Dogfish Head Raison D Extra

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

Serve in Snifter, Trappist glass

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2/14/03: bottle. nice golden brown colour. head quickly dissipates to a few bubbles. overwhelming alcohol aroma which is almost frightening. malt and hop smell are fairly balanced, although I could be smelling a lot of hops because someone is brewing beer in my home right now :) For some reason this beer stings a few of my taste buds at the front of my tongue. tastes include alcohol, raisins, sweet- sour malt and some spice. remarkably strong. wowzers. #99

A - Pours a very cloudy brown-orange color with a thin layer of frothy off-white head. The head fades down very quickly leaving behind very little lace. S - Aroma is full of lots of sweet raisin and dark fruit, with some strong cinnamon and Belgian yeast spices, residual sugar, caramel, a bit of vanilla, and a decent amount of booze. T - Starts off with lots of sweet rich raisins and other dark fruits with some cinnamon and other Belgian yeast spices and some caramel. Through the middle, more brown sugar sweetness comes through with some vanilla and some booze. The finish is a mix of full of sweet raisin, some Belgian yeast spices, vanilla, and a good amount of booze. M - Full bodied with mild carbonation. Feels smooth and thick with a warming and sweet finish. D - Pretty drinkable. Really big beer with lots of sweet flavors and some strong booze. Given its strength, it is still well balanced and fairly drinkable.

Bottled 3/15/07 Pours dark brown with a one finger head that disappears almost instantly. Aroma of dark fruits and alcohol, yeah it’s still there after four years. Taste follows the nose, fruits and malts are complex with an alcohol burn in the back, aftertaste of grapes( wow that’s cool). Mouthfeel is thick yet smooth and silky, really nice, that’s where this beer shines! Nice beer, glad to have tried it but not in love with it.

Sampled on dld eve. Clear red brown. Oh my is this hot. Lots of malt and some fruit. But that ABV is noticed. I just had an eisbock and this is the same thing. Wow!

2007 vintage shared from Deanso. Hazy brown pour with a tan head that disappears quick. Fruit, raisin and super sweet caramel aroma. Flavour is primarily super sweet caramel, noticeable raisins, malt, fruit. Low carbonation and full think sweet body. Fantastic!

33cl 07 vintage, aged in my cellar. Almost no head. Sweet raisen aroma. Cloudy amber pour. clear alcohol but no surprise since it’s 18%. Lovely beer. Pity I had only 1 bottle. Would be nice to have another one to age for a few more years

Bottle. Murky orange brownish swamp water. Sweet raisny aroma. Dirk for flavor. Boozy but not 17%. Sweet syrupy. It drinkable and pretty good.

Definitely one of my favorites. Poured a deep murky reddish black. Large head (due to pour) that died relatively fast. Aroma is strong alcohol, plus a rasin, brown sugar, with molasses notes. Palate is thin, but not oily. Despite alcohol smell and taste, very smooth.

Aroma is strong. Color is dark brown. Bursting with flavor, hints of raisin and some Carmel undertones. Slightly lingering finish. Wonderful beer. Hard to find around here. Will have again. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

8/30/2005 vintage. This was the first "extreme" beer I tried about two years ago and I loved it. Finally getting around to reviewing one of the last few bottles I own. Poured into a brandy snifter at cellar temperature. A - A semi-aggressive pour yielded some small edging of off-white bubbles. The body is a clear light red/burnt orange color. The snifter I’m using has a laser etched base and oddly enough bubbles are rising from the bottom. Swirling produces some very small bubbles and a whole lot of alcohol legs. Sits in the glass like a hard liquor. A bit of sediment towards the end of the bottle. S - The nose starts off with some very sweet candied plums and leads into burnt malt and a touch of brown sugar. The aroma is very sweet and pungent, almost brandy like making the raisins come off as a sweeter fruit. The alcohol hits hard and burns the nose. It smells like this is a concentrated plum syrup. T - Its a simple flavor profile. This is the fourth bottle of d’extra I’ve tried so maybe I’m just desensitized or something. Saying that an 18% abv raisin beer is "simple" seems a bit ridiculous. But its really just not that complex or intricate. Candied plum sweetness, a bit of earthier raisin flavor and toffee malt, and a touch of oxidation to round things out. That is about it. The alcohol doesn’t even make an appearance until late in the game by warming up the throat slightly. The sweetness is really what prevents this from being drinkable, not the absurd abv. I’ve had beers with a third of the alcohol come off harsher. M - Its has a pretty thin body with minimal carbonation. Pretty sticky and slick though. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Its perfect for a beer of this nature. O - I’m rating this beer so high for a few reasons. For one, its held up perfectly after nearly 7 years. There is the slightest touch of oxidation, but it compliments the flavor profile much like an aged barley wine. The second reason, is because its just a damn delicious beer. Its like drinking a sweet plum brandy with some malty undertones. Just wonderful stuff. I really hope that DFH brews this again as I would love to try one of these fresh.

Bottle. Pours flat cloudy amber. Aroma raisins, plumes. Low carbonation, strong palate.