Ancient Ales

The Reinheitsgebot is a relatively modern form of art censorship.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, the Reinheitsgebot is the German beer purity law of 1516 which mandates Bavarian breweries only make beer with water, hops, (yeast) and barley. Today, the vast majority of commercially produced beer around the world is made in the light lager style. While homogenizing and globalizing the light lager style, the intergalactic brewing conglomerates have bastardized the Reinheitsgebot to include cheaper fermentable sugar sources like rice and corn but still say their beers utilize the full spectrum of 'traditional' brewing ingredients.

At Dogfish Head we've built our reputation for brewing extreme, exotic, extraordinary beers by willfully, purposefully, passionately thumbing our noses at the Reinheitsgebot. Since opening in 1995, we have been brewing with 'non-traditional' ingredients like chicory, licorice root, maple syrup, honey, pumpkins, raisins, and brown sugar. We were often referred to as freaks, extremists, and rebels but we stuck to our guns and brewed the kinds of wild, unique, full-flavored beers that we as brewers enjoy drinking.

Flash-forward 15 years... we're brewing more than event and... (better yet!).. we haven't changed. The beer industry however, has changed and in our humble opinion - for the better! There are now hundreds of breweries around the world coloring outside the lines. We've chosen to follow our respective creative muses instead of some antiquated medieval legislation that was originally enforced to stop Bavarian peasants from brewing with grains which their draconian government preferred them to bake with. Turns out, history has proven we are the ones making traditional beer!

Since 1999, Dogfish Head has worked closely with molecular archeologist Dr.Patrick McGovern, one of the world's leading experts in ancient beverages. Together, we bring ancient brewing history back to life. The first beer we created together is our Midas Touch. This recipe is based on molecular evidence found in a Turkish tomb believed to have belonged to King Midas. The beer is brewed with honey, white Muscat grapes, and saffron.

The second beer to come about from this partnership is our Chateau Jiahu. Jiahu's ingredient list was unearthed from a 9000 year old tomb in China. The Jiahu discovery represents the oldest known fermented beverage evidence in the history of civilization! That means that drinks made from fermented grain (beer) have a longer history than beverages made from fermented grapes (wine). Chateau Jiahu is made with hawthorn fruit, sake rice, barley, and honey.

Theobroma was the next Dogfish Head collaboration with Dr. McGovern. This unfiltered, 9% a.b.v. beer is brewed with honey, ancho chilies, ground annatto seeds, cocoa nibs, and cocoa powder from the acclaimed artisanal Askinosie Chocolate company in Missouri.

Beers like Theobroma, Chateau Jiahu, and Midas Touch are truly liquid time capsules. They transport the modern beer connoisseur back to a time when our ancestor-brewers were unencumbered by laws and style guidelines. Well before the Reinheitsgebot they made beers with the indigenous, natural ingredients at hand. The artistry, creativity and diversity of these beers were as colorful and contrasting as the varied cultures in which they were brewed.

Besides our collaborations with Dr. McGovern on specific ancient ales, Dogfish Head has been turning back time since day one. We've brewed African Tej with honey and tree roots, medieval gruits with grains of paradise, and our Sah'tea brewed with rye, juniper, and Black Chai Tea, is based on a 9th century Finnish recipe. Our version of Chicha was brewed with traditional methods used by natives in Mexico and South American.

This is all part of the longer tradition of creative brewing Dogfish Head has focused on since we started. And for this reason Dogfish Head may just be the most traditional modern brewery in the world.