Unrepentant beer drinkers, rejoice! Each week, Clean Plate Charlie will select one craft or import beer and give you the lowdown on it: How does it taste? What should you drink it with? Where can you find it? But mostly, it's all about the love of the brew. If you have a beer you'd like featured in Beer of the Week, let us know via a comment.
You've gotta give it up for Dogfish Head, a beer producer so whacked out that even its name sounds like it's straight out of a Terry Gilliam flick. Dogfish and its off-kilter founder, Sam Calagione, have made some truly interesting brews, stuff other beer makers don't even think about doing. It ages beers on Palo Santo wood and fortifies its Belgians with real raspberries. And its ancient ales series -- made from recipes dating back thousands of years -- is like a history lesson in a bottle. In short, if you want to be surprised, excited, terrified, and heartened by beer all at once, just pick up a bottle of Dogfish and crack it open.
Sah'tea pours a shade of citrine with a light and lacy head. The first sip is unreal -- a malty rush of sweet, cool brew that relinquishes a slap of clove, coriander, and cumin. Then, hiding behind that, is a sort of yeasty tea flavor that lingers on the palate. It's a simply stunning beer that, at $15 a bottle, isn't exactly cheap. But it's well worth splitting with a friend, lingering over the aromas and subtle character. It may be the best of Dogfish's crazy ancient ales and rare brews that I've tried.
Pick up Sah'tea at Crown Fine Wine & Spirits and Total Wine & More. And check out this video from Dogfish's site on Sah'tea.
