Chateau Jiahu - Dogfish Head Brewery

bmwats

Louisiana

3.55/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 750 ml bottle into a standard pint.

A: Golden hue. Pours about a half finger, foamy, white head. Settles quickly, leaving sporadic foam on the surface. Beer ring lacing, collects, and sinks into the body.

S: Butter, glue, honey, and a little fresh flora.

T: Lightly malted. Honey and orange citrus. I think some pomegranate and triple sec in there, too.

M: Syrupy body. Clings to the palette. Sweet, almost cloying... lingers throughout.

D: Sip. Not hugely sweet, but the sweet finish that lingers makes it difficult to power through.

Atmosphere is good. Decent body, but nothing much to speak of in terms of lacing. Nose is a very interesting combination of components; sweet and fruit, plant and...dairy?... Flavor is syrupy and honey sweet with some solid fruit compliments. This should probably come in a smaller vessel, due to it's cloying characteristics. Overall, this is a good...but interesting...quaff.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2012 04:05:00 | More by bmwats

bcsbeer

Florida

4/5  rDev +5.3%

06-19-2013 04:08:36 | More by bcsbeer

GreesyFizeek

New York

4.25/5  rDev +11.8%

06-17-2013 02:48:27 | More by GreesyFizeek

Michigan

Michigan

4/5  rDev +5.3%

06-16-2013 19:10:48 | More by Michigan

squack

New York

3.5/5  rDev -7.9%

06-15-2013 23:09:06 | More by squack

57md

Pennsylvania

3.11/5  rDev -18.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Appearance is a golden straw color with hardly any head. Grapes are distinct in the nose. The flavor is dominated by grapes and honey, The body is light and wine-like. The finish is sickly sweet with grapes way upfront.

By the way, did I mention the grapes?...

Serving type: on-tap

06-15-2013 11:37:37 | More by 57md

13DegN

Texas

3.29/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Not a reviewer at all but why not. I like trying most DH brews.
Of the ones that I've tried that have some grape influence like Noble Rot, 61 IPA both quite good to me. Jiahu is SWEET. For my taste, too sweet. Tiny little carbonation bubbles as expected. Color, head etc everyone already covered by others.
Loved the idea but was not expecting the sweetness to blur my mind. Alcohol is well hidden, and overall I think I would like this one if it was just not so sweet.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2013 01:17:39 | More by 13DegN

foodie9791

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -1.3%

06-13-2013 14:55:21 | More by foodie9791

Eazy28

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -1.3%

06-12-2013 16:39:01 | More by Eazy28

GraduatedCashew

California

4.25/5  rDev +11.8%

06-11-2013 17:24:33 | More by GraduatedCashew

ElCommodoro

Texas

4.06/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This was an intensely alcoholic, but thin beer, but very well done except for the sweetness. It was TOO sweet for ME! I am well known for being in favour of sweet beers, but this was just over the top. Amazing fruity notes, though, all over the spectrum. It had a very lagery tone to it, too. Very intense, but very light in feel. I know they used sake yeast, but I wonder what temperature it was fermented at and for how long, because it was definitely far more like a really great lager than like an ale. Thanks, Dogfish head for another great beer, but if you could lay off the sugary sweetness, that would be great.

Serving type: on-tap

06-11-2013 03:55:00 | More by ElCommodoro

StonedTrippin

Colorado

3.74/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

I love this series, and I was stoked to see this on tap at the new renegade tap house on university. it pours a hazy orange tinted thicker color, with a colossal three inch white fizzy head on top with fine retention. the nose is very unique, and I think I smell sake yeast, although im not a big sake guy generally. lots of interesting fruits as well, and a grain blend only dogfish head could come up with. the first sip I notice the feel more than the flavor, its denser than it looks, not very carbonated despite the head, and has a bit of honey type sugars on the back end, a funny feel that I don't totally love. the flavor I do love though, floral and sweet, bright, and decidedly eastern in vibe. there are ingredients here that I am entirely unfamiliar with, but much like etrusca, midas touch, and some of the others, I like the way it all comes together in an approachable but challenging way. overall a very impressive beer, especially now that I have learned this is 10% abv, a strength one would never detect from drinking this beer. I hope these archeological brews continue, they are always a lot of fun to sit down with.

Serving type: on-tap

06-10-2013 19:02:41 | More by StonedTrippin

sanitarium16

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -7.9%

06-10-2013 13:24:45 | More by sanitarium16

Hellmeh

Texas

3.25/5  rDev -14.5%

06-08-2013 19:48:55 | More by Hellmeh

ATXRyan

Texas

2.75/5  rDev -27.6%

06-08-2013 01:46:45 | More by ATXRyan

jmw4437

Connecticut

3.25/5  rDev -14.5%

06-07-2013 23:59:55 | More by jmw4437

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.29/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25

Poured from bottle into a pint glass

Appearance – Pours a golden amber color with a big two finger white head. The head fades relatively quickly leaving only the tracest level of lace on the sides of the glass.

Smell – The aroma is sweet and fruity with lots of honey and white grape juice. Mixed with these smells are some lighter aromas of floral notes and grains.

Taste – The taste begins very sweet with lots of white grape juice and honey along with some flavors of apple and pear. The sweeter flavors persist largely throughout the taste with some flavors of a very light herbal bitterness coming to the tongue more at the end of the taste. While at 10 % abv, the alcohol is very well hidden with it, in the end, leaving a very sweet mead flavor to be left on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the beer is very thin with a carbonation level that is average to light but consisting of tiny little carbonation bubbles. Fairly fitting for the sweet flavors of the brew and it makes it quite a quick drinker.

Overall- A little too meady taste and on the sweet side for me. Not horrible, but nothing too great for the price.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2013 00:58:16 | More by Darkmagus82

Jas45678

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -7.9%

06-05-2013 23:29:33 | More by Jas45678

DruRho

Maryland

4/5  rDev +5.3%

06-04-2013 15:53:02 | More by DruRho

kojevergas

California

3.28/5  rDev -13.7%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Begrudgingly picked up at the Cap N Cork in Los Feliz. Cost was $14.29. Reviewed live. I've never been a big Dogfish Head fan, and this one seems as gimmicky as any of their offerings, so expectations are about average. 1 pint 9.6 fl oz brown glass bottle with tired label art and standard branded copper pressure cap served into a Mitchells of Lancaster flared stem-tulip in me gaff in Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California.

Served cold, straight from the fridge. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Pours a 1.5 finger head of beige colour. Horridly thin. No cream at all. Retention is poor (~45 seconds). Head is kind of pathetic overall. No bubble show. No lacing.

Body colour is a dull murky yellow-copper. No yeast particles are visible.

This beer isn't much to look at. I imagine the aroma and taste will be far better than the appearance.

Sm: Pale malts. Pilsner malts. Honey. Clove. White grapeskin. Fresh orange. Flowers. Vague hints of buried pear. A mild strength aroma. Clean. No yeast or alcohol is detectable.

T: Sweet honey is surprisingly nectary and good. Love the honey here. Clove. Sweet orange. A biteen of grapeskin. Neutral spices complement the dominant honey. No alcohol is coming through, which shocks me considering the high ABV and the light overall flavour of the beer. Surprisingly well balanced. Nicely built. It's not complex or subtle, but it's nice for what it is. I like it. On the sweeter end. No idea what in fuck hawthorn fruit is, but I do get a pleasant fruitiness which seems well executed. Well put together. I'm pleasantly surprised. Shallow depth of flavour.

Mf: Smooth and wet. Light and refreshing. Lightly quenching. Suits the flavour profile well. Pretty good presence on the palate. Slightly overcarbonated. Good body. Fizzy.

Dr: A surprisingly tasty brew from Dogfish Head. I wouldn't buy it again at this price point, but I expected it to be far worse. It's not incredible, but it's very approachable and likable, and the 10% ABV will likely get me in a good place. Extremely drinkable for the ABV; this is its best feature. For this reason, it'd be a good starter beer for beer novices. The whole backstory is all well and good, but I can't believe this tastes anything like what was brewed in Jiahu.

Gimmicky marketing, surprisingly drinkable beer.

Wouldn't recommend it to friends. Might get it on-draught at a good price.

Low B-

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2013 05:41:33 | More by kojevergas

srw

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +5.3%

06-02-2013 05:39:40 | More by srw

jmslade7

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +18.4%

06-02-2013 05:33:21 | More by jmslade7

TwoForty

Florida

4.75/5  rDev +25%

06-02-2013 02:57:01 | More by TwoForty

jonathaniler

Florida

4.75/5  rDev +25%

06-02-2013 02:50:51 | More by jonathaniler

paulys55

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -1.3%

06-02-2013 01:51:24 | More by paulys55