Dogfish Head Chateau Jiahu

I'm a sucker for slick packaging.  It is nearly impossible for me to pass up something I think will be good if it is packaged artfully.  This is why, when passing Grapes of Mirth at the North Market the other day, I zeroed in on this fabulous bottle from about 30 paces away.  I'm also a sucker for great beer, so this was a natural.  And, it came with a cool story to boot. 

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery has something of a history of updating ancient classics, and when I say that, I really mean it.  They first produced the monster Midas Touch Golden Elixir, based upon scientific analysis of drinking vessels found in King Midas' tomb.  That beer boasts a whopping 300 calories per 12 ounce serving, along with a 9% alcohol content (most typical beers are somewhere around 150 calories and 4% alcohol).  That is why it is advisable to use caution when drinking Dogfish Head beers; they have a tendency to go straight to your head.

The newest creation, or shall I say re-creation, from Dogfish Head comes in the form of Chateau Jaihu.  In the Henan province of Northern China lies Jaihu.  Pottery found there was analyzed and revealed to have been used for a fermented beverage containing rice, fruit and honey more than 9,000 years ago.  Painstaking analysis has revealed much of the chemical content of the original beverage, and it has been closely recreated using a mixture of rice and barley malt, along with flowers, honey and hawthorn; then fermented with Muscat grapes (used to make very sweet dessert wines).  The result is a light, very sweet and extremely winey drink.  Although no alcohol content is listed (and, thankfully, no calories, either), I imagine it is probably in line with other Dogfish brews, somewhere around 8-9%.  The "beer" tastes amazingly light, considering its density (you will notice from the picture there's no seeing through), and is only lightly carbonated.  I could never drink the entire 750ml bottle, but it would make a nice pre-dinner quaff (taken in small doses so as not to fill up!).

Dogfish Head Chateau Jaihu can be found at Grapes of Mirth in the North Market for $8 a 750ml bottle.  Other good chances of finding it are the Anderson's General Store in Dublin or Weiland's Gourmet Market, although I couldn't say for sure.  Production is limited so buy it fast!