Chateau Jiahu - Dogfish Head Brewery

eheff

Massachusetts

4.65/5  rDev +22.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This is a delicious, delicious beer. It's almost as if it was made for me. I had a feeling I was going to like it (great label) and waited and waited for bjohnson to bring me one.

It pours a peachy/light-orange-ish color reminiscent of Magic Hat #9--average appearance, nothing too exciting. It smells sweet and maybe like honey, but the smell is not too strong or overpowering.

Taste on the other hand--very interesting. It tastes like honey, with a bit of a sort of lightly carbonated/spritzy aftertaste. I don't know if I'm able to pull out all of the individual flavors, but all together, they are delicious. It is like dessert in a glass.

Mouthfeel is really good too--the carbonation kind of balances out the sweetness--makes it less heavy. Drinkability is good too--I'm going to drink the rest of the bottle and wish I had more after it.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2006 01:54:02 | More by eheff

SouthernBeerGuy

North Carolina

4.65/5  rDev +22.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Been waiting to try this one for a while !

A : Light honey gold with a slight haze. Thick finger of white foam with minimal lacing.

S : Not strong, but very sweet. Smells of honey and light flowers.

T : Honey and grapes are up front, then a floral note followed by some ethanol, but finishes clean. Amazed at how smooth this brew is. This beer is sessionable !

M : Sits surprisingly light on the palate.

D : Super drinkable all night. Just exclaimed that I should have gotten three bottles instead of two.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2011 01:46:57 | More by SouthernBeerGuy

Krakistophales

Connecticut

4.65/5  rDev +22.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours light orange with a finger of white head that recedes into a halo.

S: White grape, honey, spices, tropical fruit, banana

T: Starts with white grape and honey, the middle filled with assorted tropical fruits, and the end finishing with a touch of spice and floral notes. Amazing flavor.

M: Light, spritzy, great carbonation, refreshing

O: One of my favorite beers, period. I would buy this weekly if it was available everywhere.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2011 05:35:16 | More by Krakistophales

Boto

Connecticut

4.63/5  rDev +21.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle: Mine poured into the glass with a bit of fizziness, but no head to speak of and what was there was gone almost instantly. The color is a cloudy, orange hued dark golden. The aroma is nice. Hints of spices and slightly orange to the nose. Maybe pears and honey too. Somewhat sweet, with notes of pears and honey to the taste. Also some spiciness. This is really good. It is interesting that someone may have been sipping a similar concoction 9000 years ago. Another fine and creative beer from a great brewery.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2007 20:58:57 | More by Boto

kinupanda

Texas

4.63/5  rDev +21.8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Fresh from the tap and into a baby snifter. A beautiful, golden amber color, almost a glowing orange, with a quickly-dissipating head; perhaps the most impeccable pour I've seen. The smell is equally as nice, made of wonderfully balanced honey and floral aromas, with almost a subtle banana-like quality from the fruits. An exploding bouquet of fruit flavor; the subtle carbonation allows the sweet honey to be the star. The finish is crisp, with a lingering clean dryness.

FourthBeer potential: VERY HIGH. In all honesty, I was enjoying this beer way too much and drank it too fast. The high ABV is completely unnoticeable, and is almost dangerous because more is better for this one. An excellent effort by Dogfish Head, but does that really surprise anyone?

Serving type: on-tap

01-26-2011 04:08:45 | More by kinupanda

nortmand

Virginia

4.58/5  rDev +20.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Not sure how it's supposed to look, but poure yellow orange and cloudy with a nice, sturdy white head.

Cidery smell, definitely apple there, probably from the hawthorn. Also some sweet cinnamon notes.

Strong wine flavors up front blend into a sweet spiciness, which ends in a musky alcoholic burn.

Medium bodied very fruit and drinkable, definitely a unique brew.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2006 23:29:44 | More by nortmand

FernMaster

Missouri

4.55/5  rDev +19.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I bought this bottle based on the description on the label. Read the story in the beer info if you haven't already. Ya, it's that freaking crazy.

I poured the Chateau Jiahu into a tulip and it poured a clear moderate redish color that shimmered in the light. It looked very much like a champagne or wine. The head was minimal and there was some moderate lacing on the side, nothing great, just an average amount of foam. The smell however was just as interesting as the description on the bottle. The smell was a unique flowery sweet combination of the flowers (not a typo, actual flowers) and grapes. I was not expecting this smell from a beer, even one brewed with freaking chrysanthemums! The smell was very much like that of a wine. In fact if you know a person who prefers wine and is hesitant about beer, I would recommend Dogfish Head's Chateau Jiahu as the beer you use to introduce them to the wonderful world of micro-brewing. The taste (the taste!) matched that of the flowers and grapes. The grapes were very prominent with a hint of honey, fruit and wheat, but it ended with a sweet note from the flowers.

Simply put, I've never had a beer like this before in my life. I've never even heard of something as crazy as this! I enjoyed the hell out of it and I called friends before finishing my glass to buy a bottle if they ever see it on store shelves. Chateau Jiahu is a unique beer that drinks like wine and a must try for anything, just the uniqueness of the beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2009 00:46:20 | More by FernMaster

ScottieByNature

Ohio

4.55/5  rDev +19.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Poured from a champagne bottle into a tulip glass.

A - Beautiful light golden color, plenty of effervescence. The light head left a bit of lacing and made almost a marbled pattern on the surface.

S - Hints at a Belgian, with aromatic notes that reminded me of a Chardonnay or a Pinot Grigio. Also thought I caught some strawberry and banana notes in there, made me think of a tropical Starburst!

T - Beautifully clean and crisp with the honey and fruit flavors contributing nicely. I half expected this one to be cloying and have a strong alcoholic heat to it, but quite the opposite. It was just the right amount of sweet, and the 10% abv is hardly detectable in the taste. Very tasty!

M - Medium to light body.

D - Surprisingly drinkable for the abv, goes down very easy.

Overall, an excellent bottle of beer! Was sad when the bottle was empty. It's no wonder this was the last bottle left at the store! Would probably go well with some spicy stir fry.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2011 22:52:28 | More by ScottieByNature

DonDirkA

Arizona

4.55/5  rDev +19.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

The nose is very flowery and sweet with hints of honey. Slight hints of fruitiness like grapes and oranges. Honey sweetness up front dominates, then a wine-like fruitiness washes over the tongue and blends with a flowery brightness. At the tail end the sticky honey flavors take back over and sticks around on the tongue leaving you with a lingering sweetness but a dry finish. This is one of the best of the Ancient Ales in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2012 23:50:07 | More by DonDirkA

hdofu

Maryland

4.53/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Another interesting dogfish head beer based on an historical. Golden orangish color with a thin white head. Lite and bubbely mouthfeel. Taste is very strong of grapes and malt. Has a sake like finish. It is going down very easy. Worthwhile if you looking for a slightly sweet beer for 2.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2009 00:17:57 | More by hdofu

B0bD0bbselbock

Michigan

4.5/5  rDev +18.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Notes from a recent review. Bottle generously shared by a good friend, split between 3 of us. Poured into glass mason jar (best glassware on hand).

A- Pours a pale, golden honey color with a faint orange tone. Small, white head with mild lacing.

S- The honey aroma is very forward, reminding me of a fine mead. Fruity aromas are present, with notes of good pilsner, and maybe a hint of sake in the background.

T- The sweet flavor reminds very much of a fine traditional mead, with very pleasant fruity notes, and an interesting pilsner-like maltiness (especially in the finish).

M- Crisp, light, and smooth, yet slightly viscous.

D- Highly drinkable! To my mind, the inviting aroma and sweet bouquet of flavors + the well-hidden ABV make this one a great beer to savor (or gulp).

I thoroughly enjoyed this beer in many respects. Being a lover of mead, i appreciate the similar qualities to be found in the brew, along with the lovely color and aroma. The high ABV also makes this one great too, as one may really appreciate this drink like a wine, as well as a beer. Further, the antiquity of the recipe that the beer is based on adds a truly novel quality that gives me even greater respect for Dogfish Head's fine craft. I will certainly be buying a bottle of my own soon.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2011 18:43:58 | More by B0bD0bbselbock

Arithmeticus

Maryland

4.5/5  rDev +18.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Had in flared glass

A: orange yell,w good head, great carbonation
S: lovely malty, lavender
T: complex, intense flavor; contains strong overtones of pear, honey, cider, mead, and hawthorn (I admit I didn't know what this was until this beer came along)
M: silky
D: very inviting

This beer is likely to be a crowd pleaser. Enjoy!

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2011 22:25:59 | More by Arithmeticus

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4.47/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Newly distributed to Central Kentucky, this is a warm welcome. The orange / straw, murky look promises honey sweetness, fruity flavors and a firm body. The beer doesn't disapoint. Tremendous honey sweetnees without cloying. Very fruity with pears, peaches, and ripe apples. Very wine-like with a satisfying malt base. Spices of giner, clove, nutmeg and corriander give the beer an added complexity and compliment the beer well. An earthy, herbal quality persists. The beer, though viscous in the start, finishes with a drinkable tartness and dryness. Quite clean for such a sweet and varying beer; sorta Midas Touch-like, just better. Dogfish just won me over again.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2006 01:24:05 | More by BEERchitect

Osiris9588

Ohio

4.47/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I stumbled upon this bottle at the Kenny Road Market, and once espying the cool Asian label featuring an intriguing topless Asian woman with a character tattooed on her lower back, on it, I bought it without even reading the label. I've learning that this is a" 9000 year old chemically-arrested alcoholic beverage, I went to the DFH website to discover a little more: "the most ancient, chemically-attested alcoholic beverage in the world, dating back to about 7000 B.C. It is a mixed fermented beverage of malted rice, wild-flower honey, and white grapes, fermented on a sake yeast with hawthorn berries."

It pours a cloudy peach color with tangerine overtones, out of a 750ml bottle. The white head stands at about 1.5 inches, and dissipates quickly. Dots of residual sugar cling to the inside of the glass.

The aroma is exceedingly floral, with strong strains of yeast and pollen, along with honey, some slight citrus, and berry notes fluttering around the edges.

The flavor is a blend of yeasts, honey, various berries, strong whtie grapes, some orange, a pinch of spice, and notes of fermented malts and rice: part-mead, part-sake, part-plum wine, part-hefe-weissen: all good. The alcohol is just a warm fuzzy note in the background.

The mouth is light, and despite all the complex sugars interacting here, the moderate carbonation is just enough to prevent it from becoming syrupy. Definitely sweet, yet balanced enough to be highly drinkable, even to my palate, which seems to prefer tastes on the drier end of the spectrum.

I hope they keep on making this.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2006 18:43:56 | More by Osiris9588

hwwty4

Missouri

4.47/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Thanks to mymrnjckt and Secret Santa '08 for this one.

Poured a capped 750 into my Tripel Karmeliet tulip. This beer pours a hazy golden honey with just a slight white head leaving no lacing. If head was just a slight bit more pronounced this would be an absolutely beautiful beer. The aroma is great. Honey is the most dominant aroma with floral notes (I'm guessing from the Chrysanthemum), a bit of toffee and just a slight alcohol burn. The flavor is amazing. This, in my mind, is my favorite beer that Dogfish Head makes. The flavor is huge wild honey, flowers, and Muscat grapes, with just a hint of the 8% alcohol. It all blends beautifully together. Magnificent. The honey hits the palate on full blast, slowly running through all the other flavors but never letting your tongue slip from that initial blast of honey. The mouthfeel is much fuller and creamier then I would have expected. Of all the crazy, "Off Centered" beers that Dogfish Head makes, this is the first one then I have had that really hit its mark.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2009 19:26:00 | More by hwwty4

cindyjeffsmith

Georgia

4.47/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

appearance - Orange-ish amber. Almost no head.
smell - Very nice. The DFH site reads, "In keeping with historic evidence, Dogfish brewers used pre-gelatinized rice flakes, Wildflower honey, Muscat grapes, barley malt, hawthorn fruit, and Chrysanthemum flowers." There's an obvious sweet, fruity nose. There's something there that makes me think 'creamy'.
taste - as good as the nose advertises.
Likewise, the mouthfeel is great...medium creamy. And so drinkable.
This is some great stuff.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2009 22:18:13 | More by cindyjeffsmith

SetarconeX

Florida

4.45/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

I really wish there were a scoring section for uniqueness, because this is about as unique as it gets. Deep cloudy yellow with lacing that refuses to die, despite being almost but not quite free of carbonation. Smells yeasty and lemony. Tastes like yeast and honey, not unlike mead that was incompletely fermented.

Honey-sweet enough to be flawlessly drinkable, but yeasty enough to not be cloying. You could seriously build a civilization around this beer. A must try.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2007 01:36:16 | More by SetarconeX

Bravo4

Kentucky

4.45/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from the bottle into a Duvel glass.

A- Deep amber/orange color and hazy. 1/2 finger of off-white head that dissipates quickly. No lacing.

S- It smells of grapes, dark fruits, and alcohol. Very similar to wine.

T- Strong taste of grapes and other fruits with a little honey and alcohol.

M- Good mouthfeel with decent carbonation. You definately feel the warmth of the alcohol.

D- Decent drinkablility except for the ABV. This one will sneak up on you hard if you're not careful.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2010 21:48:08 | More by Bravo4

IrishRedBeard

Pennsylvania

4.45/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

appearance: Light amber with virtualy no head.

smell: Honey, exotic fruit. This doesn't really smell like any other beer I have ever had.

taste: Mead, grapes and other fruity notes. Doesn't really taste like beer but, it is very good.

mouthfeel: light, with very little carbonation.

drinkability: very easy to drink and very pleasent.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2010 05:54:39 | More by IrishRedBeard

zaphodchak

Virginia

4.45/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottled in 2009.

Half finger whitish head that wandered around and dissipated rather quickly.

Nose is honey and a ton of pear, with a hint of apricot. Some light mushroom.

Taste has much more of the honey with malt and more of that pear. Quite nice and really represents what New Holland Envious was supposed to be.

Mouthfeel is a bit fizzy, but very nice and refreshing and not at all undercutting the flavor.

Unlike Midas and Theobroma (which were quite similar), this one is a real difference. Light, easy drinking, probably well pairing, and so pear-y. Quite nice.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2011 01:54:15 | More by zaphodchak

Bobheed

Texas

4.45/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Bright golden with a tiny bright white head

S: Lots of spices. I'm getting some coriander and honey. Also a lot of pear aromas

T: Tastes almost like mead. It's got a real honey sweetness and a fruity pear/grape thing going on. I'm also getting huge earthy characteristics

M: Medium body, very crisp and dry

Overall this one is damn good. It's not something that's always available, so if you have the chance, grab one. Especially if you like sweeter beers or mead

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2012 02:52:28 | More by Bobheed

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.43/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bright golden color, opaque, slight carbonation, nil head.

Gorgeous aroma, abundant with fruit and flower, light and delicate, yet succulent. Sweetness surrounds the senses, but is well-grounded, and doesn't spoil anything.

Brisk sourness at the front, smack of grapefruit mingled with honey, drizzle of lemon with ...with the squeeze of a rainbow's nutsack.
A brew like this leads you to embrace absurdities, as it contains more than the mind can emcompass.

Light bodied, but so sui generis...

Delicious. An ephemeral blend, quite out-of-this-world, or too much into it, perhaps...lovely, lovely...gorgeous...

what more can I say? Beautiful.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2007 06:48:58 | More by feloniousmonk

BeerImmediately

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured a slightly cloudy, almost cider-colored orange, with an average 2f head, and some lacing. Noticable tube of carbonation rising from the ashes.

Smell was nice and sweet. Green apples and pears, with some honey sweetness layered on top.

Taste was terrific. Little more toward the apple cider side, with a hint of spice to add to the nose.

A pleasantly crisp, dry bite. But I found it much smoother than the champagne quality that some have noted.

I rate this as highly drinkable - smooth, good flavor, and a very well masked ABV. Worth whatever outrageous price I paid for it.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2009 23:21:29 | More by BeerImmediately

thespaceman

Connecticut

4.43/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 750ml bottle into my DFH signature glass:

Appearance: Pour shows a beautiful light bronze in color, nice thick head that slowly dissapates leaving wisps of lacing on the glass. Head retention is also very good here. Bubbles from the carbonation seem to streamline nicely to the top of this beer.

Smell: Spicy upon first whiff, I definetley get alot of grapes here in the nose, bits of honey and a light coriander sense. A pepper like alcohol stance is evident briefly as well but the grapes are really the signature of this one. Darker fruit esters are also apparent here.

Taste: A blast of light fruit is really nice upon first sip, those grapes from the nose stick around to give this a very flavorful wine like kick. I also get some honey, small amounts of ginger, some allspice and a little bit of licorice. A light toastiness sets in from the small amount of malt backbone but is quickly shunned away. This has a very nice spiciness to it that isn't too over the top. The grapes in Chateau taste similar to the Muscrats found in Midas Touch which gives this a very appealing taste to those wine drinkers out there. The finish consists of some buttery like grain/oats with a kick of some alcohol that pairs beautifully with the spiciness of the overall beer. Outstanding!

Mouthfeel: Light on the tongue, with a decent amount of carbonation. Chateau Jiahu is medium bodied with very little bitterness and stands firm on the tongue, with a slightly slick mouthfeel.

Drinkability: What an amazingly different beer to say the least. One of the epitome of spiced beers that really sets the tone for Dogfish Head's ever expanding line-up of ancient recipe beers. I love how the grapes in this beer really show characteristics of wine as this could be served to a wine drinking only person and actually be liked. The amount of spiciness is just enough to keep me involved and interested with the kick of alcohol doing the rest of the work in the finish. As far as drinkability goes, this is a very drinkable beer with the %8 ABV well hidden behind all of these beautiful spiced properties and fruit florals. Overall, another excellent beer from Sam and the Dogfish Head crew that deserves it's ranks as one of the best spiced beers in the world.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2009 01:48:53 | More by thespaceman

atr2605

New York

4.43/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A- pours a transparent golden color with a white head, good retention
S-grapes, apple, perfume, tropical fruit, straw dry malt
T-honey, the straw aroma comes into the flavor with the sweetness of the honey up front, with excellent balance. The grapes provide alot of complexity without coming across as a grape flavor
M-medium bodied
O- awesome beer. So much flavor and really unique. Reminds me of some of the complex white wines. I liked it the when it was a little bit warmer, not room temp, but slightly elevated temp. Alot of the layered flavors started to come through at that point. If it wasn't so expensive I would drink it whenever I could

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2011 01:36:00 | More by atr2605