Dogfish Head Raison D Extra

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

Deep resinous hue, aroma intense with raisins and whiskey. Taste is a mess of syrupy toffee cake freckled with dried figs, at its core a molten pool of bourbon and vanilla. Dense maple sweetness, spritz of lemon. Dirty oak and copper-metal finish might benefit from the polish of age. A gaudy monolith.

DFH tasting at Flying Saucer (Houston). Nice reddish amber pour. Raisin and dark fruits on the nose. Dry raisin, hops and very dark fruits on the taste. Pretty hot finish that’ll clear your sinuses, but it’s great.

Consumed unaged. This is delicious, but raises the question, is this beer or wine? It goes well with food and must be sipped very slowly. The taste is sweet and dominated by raisins.

Bottled 03/07 Pours cloudy ruby/orangy amber with a small off-white head. Strong, syrupy, fruity aroma, with strong fermenting fruity booze. Flavor is boozy and sweet, like a cross between wine, mead, and cognac. I probably would not like this at all if I did not enjoy one, or all of them. Still, fairly strong, just short of offensive alcohol. This is definitely not meant to be consumed so young. Palate is full, chewy, syrupy, a bit of residual sweetness, then gives way into a dry bitterness. Very long finish. Yet another impressive, and interesting brew from DFH. Will definitely try again with some aging.

12oz bottle, dated 09/29/06. Pours a beautiful clear honey-orange color; small, off-white head with web-like lacing. Very generous, boozy aroma: raisins and dried fruits; coconut, brown sugar, and plenty of alcohol. Very sweet, chewy mouthfeel: relaxed carbonation; strong boozy raisin and fruit rollup core, with a pleasant orange / maple syrup malt backbone; alcohol pokes through a bit, but what does one expect at 18% - more of a warming alcohol character than any sort of abrasiveness; warm, full-bodied, and impressively dense and filling. I’m surprised it’s this mellow after only 6 months. Long, sweet maple syrup and raisiny finish. Something to pop open by the fire and split with someone.

Pours a one-fingered white head vanishes in less than a minute leaving no lace. Cloudy amber color. Light carbonation and medium-heavy bodied. Sweet raisin nose. Flavor is sweet raisins almost cloying, very high ABV is partially hidden by the sweetness. 425 calories. Pricey $7.99 for a 12oz bottle from Tully’s Beer and Wine Wells, ME.

12 oz bottle dated 09/29/06 consumed 04/06/07 poured clear copper with thin tan head. Big to Huge fruity aroma coming from raisins obviously, sweet concord grape juice, sugar coated peaches, light hint of pepper and very faint alcohol. First sip unveils lots of sweet fruitiness and not much else. As the sipping progresses the fruits become more distinct with raisins and grape juice really shinning through. Then beyond the fruit the flavor experience becomes more like one of the Avery Demon series brews with a thick viscous mouth fell, syrupy molasses and some maple syrup. Wow, still fruity though. I really don’t get any warming and certainly no hotness from the staggering ABV. The after taste leaves solid raisin and grape fruitiness and maple syrup behind that lingers for some time. I have to question whether this was as high a gravity beer as what is stated. 12 oz was a breeze. Could have easily managed a bomber of this stuff if the sweet fruitiness didn’t overtake me at some point.

Raisons and alcohol. Thats all I smell and taste. Definately a sip it slow brew for me.