Dogfish Head Chateau Jiahu

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

Big thanks to Chris for this one. A 06 bottle poured into a snifter produced a slight head that faded fast. The body was a slightly hazy apricot color. The nose had a slightly sour lactic note with some great spices thrown in. The flavor of this brew is quite nice I really picked up the grape flavor as it warmed the spices were interesting the brew reminded me of a tropical drink in some ways as well. I split the bottle and recommend doing the same one glass was fantastic but anymore I think the spices would have overpowered my senses

Bottle from Kegs & Barrels in Plano, TX. Pours a nice looking amber/orange with white head. Aroma is very interesting, grape juice, signs of honey, spicy, malt, alcohol. Flavor is malty, obvious grape juice, some sweetness, fruity, spicy. Mouth feel is medium-heavy body with medium-high carbonation. Overall, an interesting beer and I enjoyed it....

Coppery golden color with no head. Aroma was fruity and bready with a little yeast. Flavor was decent, a bit fruity and mild floral sweetness. I thought this was a bit like a sweet wine, but with carbonation and beer aspects. Much better that expected

I enjoyed this beer. Thought it wa smooth, tasty, and just plain good. I’m not well versed in the ’traditional ale’ catagory but I do like this one. Another winner from my favorite brewer.

pours a dark golden murky color. it’s smells fruity and almost like fresh baked bread. there is a little carbonation to the beer taste is sweet like honey with a bitter end. very balanced ying and yang.

Bottled 07/07, so almost 2 years old. Pours a deep orange/amber with absolutely no head in spite of the very clean dogfish head goblet. Aroma is very malty and reminiscent of the Pils that come through in a Tripel. Taste is remarkably similar to a Tripel, however fruitier. I am not familiar with exactly what Hawthorne fruit tastes like, but I can only assume that that is what is coming through. The viscousness of the beer really brings to light the honey on the edges of the palate. Pretty good beer, but it tastes so similar to a Tripel that it doesn’t seem as special as Dogfish would like it to be. Perhaps it is due to the age, though I will never know.

750 mL bottle, capped (aged 18 months or so?): pours hazy gold...creamy off tan dome quickly dies leaving what looks like a flat beer. Creamy mouth-feel that finishes a bit thin. Aromas of over ripe mangoes, honeysuckle, freshly risen, warm dough and floral grass. Bright candy. Cidery flavour with mix of Granny Smith and Honeycrisp...tart and sweet at the same time. Bitter malt finish...a bit sharp, but I imagine it was much more so when young...there seems to be some smooth and maturity to the flavour. Comparable to an aged whiskey...you can catch glimpses of the raw young alcohol, but overall the smoothness dominates. Finishes a bit sticky, with the honey coming around again. Strangely and without planning a perfect accompaniment to the final Battlestar episode. By its very nature, this beer happened before and now has happened again...

750 ml. bottle courtesy of Steve E. Yellow gold pour with lots of floaties, foamy, quickly dissipating white head, and littel lace. Floral, fruity, and vinous nose, some od aroma that I can’t really identify. Light body and carboantion, and an unexpected stickiness. Sweet without any bitterness to speak of. Unusual to say the least. Seems that with DFH it’s either or home run or a strikeout, and I’m afraid that his is the latter.