Strange Dogfish head beers

When I was buying a crap Brazilian lager for the World Cup beer sweepstake I made sure I got some stuff I was actually wanted to drink too.

The beers from Dogfish head brewery in Delaware have interested me ever since I bought their 22% ABV World Wide Stout back in the days when Safeways was my local specialist beer shop. As I have relatives in Delaware I've been giving my mum a shopping list when she goes to visit but sadly for me she insists on bringing the clothes she's packed back with her so there's not much room for beer. 

As I'd got a tip off from a blog comment that Dogfish head beers could once again be bought in Britain they were the first things I added to my online shopping basket once I'd got the required Brazilian gnats piss. 

My first choice was Midas Touch, a beer based on analysis of the residue of a 2700 year old drinking vessel. I have a fascination with old beers. I've brewed a few based on recipes in Old British Beers and How To Make Them and the blogs that tend towards the historical, like those of Ron Pattison and Martyn Cornell are some of my favourites. 

Despite the wide range of beers that can now be bought some of the beers that interest me aren't available commercially so at times I have a go at 'brewing beers like those you can't buy' . Some of my efforts in this direction have been brewing unhopped ales. The blurb about Midas Touch suggested it was unhopped:

This recipe is the actual oldest-known fermented beverage in the world! It is an ancient Turkish recipe using the original ingredients from the 2700 year old drinking vessels discovered in the tomb of King Midas. Somewhere between wine & mead; this smooth, sweet, yet dry ale will please the Chardonnay of beer drinker alike.

The taste did remind me of my own attempts at ales, though more complex. It manages to be sweet and dry at the same time and almost like a fizzy wine. On the website it says that Midas Touch as 12 IBUs so there must be a small amount of hops added. It's certainly an interesting drink, but I won't be rushing out to buy it again. 

Next up was Palo Santo Marron, a beer aged in vats made from an exotic South American tree. Surprisingly it was quite mild in taste (at least as far as strong wood aged beers go) and went down rather easily. I enjoyed this one more, but not enough to fork out a fiver for a 355ml bottle again anytime soon.

So there you have it, I'm glad I drank them but having done that I'll save my money for cheaper stuff in future.