Dogfish Head Raison D Extra

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

2002 vintage thanks to Cornfield at DLD ’09. Clear amber with no head. Aroma is sweeter maple but not offensively so, slight alc, vanilla, honey (mead like), real nice. Sweet bourbon aged mead like, honey, burn, vanilla, maple, aged notes. Medium and syrupy with burn. Nicely aged and heat is less than normal but still present, like a barrel-aged mead. Thanks Carl!

Pours burgandy in color with a rapidly dissipating head. Head can't be sustained in the face of 20% ABV I imagine. Aroma is quite alcoholic with some dried fruit. Flavor is BIG and the alcohol somewhat hidden given the huge ABV number. Quite tasty. One to be very careful with.

One of Dogfish Head’s best. Belgian-ish style. Malty. Sweet. But so wonderful. Once my favorite beer place goes back into business with the local distributor for Dogfish Head, I’ll be happy.

I said whoa when it first hit my mouth. The alcohol is apparent but slight. The raisins make this taste much more like a barley wine. Plums and other purple fruits ocme out in the aroma. Very malty and sweet taste. This reminds me as well of a bourbon and coke. Syrupy, sweet, alcoholic, and messing you up. Points for originality. Negative points for drinkability.

From 12oz Bottle. Pours the color of a ruby tinged honey with absolutely no head, even accompaning the pour or following a vigorous swirling. The aroma is of cloying brown sugar coated raisins that have been battered, deep fried, and soaked in a cask of portugese semi-dry sherry. Wow. Thats pretty much the best descriptor for the over powering sugar content in this brew. So sweet that its giving me a bit of a stomach ache. Some caramel sugars and maple syrup flood the tongue and are washed down by hoards of green grapes and overly sweet apricot brandy. Way to sugary and syrupy overall, making it a major palate killer. Disappointing overall.

A personal favourite on a night of spectacular beers. This is a rich, fruity, alcoholic ale akin to a fine dessert wine. A grand nightcap and very good with cheese, I imagine. Poured a deep ruby colour with no head. Spirituous aroma, sweet, and thick with figgy fruit. Thick, syrupy mouthfeel - lovely stuff. Very sticky and dessert wine-like. The raisins show well on the tongue, along with plenty of sugars and warming alcohol. Bit reminiscent of Thomas Hardys Ale. (Bottle, 20.5% abv, RateBeer Sydney Xmas gathering 2005)

Snifter, 750 mL. Molasses, caramel, chocolate, toffee malt (H); flower and citrus hops (M); doughy yeast (L); clove, red grape, raisin, plum, red apple, honey aromas. Small, rocky/creamy, white head sits on a hazy, light ruby body. Heavily sweet, lightly acidic flavor becomes a heavily sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter finish. Full body, oily/sticky texture, lively carbonation. The bottom line is: Think dessert wine and you’ll be pretty close.

Man, this is a big beer. Very sweet and if you drink much of it very potent. I never had a barley like this one!