Dogfish Head Raison D'Etre

Brewed By: Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, Delaware

Purchased: Single 12oz bottle from Jewel-Osco in Chicago, IL; 2012

Style/ABV: Belgian Dark Strong Ale, 8.0%

Tonight I'm looking at Dogfish Head's Raison D'Etre. This is a raisin infused "Belgian style brown-ale." I've already reviewed a handful of Belgian Dark Strong Ales infused with raisin flavors, but I've only reviewed one that was specifically brewed with raisins, and that was the Lost Abbey's Lost & Found Abbey Ale. It was fantastic. Before we break down the Raison D'Etre, let me give some props to Dogfish Head: 

Dogfish Head is a craft brewery based out of Milton, Delaware. The brewery was founded by Sam Calagione back in 1995.The brewery began as a brewpub (the first in Delaware) called Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats and was originally located in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. The initial brewing setup included three kegs and propane burners. They brewed 12-gallon batches of beer three times a day, five days a week. In 1996 the brewery began bottling their beer, and by 1999 they had distribution to around a dozen different states. In 2002 the company outgrew their Rehoboth location, and moved to Milton, Delaware. More info can be found HERE.

The Raison D'Etre has a little bit more going on than just raisins. If you check out the Raison D'Etre profile page, you can get the specifics. The Raison D'Etre has been brewed since 1996, where it was originally only available at Dogfish Head's pub. In 1998, Dogfish Head began bottling the stuff. The beer is described as being deep mahogany and Belgian-like. This beer is brewed with raisins, Belgian-style yeast....and wait for it....beet sugar! Yes, this beer has beet sugar in it. Belgian-style yeast often imparts very fruity or spicy flavors, and raisins impart raisiny flavors. I'm not really sure what to expect with the beet sugar. The website says this beer will taste like pit fruit, decadent, winey, raisiney, and malty. This is a pretty big beer clocking in at 8.0% ABV, and it packs 25 IBUs. Again, you should definitely click the link to the beer, because there is a cool video of Dogfish Head founder Sam Calagione talking about the beer (well, it's really not that cool...but I like listening to Sam talk). Moving on...

Dogfish Head Raison D'Etre

The pour reveals a reddish-brown beer with one-finger worth of hazy, tightly-packed and very bubbly, off-white/brown/red head. This beer appears to be unfiltered (with sediment floating around), and has moderate to high carbonation. In low light this beer is a dark, dark red, but in bright light this beer is clearly red-brown with hints of orange escaping the surface. There is a nice cauldron effect and some head clinging to the side of my glass. I'm kind of surprised at how red this beer is. I'm picking up a lot of ruby red. I guess this beer kind of reminds me of a Belgian Dubbel. 

I'm pulling out big raisin aromas, rum, some booze, maybe a licorice or twizzler note, raisin puree, sugary fruit esters, wine-like esters, maybe flirts with pear and grape, and some clove. If I had to rank these aromas in strength of smell: raisin, rum, twizzler, sugar, clove. The rest of the aromas are very subtle. I'm also picking up some hints of wood. 

The flavors are nice, with some creaminess and carbonation on the tongue, followed by raisins and clove. I'm pulling out some malts now, like caramel and grain. Big raisins, raisin puree, figs, clove, caramel, and dark fruit sugars. The finish is spicy and dry, with a touch of sticky sweetness. There is some alcohol warming, and there is a touch of solventy alcohol in the mix. 

I'm enjoying this as a sipping beer tonight. Having said that, this is probably medium-full with good carbonation, a creamy front, and a slightly sticky and drying back. The palate depth is good, and this has moderate complexity. The front palate is carbonation, raisins, caramel, brown sugar and clove; this rolls into sweet brown sugar and caramel, dark fruit esters, more raisin, burgeoning spice; the back end is clove, lingering sugars and fruit, hint of grain, drying. There is warming on the finish. 

Rating: Above-Average

Score: 85%

I remember this beer being much more solventy and sticky when I had it. It seems to be a bit more balanced, smooth, and clean. You could probably cellar this...and that might smooth out the solventy alcohol you get in the taste. And there is definitely a touch solvent alcohol. Otherwise, I'm digging the raisins and the dark fruit sugars I'm getting in this beer. I would buy this beer again, and pair it with a burger that has some raunchy cheese on it, or maybe with a steak and blue cheese. You could probably take this beer down the dessert route as well. It's also possible to just sip this thing: 8% ABV is pretty big. This is not a beer I would session. The 8% ABV coupled with the slightly sticky and solvent alcohol qualities make this something to admire cautiously, and not attack head-on. With that said, cheers...