“Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Month” has officially leaked into December with this evaluation and will do so even more with another to come this Friday.  It was not intentional, but I was left with a few of the more interesting beers for this week, including this one based on an ancient Turkish recipe discovered in the tomb of King Midas.  Being brewed without hops gives this one a very unique flavor profile (that The Wife enjoyed a lot) and is certainly worth a try if you have the opportunity.

Brewery: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (Milton, Delaware)

Name: Midas Touch

Style: Spice/Herb Beer

ABV: 9.0%

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge and served in a white wine glass.  $3.99 for 12oz.

Aroma: Sweet aroma of grapes (prominent).  Clean and crisp sauvignon blanc/riesling-like nose.

Appearance: Golden color with strong orange tint (honey-like, probably influenced by the saffron).  Slight, off-white head that quickly dissipates with no trail and very slight legs.  Very clear with a few bubbles rising.

Flavor: Moderate grape flavor on a background of light maltiness and a slight bit of honey sweetness.  Some dryness at the finish that stays on the palate a bit.

Mouthfeel: Light body and pretty high carbonation with some bite (champagne-like).  Smooth and crisp with a slight warmth at finish (enough to let you know it is 9%).

Overall Impressions: Drinks like a light bodied beer, but with a lot of flavor.  Seemingly a direct midpoint between beer and champagne.  Very pleased to have tried and quite different than anything I have tasted to date (that I can recall).

Grade: B+

Point of entry

Dogfish Head - Midas Touch

Dogfish Head - Midas Touch

The attempt to make a video of the bottling process for my pumpkin ale did not turn out as I envisioned, so a written update will have to do this time.  I had very good reactions to the video for racking the pumpkin ale, but my editing skills were not up to the task of turning the long bottling footage into something of reasonable length.  No worries though as I will figure out what to do for next time.  Refining my video making skills will run right along with refining my brewing skills, which I am more than OK with.

So my pumpkin ale has been in bottles for about a week and a half now.  If you are curious about the bottling process check out what I did with the honey porter a few months ago.  The procedure was exactly the same except I was using all recycled bottles this time rather than brand new.  I ended up with fifty 12-ounce bottles even after spilling at least one bottle worth on the floor.

A few days ago marked one week, so I opened a bottle for sampling to see how things were coming along.  It has carbonated very well and the flavor is pretty damn good, if I do say so myself.  I wished the aroma was a little more prominent, but it seems like it will turn out to be a winner.  The Wife enjoyed it very much and we are looking forward to the official “release” in about a week or so.

If you need proof of it being in bottles, just take a look at what the Chief of Sanitation is resting on.

Dedicated to his work

Stay tuned for the review!

Unfortunately most of the fall seasonal beers are long off the shelves before Thanksgiving comes around as the winter beers seem to come out earlier and earlier every year.  This one is consistently at the top of the list for me when it is released each year and I held onto a few (along with some other pumpkin beers) to enjoy in November.  The Wife even used a Punkin Ale to make (some very good) bread with earlier this month.  Be sure to put this on your shopping list for autumn next year.

Brewery: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (Milton, Delaware)

Name: Punkin Ale

Style: Vegetable Beer (based on American Brown Ale)

ABV: 7.0%

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge and served in a pint glass.  $8.99 for a 4-pack.

Aroma: Pumpkin pie-like spices (definitely nutmeg and some allspice).  Full malty sweetness and seems like a real pumpkin aroma is there (in back).

Appearance: Medium brown color with copper tint.  Slight cream color head with good retention and no trail.  Mostly clear with some haze.

Flavor: Medium maltiness with slight toasted and caramel notes.  Very slight hint of pumpkin spice flavors.  Extremely low hop flavor and bitterness with a hint of dryness at the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with fairly high carbonation (has slight bite).  Smooth with a very slight warmth.

Overall Impressions: Good beer for those who don’t like pumpkin beers (or think that they don’t).  Great balance of pumpkin aroma and maltiness in flavor.  Nice beer for the season . . . at the top of pumpkin beers for me (pending further research).  Maybe slightly high alcohol for style (4.3-6.2% for Brown Ale).

Grade: A-

The entry point

Dogfish Head - Punkin Ale

Dogfish Head - Punkin Ale

For the second entry regarding my attempt at brewing a pumpkin ale at home I decided to take a break from writing and give you all a break from reading.  I wanted to get some more practice with making video content and this was a perfect opportunity for that.

Now that the mixture is back in the friendly confines of the bathtub bubbling away, I present you with how it got there.

It’s possible for me to blame the palate confusion I had with this beer on the fact that it was one of my earliest reviews, but I don’t believe I would fare any better today.  Spice, herb or vegetable beers are not that common a beverage choice for me (even since this review), so I don’t have much more experience in those evaluations.  Combine that with the fact that I wouldn’t know what heather was if it was growing in my back yard and I really had/have no chance at accurately describing this beer.  I have found out that people have been brewing with heather for thousands of years, so they certainly must know what they are doing.

Brewery: Williams Bros. Brewing Company (Scotland)

Name: Fraoch Heather Ale

Style: Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer

ABV: 5.0%

Tasting Notes: Stored in the wine fridge and served in a Mug/Stein

Aroma: Slight yeast(?) aroma and a clear/clean floral background.  Light bit of malt.

Appearance: Light honey color.  Slight white head that quickly dissipates.  A bit cloudy, but clearly visible bubbles along glass.

Flavor: Malty (in a green/not roasted way).  Low hops and a floral to grass like undertone.  Dry finish with a slight linger.

Mouthfeel: Light body with medium carbonation.  Smooth to almost creamy on palate.

Overall Impressions: Flavors are certainly new to me.  Drinks easily and not at all harsh.  Floral nose is stronger than in flavor.  Will need to sample more S-H-V- beers for comparison.

Grade: B (or so)

Williams Bros. Brewing Co. - Fraoch Heather Ale