Beer Review: Dogfish Head's Raison D'Etre

The bottle of this beer says that it was brewed with (among other things) a sense of purpose. For a brewery as well-known and popular as Dogfish Head, it goes without saying that each of their beers taste as if they were brewed purposefully. As with most of their beers, this tasty brew meets the high expectations I hold for Dogfish Head.

Upon my first pour (and brief examination of the bottle) I expected that this would be a slightly sweet version of a brown ale. Sniffing and sipping proved this assumption wrong. Much to my delight, this drinks like it's got some Belgian influence going on and has a rather noticeable flavor of raisins. The head was almost nonexistent when I poured myself a glass, but it grew over the following twenty seconds, with champagne-like trails of bubbles feeding a light foaminess to the top. There's also a light prune-ish flavor, but it's a really good thing. I mean, prunes aren't bad to me but they seem to get a really bad reputation that they don't deserve. Any beer that reminds me of sweet and rich fruits is fine by me.

I'm not sure if there's a seasonal restriction to this one, as this is the first bottle I've ever had, but I encourage you to grab a bottle for yourself if you're looking for a tasty new experience. I sometimes have a hard time breaking away from my standard pattern of stouts, porters, and Belgian ales, so it's refreshing to try something new and find out that it still perfectly suits my mood.

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