Fort - Dogfish Head Brewery

Gusler

Arizona

4.43/5  rDev +21.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The beer upon its emancipation from the 750ml brown bottle, resides in the glass a limpid rusted orange with bountiful creamy light tan head that slowly erodes leaving a velum like coating of lace upon the glass. Nose is saturated with raspberries, sweet at the front but a nice tart tangy tones at the back, quite a sniffer this beer, start is sweet with a tangy twang as it hits the back of your palate, the grain profile delectable and the top middling its feel. Finish is staunch in its acidity, the hops enjoyable with a bit of alcohol bite at the very end, quite dry and a real tummy warmer, what a treat on St. Patrick’s Day as I sit here listening to Elmore James, and relax from a long week of drudgery.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2006 00:46:07 | More by Gusler

chadb

Connecticut

4.43/5  rDev +21.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Just ordered yesterday and picked up today. These bottles are stamped July. Poured into a red wine glass, almost a greenish tinge looking from the top. Fine looking from side with lots of carbonation sitting on the glass.

Smell, like a wine. Wife who doesn't like beer was asked to smell this one and she flat out said it smells like wine. Sweet, with more of a hint of raspberries than flat out berry, but as said very sweet smelling.

This would be a great tasting drink after the first one. The second glass was much smoother than the first with more fruit and floral than the first. I would hate to loose the taste with something else before, so try this one twice in the same sitting.

Savor the sip, don't drink. Keeping this in the mouth for a few seconds (or more) before swallow really allows alot more to come out.

My drinkability would rate higher, but you really can't drink this as easy as I would have liked. This may be because of my usual drinking instead of sip and savor of beers.

Really like this, only issue may be the high level of alcohol. If others think of this as a wine instead of a "beer" you will enjoy this.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2008 02:40:07 | More by chadb

thespaceman

Connecticut

4.43/5  rDev +21.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured froma 750ml bottle into a DFH signature glass

Bottle Date: 2009

Appearance: Pours a deep ruby in color, small size head likely from the alcohol slowly dissapates leaving a thin sheet of lace around the glass. This beer has a beautiful color likely from the boatloads of raspberries that go into this beer.

Smell: Whew, not only do I get a ton of sweet raspberry and cranberry flavors up front but I get a thick aroma of booze on the back end. The fruitiness smells very authentic, with the hoppiness pairing well giving out a tiny bit of citrus here as well. The "booze" element reminds me of a 120 Minute or Olde School in the fact that it's very pungent yet very sweet smelling.

Taste: Wow, I guess a year really did good things for this beer. As much as I thought alcohol bite was going to kill this beer, it's barely noticeable! Sweet raspberry flavors burst off the glass, again very authentic, almost like crushing up a bunch of raspberries and straining the juice into the glass! A red wine like tannin flavor mixes in here making this very comparable to a port wine. Very tart without being overly sour. The hops used give off a small citrus bite towards the finish, but nothing too noticeable. The last sip shows off a tiny touch of alcohol sweetness with more of that earthy raspberry flavor.

Mouthfeel: The mouthfeel is a bit thick, and the carbonation is low yet a tad prickly, almost like a champagne that's gone a bit flat. A good amount of bitterness from the hops come into play here as well. This one sits nicely on the tongue without getting too wet.

Drinkability: This is by all means a sipper, coming in at 18% ABV, this one will really creep up on you with a bit of age (let this sit for a year to really experience the depth of the flavors). I like that the raspberry flavors are not fake tasting, and that the alcohol bite from sitting for a year really took a backseat so I could experience all of the fruit flavors billowing from this beer! Very comparable to a wine, your snobby red wine drinkers would really get a taste for this one! Very glad I finally got a bottle of this to experience it, because it's one of the better fruit beers out there with nothing lacking on any level. Great job DFH!

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2010 02:15:18 | More by thespaceman

Krakistophales

Connecticut

4.43/5  rDev +21.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours red with almost no head

S: Lots of raspberries, cherries, and assorted berries, along with a rum raisin sort of booziness.

T: Raspberries, a sherry sort of booziness, general fruity flavors. Very nice, like a really strong lambic.

O: This is quite nice. I have to mention that this is a 2008 bottle, so with 3 years on it it's probably much less boozy than when it was fresh. Still, I like it quite a bit.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2011 02:56:18 | More by Krakistophales

Todd

Massachusetts

4.4/5  rDev +20.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a long-stemmed, wide-bowled red wine glass the 1 pint, 9.6 fluid ounce bottle pours a hazy tea appearance, with shimmering orange hues and shades of pink and peach. The beer is topped with a respectable white foam head with wispy lace and gentle cling to the inside of the glass.

Big aroma of raspberries and huge solvent alcohol fumes, akin to Chambord, and pungent as the beer warms. Dots of savory spices and fresh hops in the nose, too.

The lively carbonation not only helps to retain the lacing, but it's the first introduction to the beer. It's spritzy, invigoration and amps up the beer's sharpness on the palate, followed by a smooth creamy feel. Alcohol definitely makes itself known. The heat worms its way into the palate with solvent and spice. Raspberry flavor is juicy, tart and dominates as it mingles with the alcohol to create a unique cordial-like experience. Malty backbone with sublet caramel, honey and vanilla lingering in the background. Belgian-esque with a dose of candi sugar-like sweetness and spices found in some Belgian ales. Suggestions of lime in the bitterness compliment the tart raspberry. Slight leafy hop character comes across the palate, followed by a salty edged linger on the tongue as the beer fades and dries away. Some solvent heat and spice remain in the finish with faded raspberry flavors for quite sometime.

Definitely one to share with friends, or someone special as "lights out and good nightcap." Although the beer's flavors open up as the beer warms, some might want to stick to serving cold to avoid the alcohol heat.

Pair it with something big and bold, like a Baked Brie en Croute, a hot chocolate torte, or selection of soft dark Belgian-style chocolates. Or better yet, make mini-fruit cups with fresh peaches and raspberries and soak them overnight with half a bottle of Fort. Top with fresh cream and a mint leaf, and pair the dessert with the other half of the bottle.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2006 20:28:00 | More by Todd

jaxon53

Connecticut

4.4/5  rDev +20.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

After looking at this brew time and time again at the local store, I finally broke down and just had to try it. Came in a beautifully labled 750ml bottle . Served in a wine glass, slightly chilled. Poured a very nice reddish amber color, with a short, bubbly head that dissipated rather quickly. Almost looks like a glass of wine sitting there. Had a nice aroma of fresh raspberries , with a little kick of alcohol. First taste was of raspberries,and something else i can't quite put my finger on yet, with a short, but sweet alcohol burn finish. Hard to believe there is that much alcohol in this. The 18% abv. is pretty well hidden.Had a great full taste with plenty of corbonation. Very drinkable for what it is , a very strong fruit beer. Think i'll get another bottle to hide for a year or two.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2006 01:12:49 | More by jaxon53

techfed87

Michigan

4.4/5  rDev +20.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Pours with very little head. Color is a rich, cloudy rose. Carbonation is very light, although it still is present.

Smells like very sour raspberries. There definitely is an alcohol presence, but it mixes fairly well with the overall smell of the beer.

First taste is a very nice mix of sweet, tart, and of course, raspberry. Enough carbonation exists to keep what is a beer that is aged two and a half years still big in body.

This beer is amazingly easy to drink, especially considering the high alcohol content. Still, with the sheer amount of raspberries in this, that can definitely be covered up well.

A huge beer, this is definitely something you should try!

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2010 02:50:17 | More by techfed87

hdofu

Maryland

4.4/5  rDev +20.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I've been excited about this beer for awhile now, my brother picked up a bottle tonight and I must say it was worth the wait. The pours off reddish orange with white lacing. Smell really gets you with an intense aroma of raspberry in your face. Taste is a complicated matter consisting of a tiny hint of malt and a whole lot of raspberry. The beer has a pleasant feeling of alcohol burn ( with this much alcohol it'd be hard not to) and a finish not unlike raspberry sorbet. After reading alot of reviews that say this beer isn't raspberry enough, I have to say do you want beer, if not why not just get raspberry juice cause this is a pleasant extremely drinkable beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2010 05:15:49 | More by hdofu

vette2006c5r

Wisconsin

4.4/5  rDev +20.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 2.5

Dogfish Head Fort poured a cloudy amber color, with very little head. It smelt of rasberries, and alchool, very sweet and strong. It had a very interesting taste, it was sweet, and very strong rasberry flavors, and a strong kick of alchool which balanced the sweetness. It was a delight to drink, however it may be difficult to have much more then one because of the %18 ABV. Overall a very different beer, and a very good beer, worth a try

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2010 17:32:20 | More by vette2006c5r

jdhilt

New Hampshire

4.38/5  rDev +20%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a two finger white head that fades slowly leaving some lace. Cloudy amber/red color. Medium carbonation and medium bodied. Raspberry nose. Flavor is raspberry pie with alcohol, sweetish, alcohol finish. Another decent beer from DFH. Bottled Nov 13, 2006. Pricey at $16.00 for a 25.6oz bottle from Tully's Beer and Wine Wells, ME.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2007 22:35:09 | More by jdhilt

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

4.38/5  rDev +20%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Radiant pumpkin orange with buffed bronze edges. I'm not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing that this raspberry beer isn't raspberry red. The golden sandstone colored crown has an appealing, tight-bubbled texture. It's impressively persistent and is beginning to deposit an acceptable amount of lace.

Fort's nose is all kinds of outstanding if you like Chambord, or any other quality raspberry liqueur. Amazingly enough, this beer has a higher ABV (18.0%) than Chambord (16.5%). It wouldn't surprise me a bit if black raspberries were present alongside the red ones.

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery can get a little 'out there' on occasion when it comes to some of their offerings. Does a raspberry fruit beer that's nearly 40-proof qualify? Perhaps, but it's still damn good stuff and isn't as weird and wacky as some of what they brew.

Maybe not technically speaking, but practically speaking, Fort is more raspberry cordial than raspberry beer. The only problem with putting it in 750 ml bottles is that it doesn't have even a fraction of the shelf-life of a bottle of liqueur. Share it with a friend or sip it over the course of a day, like I plan to do.

The flavor profile is simple and straightforward, which isn't a negative at all. Herbs and/or spices wouldn't have worked well at all. Unless they're present, then they worked out just fine. I'm still thinking that some darker berries were used. The beer practically explodes with black raspberry jam, which is one of my favorite toast toppings.

Regarding the mouthfeel, it's full and syrupy without being ooey-gooey and overly sticky. Again, think liqueur, with just enough underlying carbonation to give it some beer-like life. Upon further reflection, the mouthfeel is pretty close to perfect when everything is taken into account.

Even though I don't always love the end result, I love the way Sam Caglione pushes the envelope when it comes to craft beer. This is one of the most unique and most delicious fruit ales that I've ever had. Putting it in 12 ounce bottles (like World Wide Stout) seems like a no-brainer. That's probably the only way I'd buy it again.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2009 13:44:59 | More by BuckeyeNation

drtth

Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev +20%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a wine glass. Glass of cold water on the side to sip from periodically. This is from the December 08 bottling and so has just over 3 years of bottle age.

Appearance: As poured the beer is a nice clear pink color (much the color of a pink sparkling wine) with a ring of creamy ivory foam and some visible bubbles of carbonation. (I suspect a more vigorous pour would have produced more head but this was from a shared bottle and we didn’t want to disturb any sediment that had collected while doing the first pour.) As the ring grows smaller there is no lacing left behind and sipping leaves only small speckles of lacing that slide back down to the ring.

Smell: The aroma is definitely raspberry from start to finish. It is fresh, clean and very much like a raspberry cordial, but with a touch of complexity that goes beyond the raspberry and is hard to identify.

Taste: The flavor is a light refereshing raspberry with no real trace of alcohol showing at all. By this age any hop bitterness from the 45 IBUs has faded and gone but what is left of the hop flavors serves shows in the increased depth of complexity of flavor and gives the raspberry some interesting character that is hard to tease out as it remains quietly in the background. The alcohol is well concealed here and there isn’t a trace of alcohol burn from the 18% ABV.

Mouthfeel: The mouth feel is on the medium side of full bodied and the carbonation provides a light prickliness that livens things up a bit. The finish is medium long and basically involves the raspberry sweet-tartness just fading away until you realize it has gone dry.

Drinkability and Overall Impression: One sip follows another easily and naturally which makes this beer dangerously drinkable. At this ABV it would be quite easy to lose track and drink more than one wanted. My overall impression of this beer is that it is perfectly suited to conclude an evening’s entertainment when having dinner and good conversation with friends. It has a robust enough carbonation to keep things lively and make the raspberry flavor dance around on the tongue. It never cloys and reminds me of a wonderful cross between a pink sparkling wine and a richly flavored fruit cordial.

Note: After posting the review I took a look at what some others had to say about this beer. For those who found the beer too hot, I can appreciate the problem but did not find it to be the case with this three year old bottle. If you buy this one, plan on letting it sit for a couple of years before being opened. For those who found the flavor and aroma to be a bit one-dimensional, I recommend you avoid fruit cordials. Mostly they are one-dimensional but will also be quite sweet and cloying to your taste as they don’t have the carbonation to liven things up.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2012 02:02:45 | More by drtth

Metalmonk

North Carolina

4.35/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottled 11/28/05

Saved this beer for my birthday, and it was worth it. Poured a reddish-copper, with a thin but well-retained head. Lots of bubbles, like a champagne, and a great stack of lace as the glass emptied.

Smelled predominantly of raspberries, vanilla and sweet spices. A buoyant and thankfully not-too-sweet aroma.

Flavors: excellent depth. There's a small liqueur-type bite, but at 18% ABV, the alcohol is hidden pretty well. Amidst the fruity, pungent, spicy essence is a veneer of wild yeast, all of that offsetting what could've been a too-sweet concoction, but what turned out to be a nicely balanced, complex, intriguing drink. Raspberries, yes. But there's a lot more going on here, especially in terms of spiciness and the full-bodied, kinda wild essence given off by the yeast.

Mouthfeel was full of fizz, yet held a round, heavy, somewhat glaze-y heft.

Despite the high alcohol, this went down extremely well. A beguiling, intriguing brew. What is this exactly? (besides another amazing Dogfish Head invention.) Pricey, which limits drinkability, but well worth the experience, at least once.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2006 03:56:22 | More by Metalmonk

Shaw

Florida

4.35/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

From a 750 mL bottled in Nov. 2005, purchased at Beer World in Largo in Feb. 2007.

Pours a nice light tan -- perhaps red? -- color without much head.

It has a great aroma of raspberries. I even smelled them as I was pouring my first glass. There are also aromas of alcohol and earth.

The taste is fruity and wine-like, but there are still plenty of beer flavors, unlike DFH's Black and Blue. The fruit tartness mixes with earthy grain flavors to create quite the complex beer.

The body is smooth and slick, no doubt because of the high ABV.

This is a very drinkable fruit beer, especially considering it is 18 percent. Dogfish Head continues to create very interesting beers. I'd have this beer again, but for its $19 price.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2007 01:18:14 | More by Shaw

specksnreds

Texas

4.35/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

It was a homebrew Sunday, so in celebration I decided to chill and share my mid '07 Fort with my fellow brewers. I've had many Forts over the years, but not one that has been aged this long.
Pours cloudy, dark orange with a bit of pink. Little head and low carbonation. Not much to look at.
The aroma a bit surprising considering the other Forts I've had as a reference. Very barley wine-like in the nose, with the raspberries incorporated nicely. Not near as much fruit as I expected.
Each of us had a small sample in six ounce whiskey glasses, and the ensuing tastes were extremely nice. The palate was equal to the nose in its balance and smoothness. It had a huge malt foundation that worked perfectly with the tart fruit and huge abv. It was not near as sweet as the early ones I've had, and the alcohol is truly incorporated. Very smooth, and little, if any, burn.
I've not purchased a Fort in a while due to its lack of balance, but I will definitely get one or two and set them aside for at least two years. The aged Fort was an excellent experience that I will definitely repeat...in 2011.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2009 17:17:43 | More by specksnreds

lovindahops

New York

4.35/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from bottle dated brewed in 2008

A- pours an orange unfiltered look. Not much for a head. Cloudiness of the brew almost gleams. impressive look from the body

S- powerful fruity essence. Alcohol seems to bend and twist throughout each whiff. Almost takes over the entire theme of the brew. The raspberries really dominate as stated

T- light and fruity on the initial entrance. The sweetness begins to set in... Then all of a sudden the flavor is indented with an an alcoholc essence. Look, it is what it is... Fruit and alcohol teaming together for a desert like treat

M- tasty but stings. However, the drinkability makes you wanting more

D- there is no question DFH delivers with a treat. Trust me, this is great for the ladies... The alcohol will sneak up on you. Fort is a great spin from DFH to show they are not only capable for a hops hit... They can also make some sweet fruity concoctions

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2010 01:50:12 | More by lovindahops

bigoten13

Massachusetts

4.35/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pour - dark ruby, almost like a pure grapefruit juice. The head is small, and dissipates quickly with drinking.

Smell - pure awesome raspberry. for a fruit beer, the smell is amazing and exactly what you would want. It ends with a slight hint of the alcohol, which is welcome after such intense sweet odors.

Taste - The taste is on point in terms of capturing fruit tastes into a well crafted brew. The high alcohol content of this beer is well masked by the intense raspberry flavor, but the end of each taste is still dominated by a small, and slight stinging alcohol taste.

Drinkability - Definitely not a great session beer, due to its high ABV and intense flavors, however a single bottle of the beer, 1 pint +9.6 fl oz, is easily drinkable by one.

Overall, a delightfully innovative and tasty fruit beer with few shortcomings.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2011 05:43:49 | More by bigoten13

taez555

Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev +18.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This beer poured a clear orange/pinkish hued body with a small white head that died quickly.

Nose is interesting and very intriguing. Soft raspberries or cherries and very muted. A definite fruit juice smell tone blends into thick but never overpowering alcohol. At 18% I was expecting so much alcohol it burned. This is soft and present. The fruits come out but never sting. Really an amazing smell.

Huge thick body. First impression is not so much lambic, but a perfectly balanced fruit puree reduction that's been turned into a beer. There's definitely malt in this beer as well. Touches of caramel and a strong alcohol remind me of a good english barleywine. Alcohol definitely come alive as it warms and although it has hints of chambord or other raspberry flavor liquors, it's not as sharp and much more drinkable. The hops in this beer are so well balanced as to make them almost unnoticeable. They come out a bit more as it warms giving it a decent bitterness with just enough hop flavor to add some flavor, but are never distracting from the fresh raspberry taste.

This beer is a meal unto itself, but would amazing paired with chocolate. At 18% this is like drinking a bottle and half of wine. So whatever you do take it slow or share it.

Overall... Wow!!! I was scared to try this beer expecting maybe a huge overly tart lambic, but this beer is nothing like that. It's so unique it deserves it's own category. Imperial lambic, fruit barleywine, etc.... I don't know... but whatever you call it, it's good.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2006 01:55:44 | More by taez555

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4.33/5  rDev +18.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

An insane amount of raspberry and alcohol make this a very dry fruit beer with challenging warmth and strength.

The pour delivers a hazy ruby/mauve color with low carbonation which struggles to form any head. Yet and dainty foamstance slowly builds to a sheet atop the glass. No lacing, light legging.

Deep raspberry notes fill the nose and over take any base beer character. Alcohols provide a sharp sensation in the olfactories. Tart and bright aromatics, albeit somewhat one-dimensional.

Flavors closely mimic the aromas with the big lead in from the raspberry puree. A mix of under rippened and over rippened berries provide sharpness and brightness as well as deeper and richer varieties. A spicy Belgian-like flavor gives a little extra spiciness and enough of a fruity backdrop to add much needed complexity to the taste. Again, alcohol flavor provides a lot of rose-like esters and spicy paint-thinner flavor. No hop character.

A quick and fleeting sweet start soon develops into a thinning, dry, and spicy/hot feel because of the 18%. While the sweet start gives the richer raspberry flavors, the later 90% of the session gives the more tart and dry character.

A true fruit beer that lives up the craft beer name. A nice transition of raspberries leads to a very alcoholic finish. Still, the beer finishes quite one-dimensional and over done.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2006 20:57:54 | More by BEERchitect

nvsblman

Arizona

4.33/5  rDev +18.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours with the color of white zinfadel with a full white head. Lots of sticky lacing. The aroma is full of raspberries with some vanilla and a little oak. The vanilla is there in the taste too, backing up all of the raspberries. Also noticing a slight spiciness and maybe some candi sugar too? Champagne-like mouthfeel. Very drinkable. As my wife and I aren't too excited by champange, a couple of these will be stuck back for special occasions. This would be great with a chocolate dessert or maybe some fruit.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2006 21:24:07 | More by nvsblman

Douglas14

California

4.33/5  rDev +18.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml bottled on 1/13/06

Whoa! I had heard and read about this beer before and thought I had nailed down what to expect from it...fortunately, I was wrong.

Pours a hazy red color with slight orange accents coming through. It has a nice head at first but it quickly resides leaving no lace (due to the high abv). The smells is wayyy more pungent that I had expected...smells intensely of raspberries - almost like a jar of raspberry jam...nevertheless, wonderful!

The taste is amazing...obviously raspberries...but other sweet, tart fruits appear as well; orange, lemon and cherries. Malt and yeast flavors appear towards the finish. Hardly any notice of the high ABV. There are no hidden flavors here.

The mix of Fort's full body and light carbonation make a great combination.

Overall great beer...highly recommend giving it some time to age.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2007 00:39:42 | More by Douglas14

RppIII

District of Columbia

4.33/5  rDev +18.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 750mL bottle into a snifter

A dark raspberry hued fog rises from the bottle and gently floats down the neck to dissipate into the surrounding air. I tilt the glass and pour not hurriedly, the beer swells a golden mahogany and instantly a sweet aroma with hints of tea and raspberry assaults my nostrils. The carbonation powers out a thin dark brown/white head that dissolves into the alcohol intensive liquid. What is left of the head clings pensively to the walls of the glass until it finally rejoins it's mates in the warm alcoholic fluid bubbling in the glass.

Aside from the overwhelming blended fruit essence that attacks the nostrils there is an almost equally alcoholic quality to this drink that accentuates the assault from the sweet fruit and candied sugars. Less obvious is the sour aspect of the fruit that gives it a tea like aroma, a quaint hop bitterness and a spiciness add to the warming almost medicinal aromas wafting from this beer.

The aroma of this beer is an integral part of tasting it, as the flavour is not as "in your face" with delicate distinctions between the different ingredients. Immediately the overwhelming sweetness, and alcohol phenols of the odors present themselves more delicately in the flavour of this beer. The slight hop bitterness and sour notes present in the aroma are more present in the flavour and create a very gratifying contrast to the sweet raspberry chocolate cordial taste. This drink is a dessert in and of itself, a chocolate covered raspberry tart. The malt in this beer harkened back memories of a chocolate stout I recently had but this was dark raspberry chocolate with a contrasting tartness. This scrumptious dessert is finished off with a slight bitter citrusy hop flavour and warm spices (much of what I would expect in a Strong Belgian Ale). Eventually the tartness almost completely takes over and the alcohol dries the palate leaving a dry spice on the breath.

Silky texture as it enters the mouth, instantaneously it warms the soul then carbonation hits the palate taking your attention away from the intense alcohol and raspberry flavours present and reminding you that this is a beer. A slight puckering is produced from the bitter tartness that is aesthetically pleasing as a complement to the warming alcohol and sweetness present. Aesthetically this beer very much reminds me of a concoction of champagne and Chambord.

More drinkable than the first waft would have led me to believe. I had this with a chocolate fondue, pound cake, and strawberries and this beer, a dessert in itself, went perfectly. Not a beer to drink by yourself, a very share worthy beer whether it be with friends or a loved one (as was my case) and most certainly not a session beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2010 00:35:03 | More by RppIII

ngeunit1

California

4.33/5  rDev +18.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a clear copper-orange with a finger of frothy white head. The head fades down at a normal pace leaving behind some nice lace.

S - Aroma is a mix of strong raspberries, booze, a bit of Belgian yeast and some floral elements.

T - Starts off with some strong sweet raspberry flavor with some tartness. Through the middle, some booze comes through with some floral flavors. The finish is a mix of more sweet and lightly tart raspberries with some booze and a bit vanilla and yeast.

M - Full bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth with a warming and sweet finish.

D - Pretty drinkable. A bit one dimensional, but the strength and complexity of the raspberry flavor is really nice.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2012 06:34:10 | More by ngeunit1

CH3CH2OH

New Jersey

4.3/5  rDev +17.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a clear garnet with a small, quickly falling white head. Viniferous, sweet aroma. Taste is a smooth, ruby port with a hint of bitterness, and a sweet, tangy finish. Light, creamy mouthfeel. Very drinkable.

This is great as a dessert drink; awesome with cheese, panna cotta, etc. Hides its strength well.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2007 01:52:58 | More by CH3CH2OH

dasenebler

Maine

4.3/5  rDev +17.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at DFH night, Novare Res (Portland, ME)

Poured with no head whatsoever. Cloudy, dark straw color. Think unfiltered apple juice.

Nose was huge and awesome. Fruity alcoholic esters, with tons of raspberries obviously.

Wow, this is a strong beer. Very hot, almost not beer-like at nearly 20 percent. But, it's tangy and yeasty, with a great fermented fruit flavor. Acidic, but not necessarily sour. Not overly sweet like many of the stronger DFH offerings. Nice berry aftertaste. This is actually a delicious sipper of a beer. Incredible stuff.

Serving type: on-tap

08-05-2009 05:01:57 | More by dasenebler