Hair of the Dog Adam

Brewed by Hair of the Dog Brewing Company
Style: Traditional Ale
Portland, Oregon USA

Pours dark brown, almost black with a ruby tint; rich, dense brownish head with great retention and good lacing. Aroma of burnt wood, raisins, herbs, resinous alcohol and smoke. Flavor of rich dark fruit and roasted malt with a dry, herbal hop finish. Mouthfeel is warm with balanced, even carbonation. Delicious.

Bottle pours black with a tan head. Smells spicy. Has a medium-heavy mouthfeel with lots of carbonation. The taste on this bad boy is hard to describe. Its such a bold brew. I can taste alcohol, a mix of spices that are hard to identify, and a smooth malt hop aftertaste. There are some dark fruit flavors in the middle with some smokey and chocolate flavors mixed in. Its a very complex brew that I need to get more of to allow time to age.

Batch 70. Pours with a large, creamy thick, light brown head. Ultra dark brown body. Outstanding "ring per sip" lacing. Great retention. Aroma is flowery with spices, chocolate, bourbon, molasses, pitted fruits and some leather. Taste is of chocolate malts, spiciness, a bit of alcohol, and smoke. There is a little bit of chewing tobacco in the aftertaste. Alcohol is pretty well hidden. For some reason this beer reminds me of Old Viscosity. Creamy mouth and playful bubbles.
Have since tried batch 67 in May 2009. This beer ages well and gains tons of complexity.

Batch 70. Dense black, hefty tan head. Aroma of leather, floral and pine hops, smokey bourbon notes, dark fruits, some chocolate. Taste is chocolate, molasses, smoke, slight sweetness on the sides of the tongue. A little alcohol up the nose. Crushingly huge citrus/pine hop finish with lingering bitterness. For such a big beer, it had a remarkable amount of carbonation, full-bodied and finished dry. It hardly betrayed its strength. Fantastic beer, though I think I would enjoy this more with some age on it to smooth things out.

nose of chocolate and macerating fruit, with a bit of must. uber dark mahogany brown with almost no head. unusual, still some lacing persists. a bit sweet and still hot. brandy, smoked vanilla and tropical fruit. rich viscous and creamy.

Okay, I need to step back and take my time rating this one. From the bottle it’s a little too cold, I should let it rest for a while. The pour showcases a rich dark almost black color and a huge frothy tan head that is still lingering several minutes after the pour. The aroma is sweet and slightly alcoholic. Taste is harsh - heavy on the smoke and charred taste. Not as sweet as I was expecting from the aroma, but subtly there at the back end. Man this one is try. There is a lingering burnt flavor on my palate and I’m finding myself craving more sweet. There is a strong bitter finish that I have a hard time connecting to the hops, but I guess that’s what is making it so. Well, in conclusion I guess this is well crafted, but just not my style. I’m impressed at how well hidden the alcohol is, but I’d like a more rounded flavor rather than just the smoky burnt flavor.

Thanks South Bay! I hope they keep selling it there forever. Amazing dark rich palate with huge froth. Smoke, Plum, dark brown sugar, roasted almonds and chocolate. Finish has the lightest hop biterness, vanilla and wood. MMM great!!!

[Fresh 2008 bottle for later comparison (batch 70 I think)] Pours a very dark brown with a large frothy creamy beige head. The head leaves some amazing lacing. What an aroma! Smokey peat, brown sugar and pineapple? with lesser notes of dark fruit, licorice. Funky flavor, smokey, plums, pineapples, bacon, rich brown sugar, alcohol, whiskey, chocolate.... etc etc etc... Very warming. Body is creamy at first than becomes fluffy and airy. Crazy beer and I can’t wait to age it! The finish is bitter and strangely tannic... age should cure this. Should be amazing when the carbonation dies down and all those flavors meld together.