Beer Me: Raison d'Etre

Because I can now buy single bottles at my gourmet grocery store, the beer selection around here has gotten a bit messy. That's okay, right? Let's just allow ourselves to be square pegs today. I also only have one variety to share today.

This is Raison d'Etre by Dogfish Head. If you're following along in French, that's reason to be. I've seen this several times in stores but never read what it was. A "deep mahogany Belgian-style brown ale brewed with beet sugar, raisins and Belgian-style yeast."

I like brown ales and this one is low on the bitterness scale at only 25 IBU's, 8% ABV. All the richness of a brown ale with a sweet, smooth finish. This was a winner for me so definitely give it a try if you see it. However, John tried 2 separate bottles of this with no luck. The first had a flavor so metallic that it went straight down the sink. He tried again and that bottle was a little better but still not nearly as good as the one I'd had. These were clearly from different batches which just goes to show you, if something tastes totally off, it probably is. Don't discount skunked beer before trying it again A little pricey but all Dogfish Heads are. My single bottle was $2.09. I don't know what a 6 pack goes for, or more likely a 4 pack.