Dogfish Head Chateau Jiahu Ancient Ale

Dogfish Head Château Jiahu Ancient Ale, a curiosity from Dogfish Head that has been sitting in my fridge for a few weeks now, finally became too irresistible and is getting poured tonight.  Following a similar philosophy to my much loved Dogfish Head Midas Touch Ancient Ale, Château Jiahu is a recipe based on chemical analysis of 9,000 year old pottery found in the site of Neolithic village of Jiahu in Northern China.  Being the oldest (Midas Touch clocks in at 2,700 years old Theombroma over 3,200 years old), Château Jiahu is primarily composed of muscat grapes, rice syrup to supplement the malt, honey, and hawthorn berry fermented in sake yeast.  Let's see how this ancient recipe stacks up!

Dogfish Head Château Jiahu Ancient Ale was a golden honey color, slightly viscous but moderately cartbonated, resulting in a quickly dissipating, champagne=like fizzy head.  The nose was dominated by sweet honey, strong apple notes of a dry white wine, and an underlying wet rice smell.

Dogfish Head Château Jiahu has a dry, apple cider like start that was both sweet and musky.  These flavors settled into a slightly sweetening honey and sauvignon blanc center that anchored Château Jiahu.  The close of the ale was somewhat strange and dominated by wheat, rice, and yeast notes that tasted slightly funky after the wine-like start.

In all honesty, Dogfish Head Château Jiahu Ancient Ale is an interesting ale that fully merits a try, but the packaging (750ml bottles) and cost (over $10) make it hard to recommend purchasing.  It isn't as stellar an ale as it's Ancient Ale brethren, and will most likely wear out it's welcome before the bottle is finished, relegating it to being a nice novelty when 3-4 beer drinkers want to try something different.  That said, Dogfish Head should be applauded for their continued efforts to bring the ales of the distant past to beer lovers of today, and in that this ale is a complete success.

Dogfish Head Olde School Barley Wine

The Southern Oregon focused tasting this week was thrown a little off course yesterday when my buddy Ron came over to play music and mentioned wanting to drink something special.  A couple of months ago we both picked up an interesting looking brew by Dogfish Head Brewing in a small Portland market.  Dogfish Head, in addition to being one of the few East Coast breweries I am familiar with, consistently turns out amazing and intriguing brews, so anytime I see something new I need to pick it up.  In this case, we both picked up a bottle of Dogfish Head Olde School Barley Wine to put away for a special occasion.

Dogfish Head Olde School Barley Wine poured a slightly cloudy, burnt sienna into the glass with no head to speak of and a single stream of carbonation slowly working through the body.  The nose was slightly earthy and smoky, with notes of nutmeg and spice.

Dogfish Head Olde School opened with a surprisingly mineral flavored, carbonated front that lightened the ale and a light alcohol burn.  Interesting floral flavors briefly passed over my palette as the carbonation faded and raisins and slightly molasses took over.  Olde School ended with a smoky bourbon finish and an alcohol warmth.  After about five minutes of being opened, the slight carbonation faded and the ale took on a stickier and sweeter character.

At 15% ABV, Dogfish Head Olde School Barley Wine is a heady ale that one should sip, not gulp.  From a drinkability standpoint, Olde School is as approachable (if not more so) as most barley wine style ales with half the alcohol, and manages to avoid much of the cloying sweetness associated with the style.

Dogfish Head 90 Minute Imperial IPA

Today I'm tasting Dogfish Head's middle IPA sibling, Dogfish Head 90 Minute Imperial IPA (aptly named for the 90 minute boil that makes this IPA the hop monster it is).

Dogfish Head 90 Minute Imperial IPA poured a reddish-orange color into the glass and was thick enough that the small carbonation trails seemed to move in slow motion to the to of the spotty, thin white head.  The nose had the big nectarine and tropical fruit notes of newer style big IPAs.

Dogfish Head 90 Minute Imperial IPA opened with a fruity and floral entrance on stone fruit and aromatic hops, but as a somewhat cloying sweetness that started in the background became more prominent the ale darkened and took on a burnt sugar taste.  The ale faded in a thick, sticky medicinal linger with a bit more alcohol heat than the 9% ABV merited. 

For such a highly coveted and revered ale, Dogfish Head Imperial IPA doesn't really hold up to the newer breweries' attempts at a well balanced, super-hopped imperial IPA.  It is a bit too unrefined and medicinal to draw a non-beer drinker in, and the rough around the edges aesthetic is oddly out of place with the rest of their superb line.

Edit and Addendum- I should point out this bottle was purchased at a grocery store, and while still "in date" it was likely several months old.  Having tried a fresh bottle recently, none of my above complaints were apparent.  A little research revealed this ale has a particularly finicky shelf life, so those of us on the West Coast would do ourselves a favor to buy from a reputable bottle shop to reduce the chance of getting a bottle more than a month or so after bottling.

Dogfish Head Burton Baton Oak-Aged Imperial IPA

Dogfish Head Burton Baton Oak-Aged Imperial India Pale Ale from the "occasional rarities" releases Dogfish Head Brewing.

Dogfish Head Burton Baton Oak-Aged Imperial IPA poured a crimson mahogany, extremely hazy and mildly carbonated with a thin white head.  The nose reminded me of an extreme IPA... stewed citrus, pine, whiskey, and vanilla.  

Dogfish Head Burton Baton drank with a rich hop front that eased into a sweet vanilla and caramel body.  The ale lingered for quite a while and ended on a sweet note of brown sugar, vanilla, and ripe fruit with a sticky mouth feel.  

Like many of the more experimental offerings from Dogfish Head, Burton Barton is more an experience and challenge than your average ale.  There is a lot going on with this Imperial IPA, and the oak, more felt than tasted, adds an extra level of intensity to the event.  The ABV of 10% is well hidden, but the sweetness and thickness of the ale made for a beer I was as happy to be done with by the end of the bottle as I was to drink it for the first half.

A Break From the Usual Tasting... Sierra Nevada Belgian Brewers Beer Dinner

Where to even start?  Sierra Nevada hosted an amazing Belgian Brewers Beer Dinner last night in their Big Room on the brewery campus as a benefit for the Abbey of New Clairvaux as an extension of the partnership already created around the Ovila Abbey-Style Ale collaboration between Sierra Nevada and the Abbey.  

Special guests that night included master brewers Tomme Arthur (Port Brewing/The Lost Abbey), Adam Avery (Avery Brewing), Sam Calagione (Dogfish Head Brewery), Ken Grossman (Sierra Nevada Brewing), and Rob Tod (Allagash Brewing)... a who's who of the North American craft brewing pioneers.  Each brought some of their rarer, Belgian-inspired ales to be paired by food put together by Sierra Nevada's Chef Michael Iles.  Below are some hazy shots of the menus and (most of) the custom coasters brought out for the event.

 

Each of the six course were amazing, the standouts being the Duck and Waffles (inspired by the old jazzman and bluesman 2am meal between dinner and breakfast of fried chicken and waffles) and the Pork Two Ways.    But this is a beer blog, so let's get down to the beer!  

Wild ales, sour ales, and witbiers dominated the evening, with the two biggest surprises being the Avery Dihos Dactylion Sour Ale and Depuceleuse Wild Ale being among the best sours our table had ever tried and the uncharacteristically delicate and subdued Namaste White Beer and Red and White Witbier with Pinot Noir offerings from Dogfish Head, a brewery known for big, bold beers.  As Sam said, he felt like he brought a knife to a gun fight.

  

The complete list of beers, with a couple of thoughts on each-

Allagash Tripel Reserve- A fantastic Tripel I would put against any true Trappist Tripel

Allagash Coolship Red- Not many brewers would trust spontaneous, open fermentation, but Rod Tod took a gamble and won.  The raspberries were a great compliment.

Avery Dihos Dactylion- My favorite of the night.  Cabernet sauvignon brarels added the perfect complexity to this sour.

Avery Brewing Depuceleuse- A close second... this wild ale took on the sour notes of cherries and the Zinfandel barrels.

Dogfish Head Namaste- Sam, never have I experienced a nose as big and aggressive as this, and I certainly wasn't expecting the taste to be as delicate and nuanced with lemongrass and citrus as this.

Dogfish Head Red & White- A witbier made with coriander, orange peel, and pinot noir juice... light but complex.

  

Dogfish Head and Sierra Nevada Oak-Aged Life & Limb- A fun and tasty collaboration between two great brewers, probably the biggest and boldest of the bunch. 

Lost Abbey Red Poppy Ale- In the company of the best sours I have tried, this one stood loud and proud.

Lost Abbey Framboise de Amorosa- Another great sour that unduly suffered by being served at the end of the night ;-)

Lost Abbey Inferno Ale- Paired perfectly with the cheese and was a nice, earthy grounding after a night a sour and wild ales.

Sierra Nevada Ovila- I have a bottle of this at home waiting for a dedicated tasting, so we'll just say it was good for now.

If it sounds like I am gushing, I am.  Sharing a table with other dedicated beer lovers of all stripes, we were in awe and impressed by every course served and every beer that graced our table.  When you bring five of the the most iconic brewers in the USA together in the same room, everyone is bringing their A game.  The brewers were all gracious, humble, and exuded an enthusiasm that couldn't be faked.  I feel fortunate to have been able to attend this one-time event, meet so many great brewers, and support the Abbey of New Clarivaux. 

Me crashing the brewer's table.

Father Paul Mark Schwan 

Cutting Loose as the Night Went On...

Dad and I

Dogfish Head Black & Blue Ale

 

Dogfish Head Black & Blue, from Dogfish Head,  poured a brassy hue in the glass, with heavy carbonation moving suspended yeast around and feeding to a tall white head.  The nose carried through a malty sweetness with blueberry dominating the blackberry and a subtle Belgian spicy yeast.


Dogfish Head Black & Blue opened thick and sweet, with the carbonation accenting a subtle peppery yeast before subduing into a smooth, almost creamy berry center.  No hops or bitterness came through, and the yeast stayed in the background during the fade, leading to a vanilla berry linger.


Dogfish Head is a brewery willing to try new things, and this is no exception.  While I would hardly recommend Black & Blue for everyday drinking (your wallet will thank you), if you see one at your local bottle shop you owe it to yourself to pick one up.

Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron Mahogany Ale

Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron, a mahogany ale aged in Palo Santo crates by Dogfish Head, poured a short lived, orange-brown head over a black body with dark brown and red highlights.  The nose immediately gave away malty caramel, brown sugar, and a hint of vanilla over a hard to identify background of stewed dates.


Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron opened thick and sticky, with tons of caramel and maple sugar leading the charge.  Sweetness and heat defined the middle of the drinking experience, with an almost maple fudge candy taste.  Although the dark sweetness and heat never subsided, the aging bPublish Postrought forth some vanilla at the end that rounded out the sweet heat and gave it a more refined brandy quality.


Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron is a huge, huge ale, and is best enjoyed when sipped like a fine port.

Dogfish Head Midas Touch Ancient Ale

Who can deny the geeky amazingness of analyzing the archeological findings of drinking vessels in a Turkish tomb 2,700 years old and saying "Hey... we should brew that!"  Dogfish Head certainly couldn't, which is why I'm fortunate enough to drink Dogfish Head Midas Touch Ancient Ale today.

Dogfish Head Midas Touch poured a mildly carbonated honey hue in the glass, with a loose head that quickly dissipated, leaving mo lacing on the side of the glass.  The nose was an exotic mix of flowers, honey, and grass.

Dogfish Head Midas Touch began with a pleasant saffron and wine start, a little crisp and dry on the front and melted into a sweet, honey-centric middle.  As the beer faded, the body dried up and it ended on a lingering biscuit note.  

There's a lot going on with Midas Touch; moments of wine-like delicacy, a sweetness that somehow manages to never overwhelm, and a dry, distinct finish that turns the entire tasting experience upside down.  This is a fantastic brew for someone looking to try something different, or even the wine drinker who avoids beer.  

Dogfish Head 90 Minute Imperial IPA

Dogfish Head 90 Minute Imperial IPA, a regular offering from Dogfish Head, poured a hazy copper hue into the glass with a thin white head and little carbonation.  The nose was surprisingly heavy in fruity malt sweetness for the hop bomb it is known for being, with some citrus and floral notes supporting.

Dogfish Head 90 Minute Imperial IPA hit the tongue sharp and crisp, with apple and light citrus notes quickly fading to a smooth, butterscotch malt middle.  The IPA ended a little sticky and nutty as it faded.

There’s not much I can add to a legend… Dogfish Head 90 Minute Imperial IPA is the standard by which most 2xIPAs are judged.

Dogfish Head World Wide Stout

Dogfish Head World Wide Stout, the infamously decadent imperial stout from Dogfish Head and weighing in at 18% abv and a purported 370 calories per bottle, poured pitch black in the glass with a small, yellow-brown head.  The nose carried chocolate, coffee, dried fruit, and smoke over a moderate alcohol heat.


Dogfish Head World Wide Stout starts sweet and chewy, with burnt coffee beans, dry chocolate, and dark sugar paving the way for a slow but sure wave of alcohol heat.  Stewed cherries and prunes came through and the stout thickened and sweetened on the fade.


Dogfish Head World Wide Stout is not for the weak of heart, but it is a worthy find for those not afraid of big beers!  

Dogfish Head Namaste Belgian White Ale

Dogfish Head Namaste, a Belgian-style white ale brewed with coriander, oranges, and lemongrass by beer iconoclast Dogfish Head Brewing,  poured a cloudy, pale yellow filled with dull white sediment into the glass with a frothy white head and mild carbonation.  The nose carries forward strong notes of wheat and Belgian yeast, but there is a clearly detectable aroma of orange, lemongrass, and white pepper in the background.


Dogfish Head Namaste White Ale opened bright and crisp, with grassy and lemony (but not quite lemongrass) notes spiced by a peppery punch over the slightly dusty, yeasty wheat.  As the ale warmed, the coriander and lemongrass came through (but never overwhelming), and a constant yeast funk lingered in the background.  Surprisingly, the ale thickened and became almost creamy in mouthfeel.


Dogfish Head Namaste is a distinct twist on the Belgian Wit style, and succeeds in almost every way.  For my money, I could have stood a little more lemongrass added to brighten the somewhat dull orange flavor, but that's a small complaint given how enjoyable the ale is overall.  Namaste!

Dogfish Head Festina Peche

Dogfish Head Festina Peche, a summer seasonal BerlinerWeisse release from Dogfish Head, poured a hazy, green tea hue in the glass, topped with a bubbly white head.  The nose carried prominent notes of peach, apricot, and green apple, and flowers.

Dogfish Head Festina Peche opened with a green apple and lemon citrus start.  As the carbonation and soft sourness faded, the peach addition really came through.  The BerlinerWeisse ended on a soft, fuzzy extended fade of peaches, sugar, and light floral hints.

Very cool to try such a flavorful and unique beer that weighs in on the session-side for ABV (especially for Dogfish Head!!!).

Sierra Nevada Life and Limb 2 Ale Dogfish Head Collaboration

Sierra Nevada Life and Limb 2, a collaboration between Sierra Nevada and Dogfish Head, poured a murky dark brown into the glass with red highlights and a thick, foamy beige head.  The nose carried forward strong notes of maple syrup, baker’s chocolate, caramel, and dark brown sugar. 

Sierra Nevada Life and Limb 2 opened with sweet maple and brown sugar and  a lightly hopped, dark citrus note that lingered as the darker malts came forward and settled.  The ale became slightly sticky in the mouth until vanilla, maple, and cocoa flavors dried out my mouth.  Life and Limb ended on a heated, semi-sweet fade and left my breath smelling like maple syrup.

Sierra Nevada Life and Limb 2 is and excellent and exciting collaboration from the two coasts’ biggest craft brewers.  The concept of each providing a local, personal ingredient is fun, and the result is a thoroughly enjoyable take on the American strong ale… I purchased several bottles and will be laying most of the to age a year or two, as Life and Limb shows strong signs of getting much better with a little resting.

Mammoth Brewing Co. IPA 395 Double IPA

Keeping with California this week, I picked up a bottle brewed about 300 miles south of Chico on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevadas.  New to me, the Mammoth Brewing Company offers a pretty robust catalog of beer varieties and certainly doesn't shy away from big beer styles.  As an IPA guy... I figured the best introduction I could have to Mammoth Brewing was to pick up a bottle of Mammoth Brewing IPA 395, which is their take on a double IPA and brewed with juniper berries and desert sage.

Directly out of the bottle, Mammoth IPA 395 deviated from what I think an IPA is; it was a thick, dark red with a body so heavy the carbonation struggled to make it to the top and a frothy cappuccino head that clung sticky to the side of the glass.  The nose was heavily pine-scented with sweet licorice notes.

The taste of Mammoth IPA 395 was nothing like any IPA I have tried... thick as a milkshake, it was dominated up front by the sweet licorice I detected in the nose along with cherry and molasses.  At certain points toasted cocoa stood out and as the beer faded I was able to pick up hints of the sage called out on the label.  Being a gin drinker, I was a little disappointed the juniper berries never made an appearance.

Mammoth Brewing Co.'s IPA 395 is an interesting sipping beer, but comes nowhere near what I would expect an IPA to taste like.  Maybe similar in flavor to the Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA in flavor, this beer tastes too big and cloying for only 8% ABV (as opposed to Dogfish Head's 18%) but not big enough to satisfy a barley wine craving.  This beer left me puzzled and unsatisfied as an IPA, but would be worthy to pull out when you want something different from the standard varietals.

The Ginger Man NYC Flights

After hearing about The Ginger Man from every bartender in Manhattan I asked about "the place to get beer", I finally stumbled across it my last night (embarrassed to say it was less than a half dozen blocks from my hotel).  Boasting 66 taps and over 120 bottles of beer from around the world, The Ginger Man was certainly the beer mecca it was promised to be, and offered some truly unique and hard-to-find beers.  Although the bar is the sibling of the original The Ginger Man in Houston, TX (named after the 1955 novel The Ginger Man), it felt like pure New York in all the best ways.


The first flight I had included The Ginger Man Ale (their house ale), Chimay Cinq Cents, Evil Twin Molotov Cocktail, and Nøgne Ø Sunturnbrew.
  

The Ginger Man Ale- Not reading the sign and only knowing The Ginger Man Ale was "ale brewed with real ginger, I was totally unprepared to the big Belgian yeast funk that met my nose and palette.  A Belgian pale ale by any other name, The Ginger Man was well balanced and it wasn't until the ale began to fade did the ginger bite show up, fresh and surprisingly complimentary to the spiciness of the Belgian yeast.

Chimay Cinq Cents Tripel- Shock number two of the evening... an ale as carbonated and light as the typical Chimay offering with an even bigger farmhouse funk than The Ginger Man.  To over simplify, Chimay + Belgian yeast.  Tasty.

Evil Twin Molotov Cocktail- By taster number three, I was ready for almost anything, but couldn't have been more caught off guard when the first sips of Evil Twin Molotov Cocktail lead with fruit punch with a touch of sourness and slight bittering.  The ale stayed fruity as it lingered, with a dry, astringent grapefruit rind creeping up in the end and eventually taking over.    

Nogne O Sunturnbrew- As if driven to push my concept of what beer should taste like to the limit, the Norwegian Nogne O Sunturnbrew brought big flavors of new tire rubber, roasted ham, and pure funk to the table.  Really... mind blowing (if not particularly enjoyable).  The lingering rubber taste took several minutes to clear from my mouth.

My second flight began with Avery duganA, Southampton Grand Cru, Southern Tier Imperial Mokah,and ended with Dogfish Head Old School Barley Wine.

Avery duganA Double IPA- For a brewery known for great IPAs, Avery hits the mark again with duganA IPA.  Slightly more toasted and bready in the malt profile than their other IPA offerings, there is still a psychedelic amount of pineapple and tropical fruit hops to be found in this ale.  There is a slight mineral/earthy quality at the edge of the hops, interesting but faint enough to not be distracting.

Southampton Grand Cru- Fruity, spicy, and slightly sour, Southampton Grand Cru is an excellent, somewhat funky introduction to the Southampton Publick House offerings.  Spiced, fruity, and a melange of different beer styles coming through with pronounced funky yeast.

Souther Tier Imperial Mokah- This ginormous (it's a word in the dictionary now?) Imperial Stout manages to bring creamy, cafe-style chocolate mocha latte flavor without giving away an heat to suggest its 11% ABV.  Sweets for the sweet tooth.

Dogfish Head Old School Barley Wine- 15% barley wine?!?  Yup, and it's not the first time I've done it...

Sierra Nevada Beer Camp California Common #8

An output of Sierra Nevada's annual Beer Camp, I just picked up two twelve-packs of Sierra Nevada's Best of Beer Camp 2011 Collection (released in the brewery just yesterday).  Because two of the four beers in the pack exceed 8% ABV and I am heading back to the mothership this evening for a Belgium Brewers Beer Dinner this evening (hosted by the head brewers from Lost Abbey, Allagash, Dogfish Head, Avery, and Sierra Nevada), I chose to start the evening with the (relatively lighter) Sierra Nevada Beer Camp California Common #8.

Sierra Nevada Beer Camp California Common #8 had a semi-transparent white head fed by mild carbonation from a transparent orange body.  Ale yeast and aromas of biscuits were prominent in the nose and supported by a sweet pine backing.

Sierra Nevada Beer Camp California Common #8 had a crisp, clean start that immediately revealed the malt-dominated profile of the ale-lager hybrid, toasty and wheat biscuit-like.  The mouth-feel got a little sticky at the end, and it had the iconic "Sierra Nevada Big Body" that managed to be both full but light on the palette.

Of the few takes on the California Common style I've tried (the most iconic being Anchor Steam Beer), Sierra Nevada has created the best.  It has plenty of character and depth that highlights the hybrid brewing style approach without ever loosing the crispness and distinct flavor that typifies the style.  It does weigh in at 20-30% more alcohol than most California Commons, but drinks like a session beer.