Midas Touch Golden Elixir (first released in 1999). A strong ale based on residue found on drinking vessels from the tomb of King Midas, dating back to the 8th century BC. Defining ingredients include Muscat grapes, honey, and saffron.
First things first: It's great. It's also very unique for obvious reasons. Since I'm somewhat new to describing beer tastes and don't quite have the appropriate language to describe it and sound like a true connoisseur, I'll keep it simple. It pours with almost no head and at first taste it is obviously low in carbonation. There are almost no hops present. The texture of the beer is lighter than I expected but the beer has a noticeable amount of floating material in it. It's very sweet but not overwhelming at all, and high in alcohol although it does not taste too alcoholic. Overall, it's enjoyable but definitely too bold to have more than one in a night.
Dogfish Head says it's comparable to a mead, and considering that they're both ancient ales that would seem to be a fair comparison. A few years ago my dad brewed two different styles of mead, and this is a much more pleasant ale. I question how authentic the Midas Touch truly is, because from my understanding, ales used to be pretty rough and based on the mead my dad made, I'd have to agree. Mead is brutal: highly alcoholic (~12%) and noticeably so, highly carbonated, unfiltered, and the worst hangover 12oz of ale has EVER given me! Midas touch is like a mild and pleasant version of mead. If you've never had mead, it's definitely an experience.
Also, for those of you with the 33 Bottles of Beer companion, here is my entry:
