Hair of the Dog Doggie Claws (2001-2002)

Formerly brewed at Hair of the Dog Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Portland, Oregon USA

Bottle: Amber/light brown, medium off-white head that slowly dissapates to a solid ring around the glass. Aroma: fruit, pear, plum, apple, light raisin, pepper, ginger, floral hops. Flavor: Too thin. Has some initial hop bite - citrus, floral grapefruit, grass, then some ginger, orange, sweet syrupy fruit, tea, and a slight mild malt. Lacking in malt backbone.

2002 bottle sampled in Nov. 2004. Pours a wonderfully yeasty deep orange and copper. Some lighter yellow tones float throughout. Not quite as dark as I’d like though. Good off-white head and moderate lacing. Aroma is superb; light hops mixed with yeast, english toffee and a big caramel malt kick. Strong and rich, this prepares you for a big flavor. Unfortunately , I cant get excited about the flavor. It starts out with a good dose of caramel and toffee malt notes, moderately sweet. You get some bitter, but fresh hops in the mix towards the end and then it is just alcohol lingering on the very end and aftertaste. Body is surprisingly light. Only medium flavor at best. It’s strange trying an English style barleywine made with American Alpha hops. I know they hops would die down in another year or so, and they are not that inrusive now, but the body just does not live up to the aroma. Thin and already showing signs of age. Great flavors, just needs more malt.

bottled. decent shade of amber. quite a spicy yeasty aroma with some pepper and aniseed and ginger snaps. rich texture wth plenty of doughy sweetness and a hint of baking soda in the finish

2002. Golden colored with abundant carbonation. Herbal hop aroma--I don’t get anything like amarillo out of this. Medium bodied, sweet but straightforward maltiness. Orangey hop flavor, traces of that mango fruitness I get from amarillos. This doesn’t feel nearly as big as it is. Nice. Thanks Matt!

2002. Amber color with medium head. Aroma of fruits and alcohol. Flavor is fruity/citrusy with a light lemon and hop finish. Medium body and has a slightly dry finish.

Pours a hazy (iced tea) ish brown, LOTS of carbonation, and white fluffy head. Aroma is sweet and fruity, with malt. orange, and grapes detectable also. Flavor is hopped, with apples and cherries, alcohol is there, but certainly not unpleasent. Vanilla and malt also. A "different" take on a great style, Thanks goes to SpringsLicker, who hooked me up with this great Brew :)

Pours a hazy orange with a well developed head. Nice head retention especially from a barley wine. Nice lace left as well. Caramel, floral hops, apricots, herbal hops, yeast and citrus all presents themselves well in the nose. The first thing that came to mind when I tasted this was the strong alcohol flavor. Hops seemed to mellow with the aging but still very hoppy. Very nice up front, mid-palate is poor and alcohol is dominant on the finish. Citrus and pine-like flavors as well. Barley wine totally dominated by hops.

I didn’t used to be a big fan of the barleywine style, but I’m quickly coming around with beers like this one. Very nice fruity aroma and huge, foamy white head with a sweet, fruity taste that isn’t over the top.