Pangaea - Dogfish Head, 7% ABV, (Milton, Delaware)
On the side label:
“Pangaea is the name of the super continent. Before the land masses separated we were all just one happy family. Our Pangaea has a hint of ginger and great complexity, celebrating our communal history. Best drunk cool not cold from a snifter or wine glass. Think globally. Drink globally. Ages with the best of ‘em.”
Urbock 23 - Schloss Eggenberg, 9.6% ABV, (Austria) (listed in the “1001 Beers you must try before you die”)
My Notes:
Tasting Notes: pours semi-dark orange, small quickly dissipating head, minor ringed retention, micro CO2, slow-moving runny lacing, slow-moving CO2 streams. Lightly malted ginger, a bit of orange. Half-sharp CO2 tingly & creamy start, candied ginger in the mid, minimal ginger burn, deep 3/10 bitterness near the end, off-dry clean finish. Notes of bitter orange peel, pink grapefruit, and honey. Medium-high complexity, medium-depth, long finish, excellent balance, great transitions, good carry. An exceptionally balanced and nuanced ginger beer.
Chateau Jiahu - Dogfish Head, 9% ABV, (Milton, DE)
On the label:
“9000 year old Chateau Jiahu stands apart as the most ancient, chemically-attested alcoholic beverage in the world. Its re-creation is based on painstaking excavation by Chinese archaeologists of Jiahu in the Yellow River basin, state-of-the-art microanalysis of pottery residues by American laboratories, and the inspired ‘Neolithic” brewing of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery. Chateau Jiahu, then as now, opens a window into the world of our ancestors.”
My Notes:
Tasting Notes: pours golden orange, slightly cloudy, smallish head, ringed retention, micro CO2, thicker runny lacing, lots and lots of CO2 streams. A rather muted nose. Drinks really really creamy up front, velvety silky soft CO2, 6/10 tangy fruity green grape, mild 2/10 bitterness in the mids, slightly bitter ale finish. Medium complexity, medium depth, excellent carry, love the transitions, medium length. Very well balanced and doesn’t drink like a beer at all - more like a sparkling fruit wine. Could drink this over and over again. Also the 9% ABV is completely hidden.
Festina Pêche - Dogfish Head brewery, 4.5% ABV, (Milton, DE)
On the bottle:
“Festina pêche is a neo-Berliner style Weisse fermented with peach juice. This unique, tart and refreshing brew is so down with the dog days of summer.”
My Notes:
Tasting Notes: pours cloudy lighty fleshy peach, minimal head, negligible retention, minimal ringed runny lacing, invisible CO2 streams. Mild Ceres peach juice on the nose. Ultra-tart up front, 7/10 lip-puckering sour mixed with a mellow yellow peach + semi-grapefruit body, and 25% barnyard awfulness, finishes 5/10 sweet and 8/10 tart. Low-medium complexity, low-medium depth, medium-bodied, so-so carry. Halfway through this I can confidently say I that I won’t particularly enjoy finishing it - but I will only out of non-wasting principle.