Harpoon Summer Beer

I wanted to try a little something new for a Paisley tailgating concert that I went to. I heard good things about Samuel Adams Summer Ale but I figured why not go for something new?

The beer poured out with a rich golden color and completely transparent. It had a slight foam, but no head, and a slight bubble. It had a very rich, hoppy scent that was slightly sweet and had a dash of barley thrown in too. Strangely, it reminded me a little of cheap beer like Coors or Budweiser. It tasted just like it smelled: lots of hops and a little barley. It also tasted like it had a little bit of lemon zest or something else citrusy in it. The texture was very smooth and refreshing - optimal for a summer brew at a tailgate, beach or chilling in your backyard.

This is by no means a really expensive, complicated brew. But, it is a very good social brew where you can have a few and enjoy the taste and the setting of where you're at.

Appearance - 3.5
Smell - 3.6
Taste - 3.8
Texture - 4
Overall - 3.73/5

Dogfish Head Raison d'Extra

Another Raison? Yes, ladies and gentlemen - this is correct. The previous iteration, the Raison d'Etre, had one raisin in it. This one, d'Extra, has two. Let the sarcasm continue...

Poured out quite cloudy with a dark brown hue in the middle of the glass and a light brown/tan top. There was minimal head with a small foam ring around the top. The aroma came up with a bouquet of sweetness and a slight bit of raisins as well. There was also a very prevalent scent of alcohol. Little note: We didn't look up the alcohol content of this brew before we tasted and decided to when we noticed how alcoholic is smelled. 18% - hello, hello. The taste was very strong and pretty bitter. There was a slight hint of raisins in the palate and it overall reminded me of the Ruination with the slight citrus taste (which was a good and bad thing). The texture was quite smooth. It stated pretty mellow and then hit me pretty hard with the taste and bitterness and ends with an even harder hit from the alcohol.

Overall, it was a nice beer, but not my kind of beer. It reminded me of orange cleaning solution again like the Ruination but it wasn't nearly AS bad. Good to try if you like orange-tasting beers that are very bitter.

Appearance - 3.7
Smell - 3.6
Taste - 3.1
Texture - 3.4
Overall - 3.45/5

Dogfish Head Raison d'Extra

The next one up in our current trend of brews out of Dogfish Head is the Raison d'Extra. As our readers should note we have already reviewed the d'Etre. Think of this as pretty much the same thing but loaded with more than double the alcohol content: yes double. It pours dark brown with subtle red hints throughout, with a slight white head. Unfortunately I can not pick up much from the smell, only sweet malts and of course alcohol. The taste is initial alcohol but quickly fades into a sweet and mild fruit flavor. The alcohol taste is nice and sharp but not overpowering, and the quickness that the flavor transitions into the sweet malts is quite welcomed. Overall it is a very good beer for someone who wants to try something strong and different, but still drinkable.

Appearance - 3.5

Smell - 3.8

Taste - 3.8

Texture - 3.9

Overall - 3.75/5

Brew Tasting the Tenth

So here we are. I am still suffering from the concussion (I'm actually writing this hopped up on Percoset as we speak...yes, it's enjoyable), but I feel bad putting the tastings off when we have so much brew. So, we're going to do a single, small (12oz bottle, 6oz/person) brew tonight. Full listing after the break.

1) Dogfish Head Raison d'Extra