Sah’tea

Brewed By: Dogfish Head
Brewed In: Rehoboth Beach, DE
Type: Antique Ale
ABV: 9%

What they say: “A modern update on a 9th century Finnish proto-beer. Brewed with rye, we caramelize the wort with white hot river rocks, then ferment it with a German Weizen yeast. In addition to juniper berries foraged directly from the Finnish country-side we added a sort of tea made with black tea, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and black pepper. The spicing is subtle and balanced and Sahtea is a highly-quaffable, truly-unique brew with a full-mouth feel.”

Website: Touched on here and here . Very complex, but full of info. All the links one would need are up top—links to the beers, links to all sorts of events and information, you name it and you can find it.

Why this one, Show? Dogfish Head is in my top 5 breweries. Now, since all beer snobs tend to say that, I’ll explain why. No matter where I’ve lived, it has been varietal, available, and [for the most part] affordable. I’ve been a fan of Dogfish Head since trying the Raison D’Etre all the way back in 2001. Also, the uniqueness factor—this is another beer they’ve made using early brewing ingredients and techniques.

First Thoughts:
Head: Thin, white, dissipating.
Nose: Sweet spices; cinnamon, clove.
Color: Hazy gold.

Presentation (5): Dogfish Head’s 750 ml bottles are always adorned with interesting graphics, info, and potpourri. This sea-blue label boasts a large graphic of a nondescript East Asian woman sitting atop a reindeer head, offering you a cup of wonderful chai tea. Also worked into the label is a brief description of the beer, a rewording of the “What They Say” text above, and the ABV. As with most Dogfish labels, it looks like nothing else I’ve seen, and that makes me want to drink it. 5

Originality (5): Another beer made with old techniques and ingredients. Like, really old. Like, back in the day old, if by “back in the day,” you mean back when people were figuring out how to write again and your average northern European was wondering if Vikings were going to burn their village down today, or tomorrow (Answer: both). This beer is boiled utilizing wood-fired hot rocks, brewed with rye and juniper, and then takes a quick left with the addition of a spice blend “tea.” This beer is all sorts of original. 5

Body (10): There’s not a lot of carbonation, but there’s still a lot of body in this beer. As the sip goes through the mouth, there’s an almost syrupy quality to it. The ease in drinking—due to not a lot of carbonation—is tempered by the weight and flavor of the sip. Easy to drink, but not necessarily easy-drinking. 8

Taste (10): This is a weird one. On one hand this tastes like a slightly sweet black or chai tea, but on the other it tastes like a beer. All the flavors of a good tea are present from the cinnamon, to the cloves, to even a little bit of the pepper in the finish. It really does taste like tea, which belies the strength of the beer. The finish is just a tad, say, cloudy; a crisp end would have given this the perfect score. 9

Efficiency (10): No question about it. This beer has the right combination of a high ABV, a non-”beer” taste, and ease of drinking that puts it right at the top of the efficiency scale. The only thing stopping this from hitting the top is its price: $16 for one bottle of beer is a bit steep, even if one is all you need. 9

Versatility (10): This beer, even with its sweet exotic tea taste really is best consumed by itself. I can’t see this going with any sort of meal, though I would make an exception for a few desserts. As mentioned above, its price tag also isn’t doing it any favors, putting this out of “a few for the game” territory and landing it squarely in the “special occasion” category. 4

Final Score: 40 – Great Beer

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