Raison D'Etre is also a beer brewed by the Dogfish Head Craft Brewery. I discovered Dogfish Head in 2005, and have been very impressed so far, they brew with quality ingredients, and many of their beers taste great, so it was with great anticipation that I picked up a six pack of Raison D'etre.
The description on a bottle of Raison D'etre reads:
A deep mahogany ale brewed with Belgian beet sugars, green raisins and a sense of purpose.
Well, mahogany is a good descriptor for this beer, it has a deep brown color, a bit darker than Newcastle Brown Ale. As far as taste goes, it starts with a short tangy note (perhaps that was the raisins I detected), but that soon gives way to a overpowering bitterness. It is a very smooth ale, almost too smooth, it was almost like drinking syrup. Sometimes Dogfish Head beers take some time to get used like the 90 minute IPA did, but this one never grew on me. It does have some redeeming value, It clocks in at a whopping 8% APV, pretty high alcohol content for a beer.
Raison D'etre facts
Calories...258 (a meal in itself!)
Carbohydrates...27
ABV...8 percent
Raison D'etre is a American beer, and is found mostly in the New England and Mid Atlantic regions of the country.