Hair of the Dog Cherry Adam from the Wood

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

12 oz. bottle - 2009 vintage; fresh from the dock sale; pours very dark brown with rosy hints against the light and basically flat (like the 2008); rich nose of bourbon, tobacco, dank cherries, malty goodness, vanilla; creamy thick body with a lovely boozy sweetness; seems to pack a bigger punch than the ’08; more bourbon, more cherry sweetness, less tartness and smoke, though that does come out a bit as it warms; wow, great stuff; fresh ’09 is rocking; in the fresh stage, there is a ton of bourbon which is pretty dominating, but not in a bad way; cherries are there, but taking a back seat; chocolate, tobacco, vanilla, bitter cherries.....ymmmm, adam with more dank fruit and lots of bourbon, oh my; the richness mixed with slight peaty smoke is right in my wheelhouse

12 oz. bottle - 2008 vintage in December 2008; no carbonation; dark rosy brown; thick, smooth and tart; touch of smoke and tobacco; creamy body with tart cherries and sweet vanilla bourbon; tobacco stands out with a mild tartness; need to update with a 2009 and 2008 side by side; I guess I can handle that :)

Bottle, thanks After4ever! Pours opaque dark orange brown with a tan ring of foam. The aroma is bourbon dominated with a touch of vanilla, smoke and molasses. Sweet taste with more bourbon vanilla and molasses, joined by dark cherry, wood, earth. Medium full body, light carbonation and nicely warming without being hot.

Red tinted brown pour wiht very little carbonation. Creamy vanilla and molasses. Bourbon and some cherry notes. Sweet and sour cherry. Roasty with a bitter finish.

Bottle: Muddy mahogany color, light tawny with light head and lacing. Musty, sweet cherry notes, cobbwebb, lots of wood and sherry. Excellent dusty aged notes, hot and good. Musty, salty, funky. Great HotD interpretation. Another bottle on deck for next year.

The classic Adam takes on a slightly more ruby hue, and a sherry sweetness paves the path for the cherries to emerge. Nice woody notes, and a slight tartness makes for an interesting finish. I think it is a wonderful idea to experiment using Adam as a ’base’, and I cannot wait to see what the gentlemen at HotD come up with next. Surely one to hunt down if Adam is your thing.

Bottle thanks to ryan: Pours a mostly opaque dark mahogany with ruby edges and a thin, wispy lacing off-white head. Aroma of sweet earthy dark caramel and black cherries with some fresh bourbon oak. Starts with good fullness and rich dark caramel and black cherry sweetness with a nice complex bourbon character and a touch of fruity tart balance. An enjoyable and well-balanced complex brew.

Rating #1500. Septemberfest. Sample from a bottle shared by me thanks to scrizzz. Dark dark brown, with red hints and a light beige head. The aroma is smoky, peat, bourbon, a light cherry note, mixed with fruitiness found in the malt is difficult to distinguish. Taste is more sweet malts, vanilla, smokey peat, touch of cherries and a light bourbon finish.

Pours with a dark red-brown body topped by a thin to medium thick head with some lacing left on the glass. It’s slightly sweet with a little cherry, lots of malt and light dark fruit notes, as well as some vanill/bourbon notes. Full bodied, smooth and a touch warming.