Dogfish Head Chateau Jiahu

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

Yes. Very nice. The nose was subtle as grapes can be the honey mellow and a very nice touch of malts. Well defined palate of grapes with an almost creamy smooth honey sticky feel but not overdone. More refreshing and crisp than thick or syrupy...that needed cleared; VERY FINE! Perfect 5.

Pours a golden color with a thin white head. It is a very interesting mix of flavors: honey, grape, this is barely even a beer. It has a very light mouthfeel. That said, it is a truly amazing drink; simply wonderful!

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

Flowing like the waters of Yangtze before the Three Gorges Dam, it fills the glass with a slightly hazy orange, the head a huge pile of frothy white, which erodes slowly, the resultant lacing, a complete coat to hide the glass. Nose, a phenomenal blend of aromas, honey, grapes, barley, rice, Hawthorn fruit, Chrysanthemum flowers, yeast, what a lineup, and they all blend perfectly. Ambrosial start, with a twang at the back, top feels moderate to the palate. Finish is modestly acidic, sweet, flowery and dry aftertaste nails itself to the taste buds, what a brew, what a marvelous concoction of grains, flowers and fruit, a true one of a kind masterpiece of the brewers’ art.

Pours a golden-orange with a soda-like, white head. Fizzly, gone in 10 seconds. Completely orange and still, with no forseeable carbonation. Smells of grapefruit rinds, honey, malted grains, grapes, oranges and cherries, dry though. Taste is simple, crisp, dry, fruit, orange, corn, rice. Light, something like a sweeter carbonated, light saki. Actually reminds me of China. Not sure if "Traditional Ale" really captures this style. I’ll just say its different, and definitely worth experiencing.

Very interesting beer brewed from a 9,000 year old recipe. I commend Dogfish Head for doing a beer like this and giving a beer lover a chance to experience something different. This beer pours to a hazy, yellow color, with a soapy head that fades, and a moderate carbonation. The nose on this beer is interesting with aromas of pale malt, honey, estery fruit, and hints of peppery alcohol. The palate is intresting as well, with honey sweetness, fruity esters, pale malt, vinous notes, and light spice flavor. This beer finishes with more honey and ripe fruit up front, then ends with a touch of vinous sourness, and light alcohol heat that lingers. Interesting and flavorful beer, that would make a nice aperitif, or a good beer to match with fruity or rich deserts. I enjoyed this one, more so than Forte, another DFH beer that uses fruit.

Bottle at home with Tom ... Bit thanks to RIS101 for this... Very hazy yellow ... light malt nose ... Sweet fruity little tartness ... some lemon tones juicy and complex ... some sweet fruit tones in end ... little honeyish ... definitly some raisins ... alcohol dont show ...This is superb...

Tk2 at home ... thanks to Ken for this one...almost day glow orange ... sweet tart orange and brandy ... sweet fruityness ... lots of orange ... again a little brandy spirit... some honey ... juicy ... some grape ... this works so much better for me than the Golden Elixir... big honey as this breathes ... maybe not the 4.3 or the original rating buy a solid 4 at least.

Always fun to try these historical recreations. This was one that I found to be very good to my surprise. Poured a cloudy light gold with orange inflections, slight head. Aroma was a big surprise, dead on to champagne, complete with some of the toast components and light grape that you would find in that beverage. If I had been blindfolded, I would have guessed champagne instead of beer in a heartbeat. Pleasant though. Flavor was remarkably delicate, with faint honey, some undefined fruitiness that I can only guess came from the hawthorn, a bit of grape, and just enough malt to keep things held together. Smooth mouthfeel. Well done, I would reach for this again.