Doble Diablo - Raisins & Blackberries
Thunder Canyon Brewery

A cascading, Guinness like pour starts out with a hazy, pale amber / tan colored body that slowly clears up and becomes a rich, clear dark amber color; when held up to the light the beer shows a touch of haze. The head is quite dense with a rich, tightly beaded, amber tinged, tan color that leaves nice and thick, layered lacing on the sides of my glass. The aroma is quite fruity smelling, with perhaps the blackberries coming out more than the raisins; though in general it is a fairly non-descript fruitiness. There are touches of tartness around the edges help to accentuate the fruit (and is likely contributed by the fruit). As my nose adjusts to the fruit, a big hit of malt becomes noticeable; lots of whole grain, brown cracker like notes, as well as a softer, somewhat yeasty brown bread note as well as a hint caramelized character that seems to be a signature of crystal malt. It is interesting, if my nose is fresh and rested I smell the fruit, but the malt plays the dominant role in the aroma if I have spent any time smelling this beer.

The beer tastes quite sweet throughout, but finishes with a hint of fruity tartness and somewhat of a bit from some alcohol. This is very creamy bodied, with a low carbonation (as one would expect being served from the cask), but there is enough carbonation to not seem flat or lifeless. The blackberry fruitiness really comes through in the flavor, especially up front and in the middle; it also lingers on in the finish, but here there seems to be a bit more of a sweet raisin flavor to the beer in the finish. This is definitely a sort of desert beer; the fruit really boosts the sweetness here. Towards the finish a toasted, whole grain cracker flavor and some chewy caramelized bread / malt character becomes more noticeable and actually compliments the fruitiness; in combination it sort of reminds me of a dense fruit laden brown-bread, or perhaps even a fruit cake (the touch of alcohol in the flavor at times makes me lean towards the latter.

Not sure what to think about this beer, the fruit actually makes this beer more complex and interesting than the base beer is, but it is a little sweet at times. Still, I think I am enjoying this a bit more than the regular Doble Diablo, though a full pint would seem a bit difficult to finish.