Dogfish Head’s Raison D’Etre
I’m doing my best to, finally, get back into — very into — beer. Tomorrow I’ll be stopping into Niagara Tradition, though I can’t decide if I should get an extract kit to get back on the horse or jump straight into partial mash. We’ll see, I suppose.
So, in preparation, I headed to the closest Consumer’s Beverage in the hopes of getting a shiny new growler full of whatever looked tasty at the time. When I got there, though, I realized that unlike the Village Beer Merchant‘s $2.98 growlers, Consumer’s were $20*. Um, I’ll take a six pack please.
After wandering around for a bit I finally found a nice balance between something that looked good, that I thought would be good that night, and that wasn’t too expensive. I settled on Dogfish Head’s Raison D’etre, ‘A deep mahogany ale brewed with Belgian beer sugars, green raisins & a sense of purpose.’ You’re telling me I can drink a play on words? To the check out counter!
When I got home from the gym (to partake in my standard late night yogurt/apple eating, Daily Show/Colbert Report viewing and beer drinking) I took out a bottle and realized that I had no idea what kind of glass to put it in. I settled on a pint glass, but after smelling its spicy/fruity aroma and realizing it said ‘Belgian’ on the bottle I decided I should probably have used something else. The first sip, which was even spicier than it smelled, confirmed that I had screwed up. This tasted like something that belonged in a snifter.
Additionally, it tasted like something that was much more alcoholic than a standard beer. A quick re-check of the bottle revealed that yes, it was 8% abv. A check of the Dogfish Head’s website confirmed that, also yes, it should ideally be poured into a ‘goblet or snifter.’ It was nice to see that, while I’m still learning, I can still get a few things right when flying blind.
So, while not at all what I was expecting (maybe some sort of slightly fruity ale?), the Raison D’Etre was still very enjoyable. It’s not something you chug down: it definitely demands your attention. Even so, as something to savor at night (rather than drinking absent-mindedly), it does a damn good job. I’ll be enjoying the remaining five bottles, that’s for sure.
* In all fairness, I think it’s because the VBM’s are clear and Consumer’s were the brown flip-tops; the same thing at Niagara Tradition is actually $25
Consumer’s has the bad-ass, brown, dragon-handled, flip-tops @ $20, yes, but their regular screw-tops are also just $2.95, I think. fwiw.
Thanks; I saw the clear ones next to the brown but the price tag on the one combined with my urge to get in and out quickly (my wife was waiting in the car) had me abandon the project. I still think I’ll frequent the VBM from now on, though, if only because I seem to be developing a pro-Buffalo attitude.