Dogfish Head Midas Touch 4Pk

Dogfish Head Midas Touch 4Pk is a 9% ABV ancient ale sold in a 4-pack, brewed with barley, white Muscat grapes, honey, and saffron. Its recipe is based on biomolecular archaeologist Dr. Patrick McGovern's chemical analysis of 2,700-year-old drinking vessels excavated from the tomb of King Midas — making it one of the most historically grounded beers in American craft brewing. The ale earned a Silver Medal at the 2005 Great American Beer Festival in the honey beer category.

Quick Facts: ABV: 9%  |  Origin: Milton, Delaware, USA  |  Style: Ancient Ale (Beer/Wine/Mead Hybrid)  |  Brewery: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

Production & Heritage

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, founded in 1995 in Milton, Delaware, by Sam Calagione, has long been known for pushing stylistic boundaries. Midas Touch was born from a collaboration with Dr. Patrick McGovern of the University of Pennsylvania Museum, whose analysis of residue inside ancient bronze vessels revealed a beverage that was simultaneously beer, wine, and mead. Pale malt accounts for roughly 60% of the total fermentable sugars, with honey added during the boil contributing about 20% and white Muscat grape juice introduced post-cooling for the remaining 20%, targeting an original gravity around 1.075–1.080. Saffron rounds out the recipe, lending color and a subtle herbal complexity that ties the ancient ingredients together.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Honey and white grape lead immediately, followed by a soft grain backbone and light floral saffron. A gentle boozy warmth rises as the glass warms.

Taste: The entry is sweet and grape-forward, almost reminiscent of lightly carbonated white grape juice. Mid-palate, bready malt asserts itself alongside floral honey, while the 9% alcohol adds body without harshness. The interplay between fruit and grain gives the ale a character that sits somewhere between a Chardonnay and a traditional mead.

Finish: A pastry-like quality emerges on the close — part bread crust, part honeycomb — with lingering grape sweetness. The finish is medium in length and dries out just enough to invite another sip.

How to Drink Midas Touch

Serve Midas Touch lightly chilled in a tulip glass or wine goblet to let the aromatic complexity open up; it rewards slow sipping. For cocktail-curious drinkers, try a Bee's Knees riff using Midas Touch in place of honey syrup alongside gin and lemon for a carbonated twist. A Shandy mixing equal parts Midas Touch and fresh lemonade makes a refreshing warm-weather drink that highlights the grape and honey. A Beer Mimosa pairing Midas Touch with a splash of orange juice plays off its wine-like qualities at brunch.

Best For

• History and archaeology enthusiasts who appreciate a story behind the glass
• Wine drinkers exploring craft beer for the first time
• Hosting a tasting flight of hybrid or ancient-style ales
• Gifting a craft beer fan something genuinely unusual

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Midas Touch taste like? Midas Touch tastes like a sweet yet dry hybrid of beer, wine, and mead, with prominent honey and white grape flavors supported by bready malt, floral saffron notes, and a moderate 9% ABV warmth.

How does Midas Touch compare to Chardonnay? Several reviewers note that Midas Touch drinks closer to a Chardonnay than a traditional beer due to its prominent white grape character, but it retains a bready malt backbone and honey sweetness that no wine can replicate.

Is Midas Touch good for sipping neat? Midas Touch is best enjoyed on its own, lightly chilled in a tulip or wine glass, where its layered grape, honey, and grain flavors can develop fully as it warms.

Where is Midas Touch made? Midas Touch is brewed at Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in Milton, Delaware, a coastal town on the Delmarva Peninsula known as one of America's pioneering craft beer destinations.

What foods pair well with Midas Touch? Aged white cheddar complements the honey and malt sweetness. Roasted chicken with herbs echoes the saffron notes. Baklava mirrors its honey and grain character. Grilled stone fruit like peaches plays off the Muscat grape. Mild Thai curry balances the residual sweetness with gentle heat.

What sizes does Midas Touch come in? Midas Touch is commonly available in 4-packs of 12 oz bottles, which is the format offered here.

Is Midas Touch worth the price? Midas Touch positions as a premium craft ale within the specialty and ancient ale category; its unique ingredient bill — white Muscat grapes, honey, saffron — and the scholarly research behind the recipe justify its price point above standard craft four-packs.

Why Midas Touch?

No other widely available American craft beer can claim a recipe literally reverse-engineered from a 2,700-year-old royal tomb. The collaboration between Dogfish Head and Dr. Patrick McGovern of the University of Pennsylvania Museum gives Midas Touch a provenance most beers simply cannot match. Its Silver Medal at the 2005 Great American Beer Festival validated the concept beyond novelty, proving the ancient combination of barley, grapes, and honey produces a genuinely compelling modern beverage. For drinkers who find traditional style categories limiting, Midas Touch occupies a rare space where beer, wine, and mead converge in a single glass.