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
Beer: Wolaver's India Pale Ale
Brewed by: Otter Creek Brewing, Middlebury, Vermont
Style: IPA
ABV: 6.5%
IBU: 55
Bottle: 12 fl.oz.
Served in: Pint glass
Place of purchase: Wades Wines, Thousand Oaks, CA
Price: $1.50 / per bottle
In celebration of American Craft Beer Week, (May 17-23, 2010) we thought it would be nice to review a craft beer from a small brewery in Vermont. Wolaver's takes beer back to its basics, and by that we mean organic and unadulterated beer!
Not only do they use a minimum of 98% organic ingredients to make their beers, but they also have a laundry list of sustainable "green" practices: everything from feeding their spent grain to local livestock, to treating their wastewater themselves with an in-house management system! 'Don't know about you, but we were impressed!
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.
Wolaver's India Pale Ale
APPEARANCE:
Mugsy: Medium golden color. Creamy head that dissipates quickly, however, leaves lacing on glass.
Jugsy: Amber and copper hues, slightly murky with a medium, frothy head -- no visible carbonation whatsoever.
AROMA:
Mugsy: Lots of sweet malt with a subtle hint of hops. There's a little bit of yeast in there, too. Sweet malt definitely dominates here. As the beer warms, there's a slightly funky smell that becomes noticeable. I can only imagine it's from the yeast.
Jugsy: Incredibly yeasty and rich smells hit the nose first. Something approaching "funk" but more distinctive. Aromas of apricots, licorice, dried cherries and vanilla beans combine for a striking fruitcake aroma. Slight scent of hops, but not as much as I would expect from an IPA.
TASTE:
Mugsy: Bitterness from piney hops hits the tongue first, followed by sweetness from malt. There is an unpleasant aftertaste, however. Almost chemical (ridiculous, of course, as this is organic!) I think it's from the yeast but it's hard to tell.
Jugsy: Initial taste is yeasty, like the aroma. Middle-notes include dried apricot and light citrus-orange(?) taste. Hops come through near the finish. Hint of piney hops appears and disappears, leaving a bitter finish.
MOUTHFEEL:
Mugsy: Sting on tongue from the hops remains in the mouth for a little bit. Very watery finish.
Jugsy: Feels very creamy going down. The lack of carbonation makes for smooth and easy drinking. Bitter coating on tongue is only mild and dissipates quickly.
DRINKABILITY:
Mugsy: 6.5% ABV makes this easy to drink all night, but I wouldn't necessarily want to. The unpleasant aftertaste, smell and watery finish ruined it for me.
Jugsy: From a taste perspective, this brew is bold and flavorful -- maybe too much so for a typical session beer. And at 6.5% ABV, that might be for the best. All in all, a pleasant and drinkable beer.
OVERALL:
Mugsy: The more subtle bitterness level reminds me more of a British style IPA as opposed to American style. That's fine with me, however, I just can't get past the aftertaste and smell. I really do believe that it's coming from the yeast. Maybe this bottle had seen too much light or become too warm in the store. I can't be sure, but I do know that this is not a very enjoyable beer for me. I wouldn't purchase it again. I've had other beers from Wolaver's that I don't remember being at all bad. This one surprised me.
Jugsy: While this isn't at all what I would expect from and IPA, it isn't a bad beer! The funk is kind of growing on me! However, since Mugsy just mentioned that he doesn't even want to finish this beer due to an awful aftertaste (words I seldom hear!) it occurs to me that the bold funk of this brew is not everyone's cup of... well, beer! Proceed with caution.
SCORE:
Mugsy: 2.9
Jugsy: 5.75
(Hey, they can't all be winners, right?)
Happy AMERICAN CRAFT BEER WEEK from Mugsy and Jugsy! Click HERE to sign the Declaration of Beer Independence!
Beer: Midas Touch
