Dogfish Head Raison D Extra

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

Poured a mostly clear amber color. This beer is very everything. Very sweet, very thick, very tasty, very warming. Sweet dark fruit aroma, with brown sugar and alcohol not far behind. Flavor matches for the most part except that you get some pepper/ alcohol bitterness on the thich full finish. Almost syrupy. 4 750ml bottles left. Yeah.

Bottle (12oz). Shared with blankboy, GregClow, jerc and Tupalev - jerc’s bottle. Poured slightly hazy apricot-mahogany with a small diminishing off-white head. Strong boozy aroma, extremely fruity/caramel sweet (apricot), woody and lightly yeasty, seems juicy, with some perfumy hops - I mean it’s really boozy, but I found it bracing. The sweetness promised in the aroma is delivered big-time - huge alcohol bitterness is backed up with sweet caramel light roast malt with some oak and faint fruit, but this is mostly about the sweet booze. Mouthfeel is thick and sticky, syrupy and - stop me if you’ve heard this - alcoholic. Not quite 1-dimensional, and I quite liked it, but man that’s a boozy brew!

Another giant of the night. Only that this one was lucking the class of the others. Big, but it appeared to me that was made with haste. I begin to wonder if is possible to make 20 % brew that could be balanced, refined and classy.

Medium orange color. Small head. Aroma is orange and malty. A medium bodied “Brown Ale” (read the label!) Malts are very sweet, touches of orange. Incredibly smooth. Touch of alcohol “oiliness” Lot of sherry like qualities. Oranges, touches of wood, raisins and figs. Smooth, or did I already say that. There is a touch of alcohol bite, but at 20% it’s not really that noticeable. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly bitter. VERY nice beer.

Bottle from Downeast Beverages in Portland Maine. Dark ruby brown body with a small khaki head that fades away. Liguid sugar and alcohol aroma, caramel and light raisin awash in a second wave of alcohol. Big sweet sugary caramel flavour is divine. Alcohol is present but more in a throat warming capacity than in the actual flavour. Medium syrupy palate. A touch more carbonation would make it more drinkable. Very nice. Alcohol is well proportioned considering the strength. Re-rate October 2006: Brief notes, alcohol was less prominent than previous sample, more raisin flavour and smooth drinkability. Bumped overall by +1.

Bottle @ Copenhagen Øl Festival. Small off-white head that mostly diminished. Spar lacing. Light cloudy golden color. Very fruity notes with some caramel and honey. Medium to full bodied with a soft carbonation and a light alcoholic texture. Moderated sweet flavor. Very sweet and light warming finish.

This 2002 bottled brew brought to the Three Floyds Birthday Gathering 12/27/2003 by the BigBadBear63 poured a very small fully diminished head of finely sized bubbles and a softly carbonated transparent brown colored body. It had a mild vinuous malt pear aroma and a bubbly tingly initial mouthfeel that lingered in the finish. The flavor was strong with vinuous port and raisin notes.

Bottle at Københavnske Øldage 2007. Clear dark amber - offwhite head. Lots of dried dark fruits, raisins, prunes, plums, caramel, high sweetness. But also very high alcoholic afterburn. A bit too much !!