Raison D'Etre
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in Milton, Delaware, United States 🇺🇸
Belgian Style - Strong Ale Regular Out of Production|
Score
7.07
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A deep mahogany, Belgian-style brown ale brewed with beet sugar, raisins and Belgian-style yeast.
We began brewing this one at our pub in 1996 (we began packaging and selling it sometime in 1998) as the answer to the question, "What beer should I enjoy with a wood-grilled steak?" Raison D'Etre fits the bill. It's as tasty and complex as a fine red wine.
In the Quick Sip Clip video, Sam talks about Raison D'Etre inside the new cellars for our 600-bbl fermentation tanks. The cellars were designed specifically to allow sterile yeast management. The system also allows us to automatically dose the yeast into the fermentation tanks. At Dogfish, we use multiple strains of yeast for our different beers, so we are acutely aware of all that can go wrong when you don't love and protect the yeast.
We began brewing this one at our pub in 1996 (we began packaging and selling it sometime in 1998) as the answer to the question, "What beer should I enjoy with a wood-grilled steak?" Raison D'Etre fits the bill. It's as tasty and complex as a fine red wine.
In the Quick Sip Clip video, Sam talks about Raison D'Etre inside the new cellars for our 600-bbl fermentation tanks. The cellars were designed specifically to allow sterile yeast management. The system also allows us to automatically dose the yeast into the fermentation tanks. At Dogfish, we use multiple strains of yeast for our different beers, so we are acutely aware of all that can go wrong when you don't love and protect the yeast.
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6.5/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Bottle from Lithy, thanks! Dark brown color. Malt and cardemom in the aroma. Malty sweet flavor with cane sugar and cardemom. Plums, raisin and caramel. Hint of alcohol. Decent brew.
Tried
from Bottle
on 26 Aug 2019
at 12:07
7.3/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8
2009 bottle, at a tasting in 2018. Hazy reddish amber with very small frothy beige head, woodsy sweet rum aroma, low carbonation, very boozy sweet taste, thin body, long finish. This is like drinking pure spirits!
Tried
from Bottle
on 24 Dec 2018
at 18:48
3.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 4
Flavor 1
Texture 4
Overall 4
From May 2008
I got this bottle in a trade with Wasatch. Thanks John!
The pour reveals a clear reddish amber liquid with a 2 finger head of foam and plenty of lacing. Very good head retention.
The smell has notes of wood, bubblegum, candy sugar, and a fruitiness.
The taste is....different. I get a musky flavour mixed with some caramel malt, along with bubblegum, some candy sugar, but, I can't get over the muskiness, if that is the proper way to describe it. Whole lot of alcohol going on in the taste as well, and too much warming for the abv, imho. I'm drinking this at near room temperature and maybe that isn't the way to go but under these conditions, it's not working for me at all. The body is definitely on the watery side for me..
I'm glad I got to try this brew but it just doesn't do it for me, unlike the majority of DFH's brews. 1 bottle is more than enough and I wouldn't seek this out again, for sure. To me, the flavours are a mess.
I got this bottle in a trade with Wasatch. Thanks John!
The pour reveals a clear reddish amber liquid with a 2 finger head of foam and plenty of lacing. Very good head retention.
The smell has notes of wood, bubblegum, candy sugar, and a fruitiness.
The taste is....different. I get a musky flavour mixed with some caramel malt, along with bubblegum, some candy sugar, but, I can't get over the muskiness, if that is the proper way to describe it. Whole lot of alcohol going on in the taste as well, and too much warming for the abv, imho. I'm drinking this at near room temperature and maybe that isn't the way to go but under these conditions, it's not working for me at all. The body is definitely on the watery side for me..
I'm glad I got to try this brew but it just doesn't do it for me, unlike the majority of DFH's brews. 1 bottle is more than enough and I wouldn't seek this out again, for sure. To me, the flavours are a mess.
Tried
from Bottle
on 22 Nov 2017
at 09:23
7/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 8
Old rating. Bottle from Old Town. Brown pour with a beige head. Yeast, currants and roasted malts on the nose. As it warms up more fruit comes out: muscat, prune, fig as well as some allspice. Slightly sweet and bitter on the palate. A bit boozy as well. Long bitter finish.
Tried
from Bottle
on 21 Mar 2015
at 06:49
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle at home. Pours deep brown, nose is blackcurrant, raisin, taste is similar, rich, fruity.
Tried
from Bottle
on 26 Jan 2015
at 03:59
7.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
330ml bottle shared @Buskers Pub (Rome). Brown appearance with a big head. Aroma has a lot of belgian character, malt, caramel, raisins, esters, spices. Flavour is sweet at first, with a decent bitter end, caramel, raisins, some hops traces. Medium to high body, medium carbonation.
Tried
from Bottle
on 25 Dec 2014
at 15:35
7.1/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Clear red brown colour, white head. Aroma of raisins, malts, brown sugar. Sweet flavour, light bitter, malts. Full body. Sweet finish, hint of bitterness.
(From 355mL bottle shared @ The Autumn Gathering Formerly Known as RBBAG (I) Mons, Gent 2014)
(From 355mL bottle shared @ The Autumn Gathering Formerly Known as RBBAG (I) Mons, Gent 2014)
Tried
from Bottle
on 25 Nov 2014
at 22:36
8.2/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Flaske delt med Ovesen på HNB 17.11.14: klar mørk rav og tett beige skum som varer - ingenting å si på utseende , og heller ikke på aroma og smak, dette er et øl i toppklasse. Lys appelsinmarmelade blandet med aprikoser og sjokolade. Alt for lett å helle over drøvelen, glasset var tomt lenge før vi var ferdige med kveldens andre omstikking.
Tried
on 18 Nov 2014
at 02:20
8.2/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle shared with JMD at HNB 17.11.14. Clear copper. Dense beige head. Aroma of cherry compote, prune compote and roasted nuts. Similar taste and aftertaste. A bit of fizziness at start also makes it an easily drinkable ale.
Tried
from Bottle
on 17 Nov 2014
at 12:27
7/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 7
Bottle 12 fl oz thanks to _angst_! Sampled on October 28, 2014.Clear mahogany reddish brown color, small light brown head. Sweet, unrefined sugar, alcohol, light Belgian yeast scent. Sugary, tart, toasted, light roasted taste. Dry, grainy aftertaste. Sort of fizzy mouthfeel, medium bitterness that is rather dry and a bit harsh.
Tried
from Bottle
on 03 Nov 2014
at 12:07