Hair of the Dog Adam

Smells of strong dark rum soaked raisins, molasses and birch wood. Flavor is molasses and raisins with a smoky caramel around the edges. Finishes with Christmas spices. What a brew for any season but especially fall and winter. Like a mix between a robust american barlywine and a roasty porter. All good things here. Silky mouthfeel with a light heavyweight body. A thanks to all the enlightened souls that had anything to do with making this beauty. Thank You Hair of the Dog. 2009 12 oz.

Enjoyed from a 12oz bottle in a pub glass. The beer pours an opaque deep brown with a nearly sold tan head that lasts the twenty minutes it took to enjoy the entirety of the beer. Notes of milk chocolate, caramel, toffee, and port-like characters come through in the strong nose that is noticeable from several feet away. The palate is decadently rich, showing a full malty character that almost tastes like drinking liquified German chocolate. Tremendous notes of milk/dark chocolate and caramel. The only detractor to the palate was a tremendous residual sweetness. In a way, I think this is forgivable, given the traditional aim of the beer; harkening back to a time when beers paired higher starting and finishing gravities. However, the beer was a bit difficult to consume in the middle of a fairly heavy drinking session. It would be far better as a digestif or a night-cap. Overall, extremely well done.

Rating #1600. Bottle thanks to scrizzz. Batch 72. Dark dark brown, smooth tan cover that thins quickly. Aroma is chocolate, tobacco, roast, dark fruit, berries, booze. Taste is roasty, smoke, chocolate, leather, good body.

Batch 75. Pours a very dark brown letting very little light through. Massive head, even with a careful pour. Resulted in a pour over. Head is thick, creamy and tan. Hangs around for a long while. Nose seems very fruity. Maybe grape. Candy sugar. Rich, full bodied flavor. Fruity, but dark fruits. Maybe black cherry. Nice roasted characteristics. Surprising hop bitterness. Delicious. Very heavy in the mouth. Feels similar to a porter. Carbonation is prickley. All in all, a fantastic beer. Could do with a little less carbonation, but flavor is rocking!

Delicious, thick, rich beer. Adam pours a dark, murky brown, tan at the edges. The head is tan, thick and creamy with tiny bubbles. The aroma is sweet and malty, brown sugar on malty toast. This isn’t a vintage bottle, so the hops still come through with some citrus. The flavor is somewhere between a doppelbock, a barleywine and an English strong ale. There’s sweet malt with some light toasty crystal malt. The malt has some good fruity notes, prunes, apricots and raisins. It’s a really delicious beer - Hair of the Dog is an incredible brewery.

900th Rating: 12oz bottle (Batch 75) served in a snifter. Murky, dark brown pour with a huge head of creamy tan foam that rose and stood about an inch over the top of the glass. Amazing retention and some chunky lacing. The aroma was very rich. Full of heavy caramel, dark fruits, tobacco, and a hint of underlying charred wood. The flavor was layered and complex. It started with the caramel and some sherry notes, then dried fruits and pipe tobacco. A hint of lingering smoke in the finish. Warming, but other than that, the alcohol was hardly noticeable. Big full body with a nice amount of tingly carbonation. Very drinkable. Unique and full of complexity. Sit back and savor this one.

Batch 74. Nose of chocolate, berries and good complexity on foresty notes. More of the same on the palate with a long finish. Great balance and acidity. Actually the terroir is quite amazing. i can’t wait to see how this one ages.

Batch 72. Dark brown with a long lasting thick beige head. Adam presented a rather complex flavor, but no befuddling accentuates. The alcohol wasn’t overpowering when considering the high abv. Excellent craft.