Dogfish Head Raison D Extra

12 oz. bottle courtesy of Nate. Pours amber with brown hues and an off-white, rimming head, foamy. Nose is sweet caramel with raisins, cherry, slight bubblegum and a touch of alcohol. Lots of raisin and grape with caramel sweetness, almost cloying. Very port-esque. There’s a slight bitter that tries for balance, but not really. This one’s all malt. There’s some alcohol head and a good bit of flavor. Some Belgian Strong Ale quality, slight spicy and weirdly dry. Nice sipper, warming.

brown with mild head. nice nose of raisons and alcohol. flavor is sweet with raisons and some crystal malt which both mask the 18.5 ABV very well. the alcohol does become present somewhat and adds some depth. a very good ale

I had this at the South Shore Beer festival on Long Island. I waited to rate this until I had done a formal rating of Raison D’Etre. This is a killer beer. Just like its cousin its has a beautiful mohagany appearance. The aroma is malty sweet, with notes of candy sugar and fruit. The flavbor is the same, but with noticeably higher alcohol, and a fruitier flavoring, probably from the raisins. The finish has a warming from the alcohol not unlike a brandy. Awesome beer.

Old rating from beerfestival: Extremely heavy. Warm, smooth with notes of dark fruits, oak & a lot of raisin & sugar. A heavy sipper!

Well, it’s kicking my ass. Another score from the most experimental brewery in America. Sweet but not overly sweet. Not as available as I’d like it, so I’ll savor the one I have.

Bottle drank at the Clark Street Ale House in Chicago. Pours a deep amber color with a very small white head. A very enticing aroma; nuts, raisins, tons of alcohol and sweet fruits. The taste was surprisingly smooth; a very sweet concoction of raisins, brown sugar, some light hops, and a ton of warmth. A sipper for sure. Very enjoyable. Re-rate: so Eric busts out a 2002 750 ml bottle of this at Toby’s house! Very delicious, and I’ll never forget Jeremy’s loud exclamation: "it’s still hot as hell after seven years"!

The raisin aroma from this beer came very strong right from the start and had me a little concerned. The pour was a nice burnt orange color with a cream color head. Raisins and honey hit your tongue with some carbonation and alcohol. Finishes slightly bitter. Good not keep the glass down for long.

From bottle. Alcohol vapors, oaky, syrupy sweet with raisins, honey, and candi sugar. Malty with subtle fruity hops, really overpowered by the sweetness. Deep amber-copper clear, with thin off-white head. Heavy body, not oily but sugary thick. Mild carbonation but a huge warming in this one. Starts and stays very sweet. Cloying. Big taste of honey, macerated raisin, alcohol, light oak, candi sugar. Funky sweet tang to this in the finish. There is some drying bitterness, too, but not enough to overpower the intense sugary pop of this beer. Fine to try, and to share unless you’re in for the evening. Not a good pong beer.