Dogfish Head Raison D Extra

2006 12 oz. bottle - Pours a hazy deep amber color with no head. No lacing. Aroma is esters and toasted malt. Flavor is esters (raisin & light apple), malt and hops. Medium body. Kinda chewy. Alcohol is noticeable. I was gonna drink this real quick before we went up to the local bar. At 18.5% ABV, I think I’ll take my time. A good beer.

Bottle(2007). Pours a deeper amber with more of an orange tinge. There is almost no head. Nose is redolent with dried fruit, caramel and vanilla. Flavor is intense, almost barleywinesque. Thick, viscous and brooding. Intensely sweet, with candied raisins and pure vanilla. This is a definate sipper. Slight bite in the finish reminds you that this is a beer, other than that it is more of a liquid dessert. Probably should be had in small amounts. Even the 12oz. bottle was a struggle to complete near the end. Not sure if I would get this again at $8 per., but in the beginning this was a luscious and decadent brew only to become over indulged by its decadence.

2007 bottle. Pours a slightly hazy orange/amber with no head. Aroma of alcohol, raisins, and caramel. Taste is the same as aroma. Full sticky almost cloying mouthfeel with a very mild amount of bitterness and considerable amount of alcohol warmth but never hot. A very slow sipper but good.

12 oz. bottle. Pours a thick, ruby amber with minimal head retention. Aroma of alcohol, raisins, and a bit of oak. Mouthfeel of caramel and raisins. This beast finishes with a whopping, warming alcohol taste with RAISINS. Did I mention the raisins? They’re all over this interesting brew.

(Bottle) Pours hazy red. Fruity and sweet aroma with notes of dried fruits like raisins, figs and dates. A bit dessert wine and liqueur like. Also tones of caramel, fudge, syrup, sugar, nuts, butter, berries, oranges and apples. A lot of warming alcohol is present to carry the sticky aromas to your nose. Flavour is full of dark fruits, raisins some chocolate, caramel, nuts and warming alcohol. Some tart wine-ish and green apple like notes. A bit, but not too, syrupy sticky mouthfeel. Dry alcohol-ish finish. Medium to full body. Interesting and crazy, even more crazy than Marias mom. Typical Dog fish head.

Bottle - 2006 release. Color of prune juice with no head. Aroma is thick with dark, burnt sugars, raisin, fig, prune, and alcohol. Taste is sweet with raisin, caramel, dates, figs, vinous grapes, and lots of alcohol. Boozy, but smooth mouthfeel. Reminds me somewhat of Olde School, of which I have at least 12-15 January 2004 bottles - these guys are still young in my opinion and this one probably needs some time. Tasty but way too young - I will have to keep my 05 bottle cellared for a few years at least. I have a bit of a cold, so something this strong/boozy always does the trick. Will be sure to re-rate an aged bottle.

Pours a slightly hazed red orange brown with a absolutely no head, despite the hiss of the cap as I popped the top. There’s a big sweet richness to this like a liquor more than a beer. Vanilla, some alcohol, coconut. A bit of leather. There’s some very subtle oxidation. A bit vinous. There’s some balance acheived between the caramel malt and the alcohol. A bit thick in the body, with a suprising amount of creaminess. A big sweet body, this drinks like a liquor. Leathery malty substantial sweetness cut my alcohol. The vanilla and a bit of vinous tannic abrasiveness on the tongue gives the sweetness some balance. Perhaps a bit of a vinous finish. This is so much better than the World Wide Stout. For 5 bucks a bottle, I’d have a few of these in my cellar. I can’t see this being 18.5% alcohol. And there’s sediment! In a DFH beer? Maybe that’s why I like this one so much.

Whoa nelly! This is one deceptive ale. At 18.5abv I expected a LOT more heat along the lines of the 120 minute. But no. This was almost fruity in flavor. Went down very easy. Sticky, sweet and pungent. I liked this very much and am glad it’s a real hassle for me to get or else this might be the ultimate turning point in my alcoholism. That big turn where you go from being a fat beer slob into an emaciated drunk with the gin blossomed nose, the gray liver and a bad case of the gout. I’m a 3rd of the way there, so this stuff, while awesome, has no place in my life. I do love it, however. It’s a delicious ale that defies traditions.