Dogfish Head Sah'Tea

Dogfish Head is esoteric to say the least. "Off centered ales for off centered people." And they aren't kidding. Dogfish Head offers everything from chocolate beers, to the world's strongest fruit beer, to exotic wood aging, to the most imperial of all imperial IPAs, etc, etc, etc. Aside from the novelty of the beers they brew, they're also really, really good.



That being said. Dogfish Head has got me hooked. I will buy anything that they put on the market. They could put out a beer called "Dogshit Head... brewed with real dog shit", and I would most certainly still buy it. Here enters a new brew from Dogfish called Sah'Tea. According to Dogfish's website this is a beer that is brewed with rye, caramelized with hot river rocks, and fermented with a German Weizen yeast. On top of this, the beer has juniper berries added to it as well as a "tea" of black tea, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and black pepper.



Out of the champagne bottle, the beer pours a slightly hazy golden color with a small, very fizzy head that disappeared as soon as it had appeared. As complex as the recipe for this beer sounds, the aroma this beer offers is just as complex. I picked up a lot of cinnamon and ginger as well as some tea notes, spice, fruit, and clove-like notes. The flavor is very similar, but is also has a slight sweetness to it with a citrusy quality that is most likely due to the juniper berries. The finish on the beer is very long and is a lot of tea as well as cloves that is due to the German Weizen yeast. With all the flavors this beer offers, it's still really drinkable. I don't know how it's 9% ABV.



I liked this beer. I'm also glad I shared it with a friend. A full 750 mL of this beer would be a bit much. I probably won't buy it again because of the price tag of $11.99, but it is surely worth trying. While it is not my favorite from Dogfish Head, it is still one that satisfied. I say buy it for the sake of trying it and broadening your beer experience.