I just saw this review over at Legal Beer of Dogfish Head‘s Raison D’Etre. That “deep mahogany” beer has inspired me to pull out a bottle of their other, stronger raisin beer, Raison D’Extra. They haven’t released this since March of 2007 so this bottle has had a little while to age.
This one pours a thickly hazy dark reddish-brown, almost maroon, with some creamy straw head. On the nose is strong booze with a raisin character, quite reminiscent of port. Somewhat sweet, there are also major oak and caramel aromas. This is a thick, complex aroma you could study carefully.
The flavor begins with a sharp, but not unpleasant alcohol bite and a sweet, oak-raisin fullness. The bite fades to a warming and the sweetness to fruity yeast character and strong brown malt and brown sugar flavors: rich caramel and biscuit, some toast.
While D’Extra is quite sweet, it is also very strongly carbonated so it still seems relatively lively and light. The (18%+) alcohol invigorates every part of your senses: first the nose, then the lips and front of the tounge, and finally the roof of the mouth and the back of the throat. This is quite a beer to sip and share on a cold late fall evening such as this.
Dogfish Head Raison D’Extra
RateBeer: 4.1 (3-9-7-5-17)