Dogfish Head Raison D Extra

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

bottle from hopscotch, awesome trader! pours a murky brownish amber with a thicker than expected off white head. You can smell this one a few feet away. Caramel, dark fruit, alcohol, and a huge sweet presence. Flavor doesn’t stray too far away. About as sweet as expected from the aroma. Dark fruits are still hanging around prety srong. A faint nuttiness is present. Finishes strong and syrupy, but not as bad as expected with the ABV. Very interesting, sad to see this one put on hold by DFH

A really nice deep amber pour with lite off white head and lace mostly lace. An aroma that is fruity mostly reminds me of cherries soaked in abv. Also a bit of medicine on the nose. Very large dried fruit flavor if raisins had juice I would imagine this is what wine made from that juice would taste alot like. Hints of warmth but nothing like I expected when I saw the abv. A fine sweetness that is not thick but rich. Rich deep solid palate that lacks not much at all. A very complex beer that is very good for me.

Bottled. 09/29/06. Beer is clear, light amber-brown. The head is small, off-white, frothy. Diminishes mostly into a misty skim.<P>The aroma driven by sunny-colored fruit. Malty with moderate notes of toasted grain, biscuit/shortbread; Hoppy with moderate notes of juicy apricot, lighter notes of grassy resin; Moderate miscellaneous note of sugary-sweet golden raisins, light/moderate wood, sugar-coated dried pineapple, muscat. baked spiced apple, moderate/heavy note of woodsy alcohol. <P>The flavor is heavily sweet, lightly bitter, lightly acidic with a long, tooth-ringingly heavily sweet, lightly acidic finish. Genuine black tea retro-nasal return.<P>The body is full, the texture is syrupy and the carbonation is soft/lively.<P>Nose is inviting enough, but the favor and palate are cloying.

Tasted 1/15/08. 12oz bottle. 2005 release. Murky brown with ruby highlights. Layer of light beige head. Aromas of sugary raisins toast and toffee. Port and a touch cinnamon. Cherries and dark fruits. Full bodied and HUGE! Sticky sweet yet with milder smoother undertones. Good effervescent and citrus note. Raisins and prunes. Cinnamon and spice. So sweet with flavors of grapes and berries. Sticky sweet sugary cola finish. Lingering. Mild acid, port flavor and a touch apricot. Musty and appley. GIGANTIC BEER!

A good beer, but not my favorite, I’ll take the D’etre version. This beer starts off with a strong alcohol presence and has an aroma to match. This one has notes of brown sugar, molasses, raisins, figs, and a deep fruity flavor. The taste bears a striking resemblance to a young Thomas Hardy Ale.

2007 bottle, aged about 9 months. Pours a mostly clear, deep reddish-amber body. A small, fizzy, off-white head settles quickly to a swirly film with a small edge. Minimal, random spots are scattered far apart on the glass. The aroma is massively sweet, with huge notes of dark and golden raisons, figs, caramel, and alcohol. It’s very fumy, yet sweet, almost like a dark fruit liquor would be. I also picked up a good dose of vanilla on the nose. The flavor is just as intense, with more figgy alcohol notes. Hints of a strongly spiked bread pudding with raisons come to mind. The mouthfeel is pretty full, but in a sugary way. The brew goes down hot and finishes long, fruity, and slightly sour, leaving behind a sticky film on the palate. This one is not bad to share with a friend once in a blue moon, but I’ll spend my $9 elsewhere next time.

(12 oz) Like DH’s other stuff, there are a number of flavors I can’t put my finger on. The aroma is a sweet alcohol smell. Pours a dark, dank, hazy amberish brown with very little head that goes away quickly. First flavor is the malts, which are sweet and like brown sugar, followed by a woody flavor that recedes on a slightly bitter but pleasant note. My first thought was that this would go well with Chinese Food. There is also a rum flavor that hides at first but comes out later, along with molasses.

I’ve two 12 oz botles for a year, and I was pleasantly surprised how a year improved the balance and palate. The aroma is sweet and boozy, with the alcohol present throughout the taste. Color was a hazy copper with little head. I liked it a year ago, but I love it now. DFH isn’t releasing in 2008, so grab the last few you can find.