Waited a very long time for this Egyptian Treasure to surface from taps onto a bottle which was affordable. This is Ta Henket by DogFish Head brewing. My taste bud had traveled through different times and places like when I tried Jiahu of Ancient China and Theobroma of the Ancient Aztecs. Today I try the Egytian Pale Wheat Ale Ta Henket. Upon opening the bottle I got a whiff of something I have never smelled before. As this brew is made with Za’Atar Doum fruit, Chamomile (Manzanilla), Emmer Farro, and Egytian yeast. The info below I got from the Dogfish website (For this ambitious liquid time capsule, we used ingredients and traditions plucked from Egyptian hieroglyphics.
Ta Henket is brewed with an ancient form of wheat and loaves of hearth-baked bread, and it’s flavored with chamomile, dom-palm fruit and Middle Eastern herbs. To ferment this earthy ancient ale, Sam and friends traveled to Cairo, set out baited petri dishes and captured a native Egyptian saccharomyces yeast strain.“It was the strangest picnic I’ve ever been on,” he said.) Truly an ancient brew as the great Egytian kings like Tutankhamun or even Queen Cleopatra VII would have drank in their time. The beer is light at 4.5%ABV and reminds me of a complex lager more than an ale. From the taste I get what seems almost like tuna…but it is not a bad tuna :P. It is hard to explain as I like tuna fish and sushi. However it is more peppery in spice and has some odd bread like flavors. Floral possibly from the fruit and herbal from the manzanilla and sweetness with minor citrus. Honey and smokey flavor is present. The spicyness is definitely like a curry like spice. Surely none of these flavors are common for this type of brew but that is always the key to having an open mind and passion about trying new things especially new beers such as this Egyptian golden masterpiece. This beer would definitely compliment a nice sushi or a nice salmon or Indian curry dish for sure. I am glad I had a chance to try something ancient and part of history here. It is definitely worth a try if you are open minded 😛
Brewerianimelogs (Anime and Beer Lore) 