Midas Touch

Pschof · 08-09-2009, 04:05 PM

I'm doing a clone of DogFish Head Midas Touch (honey, muscat concentrate, safron). I used about half of the muscat concentrate. Since it was expensive, I put the rest in the freezer, but it didn't actually freeze. Will it keep OK, or will it go bad in there?

shot0rum247 · 08-09-2009, 04:46 PM

It wont freeze likely bc of its concentration. Freezing keeps things fresh because the bacteria the sour your edibles enjoy the same temps we enjoy. So as long as your stuff is kept as cold as your freezer it won't go bad due to bacteria. However, I don't know how that stuff naturally degrades or responds to oxygen.

That beer is SO interesting, let me know how it turns out please!

Pschof · 08-09-2009, 05:27 PM

I am a huge fan of DFH Midas, but it is so expensive. I really hope it turns out. It is fermenting right now, and I am sure (since it is a big beer) it will need some time in the secondary and bottles to mellow. But I will report back.

skibb · 08-09-2009, 06:16 PM

I received "Extreme Brewing" by Sam Calagione of DFH and in the book it has the recipe for Midas Touch BUT its only partial grain which is disappointing b/c I have brewed my last few batches AG and I really prefer to brew this way now over anything else. I understand I can always convert the 8 pounds of light malt extract into grains (though I'm not sure if there is a formula for such a conversion) but really I want the beer to be as like if not exactly like DFH makes it (and they obviously don't use extracts). They have several other beers of theirs in the book as well and they are all partial grain...

Pschof · 10-14-2009, 08:44 PM

Just opened my first Midas Touch clone. It is really interesting. Nice smell-- saffron and grape instead of hops. It tastes sweet at first and then has a kind of dry alcohol finish. As I worked my way through it, I discovered it was becoming better as it approached room temperature. In the future I think I will take it out of the fridge 30 min ahead of time.

The alcohol is still a little harsh, but I expect it to mellow as I leave it sit in the bottle over the next few weeks.

JamesClark · 10-15-2009, 04:20 AM

I've done a Midas Touch clone twice before and had good results, basically a conversion of the recipe from the book. I found that the saffron was easy to over-do, I wish I had a very tiny scale to measure it by mass, instead of "threads".

Pschof · 10-15-2009, 11:46 AM

I intentionally put in too little saffron and then added more when it was in the secondary until it seemed right.

Loweface · 10-15-2009, 12:04 PM

can you post the recipe/method you followed. I'm really interested. Midas Touch is a very tasty interesting brew...

dontman · 10-15-2009, 12:18 PM

To me DFH MT was a perfect learning experience on why hops has become very much the norm in beer.

When I took the first sips of it I was very impressed. By the time I got several ounces in to the bottle I had had enough of its cloying sweetness and I ended up dumping the last half of the bottle. I watched several other people have the exact same reaction. It was very interesting to watch the obvious transition of enjoyment in their faces.

After a while I had to get a glass of ipa to scrub that persistent syrup taste out of my mouth. This was an experience that I will not soon repeat.

This was very reminiscent of an early experience I had as a chef. I made a Lobster Bisque that, on sampling, was one of the best things I felt I had ever created. And everyone who tasted it seemed to agree.

Cut to a few days later when I put it into production and started serving it. I sold a lot of it and I could see from our open kitchen that people really liked it when it was served. It took a while for me to notice that a lot of the bowls were coming back half eaten. And this was $18 soup (in 1980's dollars!) Finally I realized when I sat down with a full bowl one night what was going on. It was so damn rich that after a few bites it just became cloying. After a few more bites it was practically inedible.

mitch171 · 10-15-2009, 12:54 PM

Smaller portions of the bisque then...

A question about this brew, could American Saffron be used in order to bring the price down. I know it isn't the same, but in a beer would it be close enough?