Dogfish Head Midas Touch

Beer: Midas Touch
Brewed by: Dogfish Head
Style: Traditional Ale
ABV: 9%
IBUs: 12
Bottle: 12 fl.oz.
Served in: Wine glass or pint glass
Place of purchase: this was a birthday gift for Jugsy (Thanks Ara & Leon!)
Price: unknown

Mugsy and Jugsy hope that this Memorial Day finds you relaxing, enjoying a good brew, and perhaps contemplating the finer things in life. To that end, we bring you a review inspired by the legendary King Midas, who had the ability (or so the story goes) to turn everything he touched into gold!

Dogfish Head touts this brew as the "actual oldest-known fermented beverage in the world!" They followed an ancient recipe using the original ingredients from the 2700 year old drinking vessels discovered in the tomb of King Midas and by their own admission, this brew lies "somewhere between wine & mead... and will please the Chardonnay or beer drinker alike."

In every proper review, your trusted husband & wife team of Beeraucrats will examine the Appearance, Aroma, Taste, Mouthfeel, Drinkability and Overall Rating of the Beer and arrive at a Total Score from 1 to 10.

Dogfish Head Midas Touch

APPEARANCE:

Mugsy: Darkish yellow color. Very slight amount of carbonation visible. Thin head that dissipates to an even thinner head. Looks like a lager. No lacing left on glass.
Jugsy: Amber in color with a very slight murkiness. Practically no head to speak of, but very visibly carbonated during pour, although now appears normal.

AROMA:

Mugsy: Sweet scents of honey come to the nose first. Sweet, dessert wine aroma is next. Extremely sweet smelling, almost like candy.
Jugsy: Smells fragrant and sweet, like a spicy, perfumed essential oil. Floral smells and honey -- smells like mead! Sweet malted barley and light orange blossom scent permeates throughout. If this brew has any hops, I can't smell them.

TASTE:

Mugsy: Sweet! The muscat grapes predominate this. Almost tastes like a very mild, slightly carbonated muscato wine. There is a slightly sugary after taste, but it's not overwhelming. Doesn't taste at all like other beers from any other styles that I can think of.
Jugsy: Yeast and barley flavors hit all at once, but in an unexpected way. Tastes more like wine than beer. Yeast and muscat grapes are strong middle-notes along with the spices (the label says it's saffron).

MOUTHFEEL:

Mugsy: The sugary content of the beer makes for a bit of a coating on the tongue. Goes back easily, if not somewhat watery.
Jugsy: This beer is neither rich nor watery. Has a tongue-numbing effect after a few sips, though.

DRINKABILITY:

Mugsy: The 9% ABV would keep you to drinking only a couple before moving on to something else. Also, the high sugar content coupled with the high ABV would make for a pretty nasty hangover!
Jugsy: Definitely not a brew you can continuously throw back, and not merely due to its 9% ABV, but its sheer overpowering taste! Really drinks more like wine than beer.

OVERALL:

Mugsy: Definitely a neat concept. Not bad overall. May be a little too sweet and little too watery for me. Drink this one cold and finish before it warms up to any degree! Would purchase again at least once, just for fun.
Jugsy: I was really excited to try this beer after finding out about its ancient recipe and heritage. The beer smells amazing and unlike anything I've smelled before, but the actual taste is somewhat disappointing. There's a sharp taste to it, more reminiscent of wine, which nearly always gives me a stomach ache, as this beer is doing now. It's possible the bottle was mis-handled and the taste spoiled; I can't be sure. Definitely should not be drunk on an empty stomach!

SCORE:
Mugsy: 5.5
Jugsy: 6.0