Raison D'Extra
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

Raison D'ExtraRaison D'Extra
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From:
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
 
Delaware, United States
Style:
Belgian Dark Strong Ale
Ranked #46
ABV:
15%
Score:
91
Ranked #7,805
Avg:
4.06 | pDev: 12.81%
Reviews:
776
Ratings:
1,685
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jan 28, 2024
Added:
Mar 22, 2002
Wants:
  187
Gots:
  586
Our Raison D'Etre, with a little extra. This immodest brew, made with an obscene amount of malt, brown sugar & raisins, takes Belgian-style browns to new heights.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Dantes:
Photo of Dantes
Reviewed by Dantes from New Jersey

3.7/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Package: 1 pint, 9.6oz. corked, caged brown bottle. Label stamped, “Dec 19 02.” Picture of two fellows resembling grave-robbers. Labeled “a bulbous brown ale” with directions: “Open bottle. Pour contents into two snifters. Enjoy. OR: Walk hand-in-neck with bottle into the middle of the woods. Use a shovel to dig 2x2 hole three feet deep. Place in hole and pack with dirt. Memorize location and leave. Return exactly one year later. Dig up bottle, open, and enjoy.”

Cost: $15.99 per bottle at Kings.

Served: Snifter at 52º

Appearance: Syrupy pour evinced a small head, which disappeared quickly. Muddy, buckwheat honey colored body.

Smell: Brown sugar, alcohol, and malt aroma, with some hints of currants and damson plums. Lacks the expected complexity found in the World Wide Stout and barley wines like Old Horizontal.

Taste: Began sweetly like the WWS, but did not resolve into the lovely components found there. Instead, this slid right into the alcohol. Where were the woodiness, the dark fruits like plum, currant, raisin? The dark chocolatey notes and the nuts and spice? There were some citrus and estery notes, which had a medicinal quality. To avoid being cloying, it needs a drier, edgier element and more body to balance the alcohol and sweetness. This does exhibit a long warming finish. I bought two bottles and put one away in a dark hole as suggested. Next year will see if this improves.

Mouthfeel: Well-carbonated for a beer of this strength. A full-bodied, warming brew, although it is difficult to ignore the discordant sweetness.

Drinkability: Disappointing. With an eye to similarly strong beers, it's not highly drinkable. Does not seem to warrant the savoring of the WWS, but is too sweet and strong to drink in quantity.

After the WWS grand slam, I expected at least a home run. No such luck. This beer shows that the line between a bold experiment and a brilliant success is fine. I couldn’t become enthused by this beer. I respect Dogfish for exploring the brewing frontier and understand that this does represent an achievement, but it didn’t work for me.

Bottom Line: “To be or to be extra?" That is the question. The reason for being extra? I’m not sure. Buy the World Wide Stout instead.

NB: I only drank half of this at the first sitting. The remainder was stored under vacuum in the refrigerator and didn't deteriorate.
Feb 28, 2003
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.97 by not2quick from Missouri

Jan 28, 2024
 
Rated: 4.11 by milkbone_underwear from Massachusetts

Dec 31, 2023
Photo of brewandbbq
Reviewed by brewandbbq from New Hampshire

3.93/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
12oz bottle from 2007.

Pours clear mahogany with a short-lived head of off-white. Zero retention or lacing. Pure fusel alcohol in the nose with shades of toffee, malt, leather. Medium bodied with a slick, oily, flat mouthfeel. Sweet malt with caramel and booze on the palate. Finishes very warming on the throat and not as sweet as I remember.
Oct 10, 2023
 
Rated: 3.69 by mltobin from Connecticut

Oct 08, 2023
 
Rated: 3.89 by Argail from Louisiana

May 08, 2023
Photo of TooManyGlasses
Reviewed by TooManyGlasses from Canada (AB)

4.23/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Bottled Jan 11, 2019 - acquired on a New York trip in May 2019, when travel was still carefree. Split 2 ways.
Pours a ruddy reddish brown colour with a very scant wisp of tawny head. Hazy but no debris.
Aroma is malty and boozy - initial whiff of cherry blew off giving way to brown sugar, molasses, raisin and prune, toffee - certainly a hint of a sherry note that the age has undoubtedly contributed.
Taste is sweet and a bit fruity - again prunes, raisins, brown sugar, toffee and a hint of cherries - there is a definite booziness and alcohol heat.
Warming boozy medium full mouthfeel - sweetness sits and makes a sipper for sure - smooth, like I would imagine sipping a brandy…..
Mar 15, 2023
Photo of MadMadMike
Reviewed by MadMadMike from France

4.14/5  rDev +2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
2019 vintage. 12 oz bottle into a snifter at 53°.
Pours thick, a struggle to coax just a tad of head. Deep mahogany, a great red hue seen thru light.
Smells damn near like mince meat. A lot of malt and dark brown sugar pops on the nose. Fragrant!
Tastes like alcohol marinated prunes and toffee. Required a sip of water afterward, this is teeth ringing sweet.
Feels toes-on-the-line syrupy, but the carbonation that lasted in the bottle keeps it lively.
Overall, a muscular take on a fruit forward Strong Ale.
Oct 17, 2022
Photo of CitizenGrain
Reviewed by CitizenGrain from Georgia

2.83/5  rDev -30.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 2.75
2019 Bottling, consumed September 2022. Thin and sharp, sweet but alcoholic. Mild raisin character, surprisingly low malt character. Some red apple. I would like to think it was just stored improperly...
Oct 04, 2022
Photo of Darkmagus82
Reviewed by Darkmagus82 from Texas

4.26/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Bottled on 01/11/19
Poured from a bottle into a snifter
Appearance – The beer pours a deep mahogany color with a small head of fizzy off-white foam. The head fades rather fast leaving a light level of foamy lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma is massive of a raisin and prune smell mixed with aromas of candied sugar and a whole lot of yeast and molasses. Along with these aromas cones a nice roasted malt aroma, some caramel and toffee as well as a little bit of a cherry and apple smell. Some rummy booziness as well as a brandy like smell are there as well, mixing with the rest and with a touch of tobacco, to leave a nice roasty and sweet boozed up raisin smell. Almost fruit cake like.
Taste – The taste begins with malty brown bread and quite fruity flavor of raisin, plum, and cherry. Right from the start there is a rather strong boozy taste of brandy and rum as well as some notes of red wine and a bit of candied sugar and molasses. At the same time there is a bit of spice as well, being of a nutmeg and cinnamon nature, but containing a touch of clove. The raisin and the plum get stronger as the taste advances, bringing a bit more sweetness to the brew. While the raisin and plum do bring some sweetness, the taste is still on the slightly drier side, with the booziness of the brew increasing and making he flavor profile more liquor like in nature. Some leather and yeast-cake join in more towards the end, and with the increase in the raisin and prune, as well as the increase in the boozy liquor flavors, one is left with a quite warming rum raisin like taste to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is medium in thickness and creaminess with a carbonation level that is slightly higher. Overall for the mix of fruit, boozy heat, and abv, the feel is quite appropriate, making this one a nice slow sipper.
Overall – A rather fun and quite boozy but enjoyable brew to drink. I like the rummy raisin like nature of the brew and think this one to be quite fun. Overall, I would buy it again, and one I think would be worthwhile for others to at least try.
Jul 06, 2022
Photo of SHODriver
Reviewed by SHODriver from North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Bottled in 2014

A: Poured into a snifter to a deep brown beer with a slight reddish tint. The beer is topped by a dense and slightly rocky light tan head which fades slowly to a collar around the edge of the glass with minimal lacing.
S: Smells of huge dark fruit and raisin notes with some slight caramel and toffee
T: Tastes of brown sugar, caramel, dark fruits, raisins, hints of toasted bread, and a touch of banana. On the swallow there's more brown sugar, raisins, toffee, dark fruits, hints of spice, and lingering sweetness
M: This beer has a body which is on the heavier side of things with a slightly silky feel. Carbonation is on the low end but it's adequate for the style and ABV while the beer has a drying finish due to the high ABV.
O: Overall this is a pretty sweet beer. It isn't cloyingly sweet but it does come across a bit unbalanced. It still has some really nice complexity and despite the age it has held up quite well.
Jun 17, 2022
Photo of Mat_Beer
Rated by Mat_Beer

4.39/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
A little sweet to be perfection - it comes from all those raisins. :)
May 08, 2022
 
Rated: 4.75 by dan_amdg from Illinois

Apr 03, 2022
Photo of q33jeff
Reviewed by q33jeff from New Jersey

4.43/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
**
02/27/22

2018 bottle to DFH snifter.

Wow! Very tasty and sneaky smooth at 18%. Raisin, brown sugar, brandy, black cherry, wood, nutmeg. All kinds of interesting nutty/spicy/earthy/dark fruit notes that are not part of the known ingredients.


**
Feb 27, 2022
Photo of Treyliff
Reviewed by Treyliff from West Virginia

3.94/5  rDev -3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
2019 Vintage
12oz bottle poured into a snifter

A- pours brown in color with a one-finger foamy khaki head that has good retention

S- malty and sweet aroma with notes of bready brown malts, brown sugar, raisins, toffee, fruitcake and a spicy yeast aroma that gives notes of clove, pear and basement must

T- bold, boozy and super sweet up front with a big hit of brown sugar, quickly followed by raisins and some bready brown malts, the sweetness combined with the brown malts is reminiscent of a fruit cake. The finish gives more onslaught of brown sugar sweetness, followed by some phenolic yeast that adds hints of clove, ripe pear and apple. Lingers of sweet malt and sugar

M- medium-heavy body with moderate carbonation leads to a foamy mouthfeel that turns slightly creamy into a warming finish, abv is hidden pretty well

O- bold and full flavored, but cloyingly sweet, especially as it warms
Feb 03, 2022
Photo of Eddieeight
Reviewed by Eddieeight from Ohio

4.6/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
I got this for $10 and thought I'd give it a whirl. 16% man does that pack a punch and the price was reasonable so why not try something new? The artwork shows a country gentleman clutching his guitar, so hopefully this is music to my tastebuds. This was bottled on 12/20/18, and it's now 1/29/22 so this beer is a good 3+ years old.Poured out crispy caramel, beautiful light brown color that assimilates in the glass as a darker more mystifying shade. Very little head that stayed for any length of time, but that's ok I'm here to drink. Just as advertised boy does this smell like raisin. That's the predominant note, that's the predominant scent, that's what we're getting wafting out of the snifter. And a sip - wow! An electrifying, overwhelming raisin with a wild alcohol burn that really kicks the senses into gear. The label advertises brown sugar, and I can see how that might be a supporting note, but this thing really connotes raisin raisin raisin RAISIN! I like it because it's unique. I wouldn't drink this brew frequently but I like the experimentation with something unusual, and I can definitely say I've never had a beer quite like this one. Mouthfeel is thin to medium bodied with a light carbonation. For a good 30 seconds after the swallow my mouth is eveloped by a raisin dominance that I've never experienced from a beer before. Hey, they got this one nailed. Overall it's unique, it's unusual, it's independently and confidently bold. If wine is made of grapes, but this is made of raisins, then I would venture to call this post-wine. It's not my favorite flavor, but damn does it know what the hell it's doing. Cheers.
Jan 30, 2022
 
Rated: 4.24 by Dharmelink from Wisconsin

Jan 19, 2022
Photo of woosterbill
Reviewed by woosterbill from Kentucky

3.79/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
12oz bottle from 2014 poured into a goblet.

L: Muddy brown body with a thin but persistent cap of tan bubbles. Pretty good lacing for the abv. Not bad for its age, but far from visually appealing.

S: Complex aroma of ripe fruit, chocolate, and booze. Dates, figs, raisins. Cocoa powder, brown sugar, port. Lots going on, and most of it pleasant.

T: Follows the nose, with emphasis on the sweet raisin/port notes up front. Bittersweet cocoa fills in nicely toward the back end, with a strongly alcoholic aftertaste being the one major fault. Intense and mostly enjoyable.

F: Medium-to-full body with a surprising amount of velvety carbonation and a moderate dose of drying alcohol. Much livelier than the appearance suggested.

O: Enjoyable, intense, unique - but a bit of a chore to drink.

Big thanks to my buddy Charlie for tossing this one my way! Cheers!
Jan 16, 2022
 
Rated: 4.5 by jewellrunner from Missouri

Jan 02, 2022
Photo of CBlack85
Reviewed by CBlack85 from South Carolina

4.15/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a DFH Goblet Glass
Pours a murky caramel color with some reddish hues, and a smallish off white head that dissipates quickly leaving behind virtually no lacing

The aroma is quite sweet; consisting mainly of dark fruits (most notably raisins of course), brown sugar, caramel, a mild spiciness, and a definite booziness.

As with the nose, the flavor is a sweet mix if dark fruit (raisins, plums, prunes), brown sugar, molasses, and just the smallest hint of spiciness. Also, as with the nose, the alcohol presence is front and center, without being off-putting. Full bodied and mildly carbonated, somewhat slick on the tongue.

Overall, this is a nice sipping beer. I didn't really like this beer the first time I tried it (I think I just didn't understand the style at the time), but over time it has become a favorite.
Jan 02, 2022
Raison D'Extra from Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Beer rating: 91 out of 100 with 1685 ratings