Beer Review: Dogfish Head Raison D'Etre

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: Eight percent

Appearance: Just as the label with the barley background says, this brew was most definitely "deep mahogany in color." There was a tan or tea-colored head that adorned the top of the brew. The head peaked at about a quarter of an inch and then receded into a very thin, but steady layer of foam and left some ample, yet webby lacing inside my glass.

Smell: I picked up plenty of sweet sugary notes along with some fig and other assorted dark fruits. The eight percent ABV didn't peak through, either. I could very well see the heavy sweetness getting to me at some point though. Maybe even to the point of upsetting my stomach.

Taste: The flavor of this brew wanted to be pungent, but kept it self in the subtle category. It was almost a perfect balance. There was plenty of dark sugar present as well as some caramel. It was even a little malty. This was very smooth, especially on the finish. This wasn't bitter nor boozy which means it could be a little dangerous if you want to indulge in this beer. I also found that as the beer warmed more and more warmth from the alcohol became more noticeable in the aftertaste.

Overall Rating: 

This was awesome. Even with the intense sweetness in the aroma, I can rank this one right up there with the best of them. It's was a dark yet balanced beer with many levels of flavor. It was complex and tasty. It played very smooth. Not many of the flavors in the taste were overbearing and didn't dilute any other aspect of the beer.

Beer Review: Lagunitas Undercover Investigation Shutdown Ale

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 9.6 percent

Appearance: This oddly-named ale poured a reddish amber with darker mahogany highlights. I'm pretty sure that this is the first time I've typed mahogany in the appearance section on this blog. There was a decent amount of visible carbonation. Enough to give me an impression that I'd get a nice texture. The bubbles led to a white/beige colored head that left some solid web-like lacing inside the glass. There weren't any breaks in the lacing in the entirety of the way around the glass. This really fits the bill for a beer that looks like it belongs in the Lagunitas mason jar glass.

Smell: This was very sweet and sugary. It also seemed very deep and complex. I was surprised to not be picking up any of the high ABV as of this point. The layers seemed to hide it. The sweetness did seem to be a bit overbearing after a few sniffs. I get a bit queasy when things are as sweet as this was.

Taste: It wasn't a great start for me with this one. Two things I could initially tell you is that this was very hoppy and boozy. I had high hopes that the sweetness would balance this out, but that wasn't the case. The finish was very bold and bitter. The alcohol in the beer gave me a little stomach burn in addition to the heat it provided on the way down. Not too sure how I felt about each of those. A pretty intense flavor.

Overall Rating:

This was a bit of a struggle for me. I love how this beer looked. I'm still getting myself acquainted with strong ales and the intricacies of the style. I really think this is a case of me not knowing what to expect instead of the beer being bad. People do tend to enjoy this one from what I've read.