Chateau Jiahu
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in Milton, Delaware, United States 🇺🇸
Spiced / Herbed / Vegetable / Honey Rotating Out of Production|
Score
6.80
|
|
Let's travel back in time again for another Dogfish Head Ancient Ale (Midas Touch was our first foray and Theobroma our 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 orange blossom honey, muscat grape juice, barley malt and hawthorn fruit. The wort is fermented for about a month with sake yeast until the beer is ready for packaging.
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 orange blossom honey, muscat grape juice, barley malt and hawthorn fruit. The wort is fermented for about a month with sake yeast until the beer is ready for packaging.
Sign up to add a tick or review
7.4/10
—
Appearance 7
Aroma 6
Flavor 7.5
Texture 9
Overall 8
2006 Cellar dweller. Golden pour that turns hazy brown in the glass, thanks to plenty of large floaties. A little fizz, but not enough to put up a head. Definite honey and light Muscat grape nose. A few off notes, or maybe it's some of the spices. Pleasant taste, like a light mead, perhaps. Then some sweet white wine, supported by definite fizz. Fruit and honey continue, with probably more malt sweetness in the mix. Even a little chili pepper at the edges of my tongue. I've been clearing more of old beers that aren't imperial stouts, but finding nice surprises like this one.
Tried
from Bottle
on 28 Feb 2026
at 04:57
6.4/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Bottle. Actually liked this one better then the "Midas Touch" one. More balanced then Midas with the right balance of sweet and dry.
Tried
from Bottle
on 24 Mar 2025
at 05:16
5.4/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 4
Texture 4
Overall 5.5
Aroma is sweet, and cloying already, and i havent even tasted it. Notes of raisins, and spice, with some yeast. Quite odd.......leaves a sickly sweet mouthfeel and aftertase. Way too sweet.
Tried
on 28 Feb 2025
at 05:01
7/10
Backlog
Tried
on 10 Sep 2018
at 09:46
7/10
Backlog
Tried
on 10 Sep 2018
at 09:46
7/10
Backlog
Tried
on 10 Sep 2018
at 09:46
7/10
Backlog
Tried
on 10 Sep 2018
at 09:46
7.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7
750 ml bottle. Amber orange color. Small creamy beige head. Sweet malty aroma. Flavor follows nose. Notes of grape juice, sweet apple and honey. Lots of sweet fruity flavor. Some warming boozy notes in finish.
Tried
from Bottle
on 18 Aug 2017
at 22:52
6/10
—
Appearance 4
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 6
Bottle pour into tulip glass from Cigarette City. Appearance is cloudy orange with huge amounts of sediment in suspension; 1/2 finger-width white fizzy head with poor retention, decent sparkle, minimal lacing. Aroma is sort of like a wine cooler--a cross between champagne and grape juice. Taste is similar to aroma--not as sweet as a full on Welch’s grape juice but strong grape--some light spiciness, yeast, late grains. Palate is medium bodied with foamy texture, soft carbonation and dry grape finish. Overall, I always give kudos to Dogfish Head for pushing boundaries and I’m sure I would have reached for this in a second 9,000 years ago, but today I have other options I’d prefer.
Tried
from Bottle
on 18 Aug 2016
at 18:53
8.9/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 10
Overall 8.5
Aroma: honey, grape, and something I take to be hawthorn, hay Appearance: clear golden with a white head Taste: medium sweetness, medium bitterness, Palate: medium body, sticky, average carbonation, long finish, Delicious
Tried
on 15 Apr 2016
at 15:30