in this beer. Definitely on the sweet side. A cloudy orange beer that hides its high abv very well. To the extent it is an experiment, it is successful. Quite tasty, but as Nuffield pointed out, it is difficult to know just how close to the 9000 year old beer it actually is, and no doubt it has been altered for the modern palate.

Sweet slightly tart nose. Cloudy yellow color. Fruits and spice in the nose and tart finish.

Sweet aroma of honey and fruit intertwined with a fairly robust alcoholic note. The flavors were sweet fruits...if you say grapes, I’ll play along...with honey and hefty abv. The texture was somewhat akin to wine. Pretty well done experiment, and surprisingly drinkable.

Pours a unfiltered copper color with a white head. Has great lacing. Then has a nice overwhelming smell of alcohol and fruits. Has nice carbonation. Finishes sweet and warm on the belly.

Interesting experiment, but one I’ll probably not be repeating. (There’s a reason this hasn’t been made in 9,000 years.) Except for the head atop the hazy straw body, it’s much like drinking a light wine. It smelled of grapes with their skins intact, light malt, berries, and mild spices with a honey sweetness. That pretty much describes the flavor as well. Dry finish. Decent, but once is probably enough.

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