Dogfish Head Raison D Extra

Brewed by Dogfish Head Brewery
Style: American Strong Ale
Milton, Delaware USA

Bottle. Bottled March 15, 2007, so close to two years on it. Definite sediment in the bottle. Pours a slightly murky ruby brown with a thin white head. Big chocolate, caramel, plum, vanilla. At first I think this will be pretty tasty as the aromas are solid. Medium bodied, a touch of metal, a bit spicy, huge booze. Lots of caramel, even more booze on the finish, and a touch of sweetness… sort of like granola. Guess maybe it needed another 2 years. Too boozy to drink. Really hot.

Boozy cereal nose. Kibble liqueur, anyone? Cloudy ochre with chunks of "stuff", no head. Sweet date and raisin flavor, rather cloying. Cereal finish. Alcohol present, but downstated, given its actual content. Well done for what it purports to be, I suppose. It isn’t agreeable in the least to me, however. It isn’t beery enough, which I can accept if it had more character. I’d rather have the Raison d’Etre. FWIW, it will totally ef you up, if you enjoy that sort of thing.

Bottle, and only a 12oz split 2 ways, 2005 vintage. Deep mahogany body with a thin bubbly lacing. Soy, maple, bourbon like notes w/ vanilla and oak. Hints of plum and raisin notes amongst a massive warming. Some old like moth oxidation notes, but a modest warming. Drinks awesome once you get use to the burning but that takes a bit.

Up to 20.5% you say my good fellow? Bring it on. ABC Family Night with Harry Potter might not be the Seattle International Beer festival but What The Hell? At least after half a snifter Hermoine is looking a bit more shapely. Nearing the peak of Dogfish Head’s alcohol summit, Raison d’Extra packs a nosy punch and palate sting. The tumult of % scorches down your throat before most of the flavor has time to snugly tongue-settle. Obviously, this drink is all about the raisins: the taste and subsequently pleasing afterburp. The last item of note: the weight of the booze melts those shriveled grape testes into a ragged terry cloth of chocolate flavor that wipes your mouth clean. The tongue that wobbles on this beer is like a diving board vibrating with numbness, equally soulless and enjoyable. It’s not magic but something solid that’s worth a taste—probably not the whole fourpack. That is, unless, female wizards are your raison d’sextra. I mean d’Extra.

12oz bottle obtained in Goodyear, AZ. Enjoyed in a hotel room on July 4th 2009. Dark, murky brown brew with a smallish offwhite head, little lacing. Big fruity aroma of gewurtztraminer, raisins, muscat grapes, some spiciness like clove--heavily malted. Mouth is medium-full with creamy carbonation. Flavor is very fruity, very sweet, with big alcohol-infused raisin flavor, some spiciness, honey, fairly complex. This beer made a big impression on me, and my first of the night.

Little to no head on my pour. Sweet and rich. Very raisiny. Reminds me of a rich ruby port. Doesn’y quite have the woodiness of a tawny. Great beer. Just wish it weren’t so freaking expensive.

12 oz bottle from Chicones. Orangish/caramel color, not much head. BIG raisin aroma with the alcohol really coming through in the aroma. Flavor is also (no surprise) big time raisin, very sweet. Chewy sweet mouthfeel with a very boozy sweet finish. Massively flavored beer that you can enjoy for quite awhile.

One dimensional in a grrrreeeaaat way. Raisin and pit fruits to a severe level all around. The sweetness in this is such a natural fig in the field type that it is never overwhelming. A Belgian-esque yeastiness pairs with the raisin and impending caramel character sticks around throughout to create a full roundness to the brew. Great medium oily body with sticky resins everywhere. Big, sticky sweet and lovely, this aged beautifully. Thank You Dogfish Head. 2007 12 oz.