Hair of the Dog Cherry Adam from the Wood

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

Bottle. My initial thought was that you can’t improve upon Adam. I think that thought was validated by this beer. It has the depth and complexity to match anything in the style, but it doesn’t match the subtle depth of the original brew. Nose is bourbon/oak and cherries, caramel, chocolate, mild leather. Deep amber-brown pour. Flavor is again dominated by oak and tart cherry, which is phenomenal but overwhelms the immense complexity of Adam. The oak seems to imply more alcohol than is present. Overall this is a wonderful beer but the overshadowing of its base detracts from the impression.

Bottle@Fonefan. Deep ambery brown colour, tiny brigeish brown head. Aroma is lots of wood, some berries as well as mild raisins. Flavour is leather, wood, some sour wooden notes as well as alcohol. Aftertaste is sour wood and also some slight cherries. Quite wellbalanced and nice big brew. Maybe a bit too big on the "barrelwood".

12oz bottle from WeeHeavySD who flew up to portland for these. I shared the bottle with Ryan form Lost Abey, who broke out a Cuvee for the ocaision. The beer poured a dark red-brown with a small tan head. the aroma had lots of cherry with wood and the funkiness of adam showing through. The flavor had lots of sherry and bourbon and the cherry flavor was much dimished from the flavor, still lots of interesting notes. This fresh CdT had much stronger cherry flavor but the Cherry Adam was much more complex.

Bottle from Dock Sale. Nose is primarily of cherries and bourbon. Color is the most beautiful I am likely to see in a beer: black ruby with bubbles everywhere. Flavor is completely eponymous: cherry, Adam, wood. If this had more unity it would be a 9 on flavor, but as it is, the flavors rotate 1-2-3 like the reservoir on a pistol. Could use more Adam.

From a 12 oz bottle this poured a very dark and opaque cherry color with a small off-white head and little lacing. Nose of strongly of ripe fruit and alcohol. Very creamy and rich mouthfeel,. Flavor is very complex with bourbon notes, and ripe fruit, burnt wood, cherries, nuts, chocolate, vanilla, and again alcohol. Finish is slightly bitter. A really interesting brew, that seems like it is more than 10% ABV. One to sip slowly, but very enjoyable.

12 oz. bottle served in an English pint. Oily and dark cherry skin in color with virtually no head apart from a pinkish brown ring. Rich, powerful aroma. Sherry, brown sugar, and dark fruit, highlighted by bing cherries of course. Zero carbonation and big body that is surprisingly thin (wine-like) and also creamy. Sweet flavor. Oak then cherry then sherry followed by an alcohol finish that continues to warm. Slight bitterness in the end. This must be bigger than 10%. Very complex.

Bottle thanks to miketd, an outright gift!
Purple-brown, small beige head. Nose has a lot and is very coherent: cherry, chocolate, alcohol, and minor roast malt all set against the more vanilla-like bourbon and fruiter sherry, both of which bring a rich, weather-aged wood, like an old roller coaster. Unofortuntately, warmth brings a lot of alcohol to drown out some of the complexity. Warming notes of caramel, faint smoke, chocolate, and vaguely peaty bourbon dwarf the initial fruit flavor. Significant bourbon and cherry in the moderate finish, a little too much alcohol just like a young Adam and a little too thin. Still, this is built on Adam, and Adam is amazing, so it’s damn hard to go wrong. That this experience is due solely to Mike’s generosity makes it even more enjoyable. Thanks so much man!

Bottle at home ... thaanks to WeeHeavy for this and bbb63 for delivery at DLD ... deep red black... thin lacing ... sweet malts and cherry nose with a little chocolate... wow very rich ... just a bit boozy ... some chocolate ... big soft roast ... ahhh theres bourbon in it ... hadnt expected that ... definite sweetness from the cherry ... this is very deep and quite complicated ... low carbonation ... bit too heavy and a sipper ... but quite nice... boozyness destroys a bit