Dogfish Head’s Most-Requested Rare Beer, Midas Touch, Returns

Dogfish Head Midas Touch returns as a rare ancient ale

Dogfish Head Midas Touch is back, and for fans who have spent years asking the Delaware brewery to bring this unusual beer back, the return is more than another seasonal release hitting shelves. Midas Touch is one of Dogfish Head’s most-requested rare beers, a distinctive beer-wine-mead hybrid built around honey, barley, white Muscat grapes and saffron, with a story that reaches back thousands of years to the ancient world. Not your everyday craft beer.

The return of Dogfish Head Midas Touch also brings attention back to the brewery’s Ancient Ales series, one of its most distinctive brewing projects and a reminder that craft beer can draw inspiration from historical research as much as modern hop varieties or changing drinking trends. First brewed in 1999, Dogfish Head Midas Touch was developed with biomolecular archaeologist Dr. Patrick McGovern after chemical analysis of a drinking vessel associated with King Midas helped researchers reconstruct the likely ingredients of an ancient beverage. The result is a modern interpretation of a drink from history, and one that still stands apart from the usual lineup of IPAs, lagers and stouts.

There’s real character here. At 9% ABV, Dogfish Head Midas Touch combines a sweet honey and orchard-fruit profile with subtle earthy spice and a crisp, wine-like finish, landing somewhere between familiar beer territory and something closer to mead or white wine. That combination is part of what makes the Dogfish Head rare beer return interesting: it offers longtime fans a chance to revisit a much-requested release while giving newer drinkers an unusual example of the brewery’s experimental approach. The beer is rolling out to taps and retail shelves in select states, with Dogfish Head’s Delaware locations expected to offer it on draft and in six-packs of 12-ounce cans.

Dogfish Head has confirmed that Midas Touch is returning after years of requests from fans, bringing its ancient-inspired recipe back to the brewery’s lineup. Here is the full announcement, including the beer’s ingredients, tasting notes, historical background and availability details.

Below is the full Press Release for Dogfish Head Midas Touch:

A “liquid gold” recreation of a millennia-old beverage enjoyed by King Midas, this “Ancient Ale” was created using chemical evidence found in the Turkish ruler’s tomb

MILTON, Del., Oct. 15, 2026 — Beginning tomorrow, Dogfish Head’s most-requested rare beer, Midas Touch, makes its highly anticipated return. The first of the brewery’s “Ancient Ales,” this beer-wine-mead hybrid is a “liquid gold” recreation of a millennia-old beverage enjoyed by the historic King Midas, the chemical evidence for which was found during the excavation of the Turkish ruler’s tomb. Midas Touch is currently making its way to taps and shelves across select states from coast-to-coast, but for drinkers who can’t wait, Dogfish Head’s Delaware locations will have it this week, both on draft and in 6pk/12oz cans.

MORE ON MIDAS TOUCH: Landing somewhere between a beer, a mead and a wine, Dogfish head Midas Touch is a liquid time capsule brewed with a unique blend of barley, honey, white Muscat grapes and saffron. Clocking in at 9.0% ABV, it is a sweet yet dry brew that appeals to both beer- and white wine-drinkers alike. Medium-bodied and lightly warming, Midas Touch boasts sweet notes of honey and orchard fruits, complemented by a subtle, earthy spice and a crisp, vinous finish.

“Of all our rare beers, Midas Touch is by-far the most beloved by drinkers,” said Sam Calagione, Dogfish Head Brewer & Founder. “Since we last brewed Midas, we’ve received countless messages and comments from our followers across our social media channels, as well as from guests that have visited our properties in Delaware, all begging us to bring this deliciously complex beer back. Well, we heard you and we couldn’t be more excited for the return of this Ancient Ale!”

THE STORY BEHIND DOHFISH HEAD MIDAS TOUCH: More than two millennia ago, in what is now Türkiye, lived King Midas of Phrygia, a ruler rumored to bear a “golden touch.” Whether there’s any truth to that myth, the world may never know, but it can be confirmed that King Midas was known to enjoy an alcoholic beverage.

Fast-forward more than 2,700 years, during the modern excavation of King Midas’ tomb, the late biomolecular archeologist, Dr. Patrick McGovern of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archeology & Anthropology, uncovered a preserved drinking vessel, complete with remnants of the original liquid that once filled it. After careful chemical analysis of the vessel’s remnants, he was able to determine the probable makeup of the ancient liquid, including the ingredients used to build the original recipe.

Enter Dogfish Head! Known for brewing with off-centered culinary ingredients of all kinds, the brewery’s Brewer & Founder, Sam Calagione, jumped at the challenge to work with Dr. Patrick McGovern and bring this once beloved beverage “back from the dead.” In 1999, Midas Touch – and subsequently, Dogfish Head’s “Ancient Ales” beer series – was born.  

DOGFISH HEAD’S “ANCIENT ALES” BEER SERIES: After the success of Dogfish Head Midas Touch, Dogfish Head teamed up with Dr. Patrick McGovern for a plethora of other “Ancient Ales.” Similarly to the process used to create Midas Touch, each “Ancient Ale” was crafted with biomolecular evidence and cultural traditions from a specific era and region. Examples of Dogfish Head’s various “Ancient Ales,” include, but are not limited to:

• Chateau Jiahu (10.0% ABV): Developed in 2006, Chateau Jiahu is recreation of a 9,000-year-old beverage brewed with orange honey blossom, Muscat grape juice, barley malt and hawthorn fruit, the evidence for which was found in preserved pottery jars found in Northern China’s Neolithic village of Jiahu, in Henan province.
  
• Ta Henket (4.5% ABV): Developed in 2010, Ta Henket is a recreation of an ancient Egyptian beverage brewed with wheat, loaves of hearth-baked bread, chamomile, doum-palm fruit and a blend of Middle Eastern herbs using traditions plucked from Egyptian hieroglyphics and a saccharomyces yeast strain native to Cairo.
  
• Kvasir (10.0% ABV): Developed in 2013, Kvasir is a recreation of a 3,500-year-old Danish beverage brewed with red winter wheat, bog-grown berries, honey, birch syrup and a medley of herbs, the evidence for which was gleamed from the chemical, botanical and pollen analysis of an ancient drinking vessel from the Nordic climes of Scandinavia.

For more on Midas Touch and Dogfish Head’s other “Ancient Ales,” please visit www.dogfish.com. To track down Dogfish Head’s beers, check out the Fish Finder.

Related Dogfish head news on mybeerbuzz.com:
Dogfish Head Midas Touch returning is part of a broader story about the Delaware brewery’s commitment to resurrecting fan-favorite beers, experimenting with unusual ingredients and keeping its off-centered brewing philosophy alive. For more Dogfish Head news on MyBeerBuzz, read our coverage of Dogfish Head reviving Ancient Ales Midas Touch in 2026 Small Batch Series cans, Dogfish Head’s 2026 beer release calendar, Dogfish Head’s 2026 fall beers and spirits, and Dogfish Head Birra Etrusca Bronze, another ancient-inspired ale.

These related stories explore the return of rare Dogfish Head beer, the history of the Ancient Ales series and the brewery’s ongoing interest in distinctive ingredients and unconventional brewing traditions.

DOGFISH HEAD CRAFT BREWERY:

 With quality, creativity and non-conformity at its core, Dogfish Head has been committed to brewing unique beers with high-caliber culinary ingredients outside the Reinheitsgebot since the day it opened more than 31 years ago. Dedicated to exploring goodness of all kinds, Dogfish Head later expanded its beverage artistry beyond just craft beer to produce award-winning portfolios of full-proof spirits – whiskeys, gins, vodkas, rums and more – and spirits-based, ready-to-drink canned cocktails.

A Boston Beer Company brand and proud supporter of the Independent Craft Brewing Seal, Dogfish Head is a Delaware-based entity consisting of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, a production brewery and tasting room; Dogfish Head Distilling Co., a production distillery; Brewings & Eats, a brewpub and live music venue; Chesapeake & Maine, a seafood and cocktail spot; and the Dogfish INN, a beer-themed, canal-front hotel. For more about Dogfish Head, please visit www.dogfish.com or follow the brand on social media. 

zzubreebym