a compilation of musings on one of the world's oldest beverages...and a few other topics.

Friday, February 4, 2011

The Midas Touch: As Ancient as Hugh Hefner

A couple nights ago, I tried (drumroll please)...Dogfish Head's "Midas Touch." According to Dogfish Head, "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."

Sounds...intriguing! But, let's start at the beginning.



After I poured the Midas Touch (not in a white wine glass, but, uh, thanks for the rec, DFH), I took a sniff. I then recoiled, slightly. Because the Midas Touch smelled like Natty Light congealed on a frat house floor, clomped on by girls from Long Island wearing black pants and NorthFace fleece while disposing of their cigarette ash. It immediately brought back flooding memories of flip cup, TRACS, and inadvertently giving myself food poisoning from accidentally mixing raw chicken juices with sauteed vegetables. Oh, college. But, I digress....much love for ellipses, btw.

So, the Midas Touch. According to the bottle, the beer contains honey, white muscat grapes, saffron, and barley. Yes, it does sound like something brewed in Egypt. Way to bring in current events, right?

The beer poured a beautiful amber color. And it tasted nothing like Natty Light. Fortunately.

The beer is bubbly, sharp, and carbonated. It's definitely a sweet beer, a little too sweet for my taste. In fact, it was almost like drinking a glass of champagne. That's not really what I go for, when seeking out a good beer. On top of this, the smell didn't do anything for me! Not that the smell should necessarily matter; as I mentioned, the similarity to Natty Light ended after a few whiffs. However, it's always amusing to read that a beer should have some divine, earth-shattering smell, only to have it be opposite. Ah well, could be my nose.

The honey definitely came through; the barley, not as much. The carbonation made it feel like (for a second, and for me, at least) there were pop rocks sitting on my tongue.

This beer has a pretty high abv- 9%. Despite that, it's a drinkable beer. It's not cloying alcoholic, as the ingredients do a good job of masking the abv (although my Aunt, upon taking a sip, did say, "all I taste is the alcohol." But then again, she rarely drinks beer.) Having said that, don't knock back 3 of these in one sitting. Because it's strong. It's not something to chug, it's not a great beer to drink through the night if your goal is getting hammered with your buddies, and it's a bit too intense for multiple glasses. If you're really enjoying the carbonation/sweetness/sharpness and wish to have a second, by all means, do. But know that you may be in for a slight headache.

For people who may be more keen on sweeter beers, this is a decent bet. In my opinion, calling the beer "one-dimensional" as some of the reviewers have claimed, is going to far. There is a flavor variety. Pay attention while you drink this.

On an unrelated note, I'm fairly tempted to do away (on my end) with the grades. It's just so subjective; I rather prefer to just describe, and think the description makes clear as to whether or not I enjoy the beer. But in the meantime, while I mull this BURNING QUESTION:

Midas Touch- B.

Have a great weekend, all! If you're out West, enjoy this crazy weather. If you're not out West, well...my sympathies, child.

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