Dogfish Head - Chateau Jiahu (2010)

Let's travel back in time again for another Dogfish Head Ancient Ale (Midas Touch was DFH's first foray and Theobroma the most recent). Our destination is 9,000 years ago, in Northern China! Preserved pottery jars found in the Neolithic villiage of Jiahu, in Henan province, have revealed that a mixed fermented beverage of rice, honey and fruit was being produced that long ago, right around the same time that barley beer and grape wine were beginning to be made in the Middle East!

Fast forward to 2005. Molecular archaeologist Dr. Patrick McGovern of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology calls on Dogfish Head to re-create another ancient beverage, and Chateau Jiahu is born.

In keeping with historic evidence, Dogfish brewers use brown rice syrup, orange blossom honey, muscat grape, barley malt and hawthorn berry. The wort is fermented for about a month with sake yeast until the beer is ready for packaging.

Did you catch the story on NPR's "All Things Considered" about Chateau Jiahu and DFH Ancient Ales? If you missed the story, here it is!

Original Release Date: 07/2006

The ABV is 10.0 and the IBU rating is 10
Style - Spice Beer
Glass to use- Tulip, Snifter or wine glass
Delivery 750ml Bottle

Can be cellared for long periods, under the proper conditions.

The Pour - Pours a cloudy amber color.  Small white head. Some lacing.
Aroma - Grapes, straw essence, some hops ans sweet.
Taste -  Sweet, grapes and candy.
Mouth Feel - Medium carbonation and body.
Drinkable - Taste like a nice Belgium brew, well balanced.  Aged nicely for 18 months'  Slightly smoother than a fresh bottle.  Worth a try, I will purchase this brew again.

This beer pairs well with desserts or try with Mexican and Indian dishes.  Can be use as an aperitif.

This beer gets a Duper rating of B+
BeerAdvocate Rating = 86
Ratebeer Rating = 88

Yards - Old Bartholomew (2011)

Bart may give you a warming feeling on cold months. Old Bart is usually brewed around Halloween, and appears in taverns just before winter. Yards brews Bart once and when its gone its gone, until next year!

The ABV is 10.3 and the IBU rating is ??
Style - English Barleywine
Glass to use- Pint Glass, Becker, Tumbler, Snifter or Oversized Wine Glass
Delivery 12oz Bottle

Can be cellared for long periods, under the proper conditions.

The Pour - Pours a orange color that's a bit cloudy with a big tan head. Great lacing.
Aroma - Malts, candy like aroma and some hint of hops and citrus fruit.
Taste -  Malty, hoppy, caramel and sweet. A tad of the citrus fruits.
Mouth Feel - Medium carbonation and full body. A nice clean and crisp finish with a slow alcohol burn.
Drinkable - This is more like an American Barleywine not an English Barleywine. I guess American brewers just don't get it.  Stop over hopping Barleywines!  If you do then don't call it an English Barleywine, geez!  I just found out this month that Yards was brewing a Barleywine.  I picked up a case of which half has been consumed.  The other half case will be aged.  So regardless of my ranting about Barleywines, I like this one.  Search it out and give it a go.

This beer pairs well with pungent cheese and desserts.

This beer gets a Duper rating of B+
BeerAdvocate Rating =85
Ratebeer Rating =88

J.W. Lees - Harvest Ale 2002

Available filtered and pasteurized in 275ml dark glass bottles. Has appeared occasionally in cask.
This fully fermented strong ale has been brewed by J.W. Lees as a celebration of the brewers art since 1985. Harvest Ale can be enjoyed now or laid down like a vintage wine for enjoyment in years to come.

This blog is for the 2002 release which I enjoyed in January of 2012.  In 2010 and 2011 I had the 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2006 and 2007 all on different dates of course.  Sadly I have no blogs for the 1997, 1998 or 2001 vintages.

The ABV is 11.5 and the IBU rating is ??
Style - English Barleywine
Glass to use- Snifter, Tulip, Oversized Wine Glass
Delivery 275ml Bottle

Should be cellared for long periods as this one was, under the proper conditions. Ah Men.

The Pour - Pours a cloudy brown color with a small tan head that hangs around for awhile. Some lacing and a clear coat on the glass.
Aroma - Room filled with dark fruit; plums, figs and raisins. Molasses maybe brown sugar.
Taste -  Liquid dark fruits, sweet, toffee, caramel. Liken to a nice port. 
Mouth Feel - No carbonation, big body, very smooth no burn from the alcohol.  Very well balanced.
Drinkable - Very sweet, compairs well with other aged JW Lees bottles I have had in the past.  Try to find a bottle at least 8 years old, preferably one from the 1990's.

This beer may pair well with cheese and desserts but just enjoy it without food.

This beer gets a Duper rating of A-.
BeerAdvocate Rating =95
Ratebeer Rating = 99

Brasserie des Géants - Noël Des Géants

Picture of an 375ml bottle

The Brasserie Des Légendes or Brasserie des Géants, or Giant Brewery, is housed in a medieval castle in the town of Irchonwelz, in the French-speaking south of Belgium.  Its majestic gate stands high to allow the passage of the occasional visiting giant... as the town is famous for its annual giants parade.

Unpasteurized, Unfiltered, Bottle-Refermented Belgian Ale.  The Géants Christmas beer came out in 2007, and it’s their best one yet. Rich and warming, and just a bit spicy (thanks to the delicate addition of a special aromatic herb from the region of the brewery), this festive ale has everything you want in a Belgian beer – but not the cheap sugary flavor that the more commercial breweries use to reel in a less sophisticated crowd.

This review is for a  1.5L bottle I purchased in 2011.  I did not write a review for the 375ml bottle.

The ABV is 8.5 and the IBU rating is ??
Style - Spice Beer
Glass to use- Pint Glass, Tumbler, Mug or Stein
Delivery 1.5 Liter Bottle

Can be cellared for long periods, under the proper condition.

The Pour - Pours a dark amber color with a white head. Good lacing.
Aroma - Malts, spices and some dark fruit.
Taste - Malty, spicy (ginger I think).
Mouth Feel - Medium carbonation and body, and smooth.
Drinkable - An excellent Xmas brew. The 1.5 litter bottle was a bit too much, it took 5 days to finish.  Good thing I only drink it during the holidays.

Goes great with desserts, or as a apéritif.

This beer gets a Duper rating of B
BeerAdvocate Rating = 86
Ratebeer Rating = 85