Southern Tier Oat & Dogfish Head Chateau Jiahu

My friend Steve came over in the morning to help brew a batch and he brought a couple beers from his stash to help get us through it. The Southern Tier Oat, from the brewery located in Lakewood, NY has been making a splash recently. Originally well known for their Unearthly IPA and Jah-Va coffee stout, Southern Tier has also been a hot topic lately with their imperial stout titled Choklat (which I will review soon enough). The Oat pours a very dark, as you can see, and that head stuck around for a while. The main thing that stood out was this beer's thick, viscous body that contains 12.5% ABV. You might find yourself chewing on it, almost. The roastiness is there as it should be, but not overwhelming. The oat gives off a mild sweetness in the finish which combines with some chocolate. Pretty good flavor overall, but this beer is heavy. It got a 4.05, or A- from me on BeerAdvocate.

Next up was Dogfish Head Chateau Jiahu, a beer brewed with Wildflower honey, Muscat grapes, barley malt, hawthorn fruit, and Chrysanthemum flowers. If you hadn't heard of it already the recipe was based off remnants of beer found in China that were about 9,000 years old. To me, this beer was very earthy and floral. A bit of fruitiness is present as well as the honey. My friend Steve said he could easily taste the grape, but I couldn't. It was light but had a smooth texture. Overall it was an interesting beer. Not one I would sip on all the time but it was alright. I graded it a 3.75, or B, on BeerAdvocate.