Hair of the Dog Doggie Claws (2001-2002)

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

*** Note: would like to have this again before taken too seriously... Think the one I had may have been infected or something*** End note. OK, so this foamed like for 4 hours after we opened it. I believe there are pictures too. The flavor was very balnd, some butterscotch, some carmel, some malty flavors. Definitely didn’t taste barley-wine-like. But I will accept defeat if I can find a better version somewhere.

Courtesy of JCW. Don’t even no the size of the bottle, maybe a 1.5L, either way alot of BW for, four people. Murky, dirty orangish-brown with tons of sediment, off-white film for head. Aroma has a huge cardboard/dusty malt character up front. Sweet caramel malt and musty/stale hops in the background. Flavor much the same, cardboard takes over, with faint fruity taste in the finish. Seems to have alot of oxidation at this point. Tad thin on the palate. Quessing it’s a tad past it’s prime.

Doggie Claws is indeed a barley wine, but it is not your traditional British barley wine, but a classic example of "West Coast" barley wine, which not only has big malt and alcohol, but also big hop character. Doggie Claws is brewed with lots of pale malts, some caramel malt, and comes in at a warming 10% abv. But unlike traditional barley wine, it is hopped with Simcoe and Amarillo hops( American hops), that give this high octane, malty brew, a very vibrant punch of hop aroma, flavor, and bitterness, making it a very dangerously drinkable brew. Doggie Claws pours to a beautiful deep golden to copper color with a thick, dense, rich white head that stays and follows this beer all the way to the end of the glass. The carbonation is quite lively for a barley wine, and this gives this beer a nice cutting edge to it. The nose is very impressive, with lots of big citric, and zesty hop aromas of fresh lemon peel, paired with some peppery alcohol, and touches of estery fruit aroma. The palate is very firm, with lots of good pale malt flavor, on a brawny malt body, with some estery fruit flavor, and hints of toffee. Doggie Claws finishes with lots of great sweet malt and fruit on the tongue, and then ends with a big, citric, zesty, hop bitterness, which ends with some warming alcohol. This is an outstanding example of West Coast barley wine, a sub style of barley wine, which showcases not only great malt character, but wonderful hop character. This is the perfect beer to sit and relax with on a cold and frosty night, next to a roaring fire, and works equally as well on a balmy, and breezy summer night. It would also work well with sharp and buttery cheeses, or a rich desert, but I suggest you just enjoy this one in a snifter.

Bottle: Courtesy of JCW. Nice aroma of toffee, caramle, banana bread, and the slightest hints of chocolate. Pours a cloudy dull orange with a small off-white head. Toffee, caramel, and banana bread up front. Finishes with some subdued citrus hops, touch of smoke, and light oxidation.

Nice medium sized head, cloudy brown appearance. Smelled of candy, honey, sweet. Thin bodied with little carbonation. Light hops, mild malty flavor.

Bottle. Opens with a very assertive release of carbonation, I should have let this sit for a few minutes before decanting. Light, clear amber colored with hints of red/orange. Eruptive beige head that fades slowly but leaves tremendously dense, sea-foam lacing. Aroma is just fantastic. Woody, boozy, caramel with still an assertive hop presence. Medium bodied, bordering on thin at times which hurts the palate score. Overcarbonated. Boozy flavors with rich caramel and a more than ample citrusy hop presence. Balance is nicely done. Tons of yeast chunks fall out towards the last pour. Really quite pleasant other than palate which runs thin.

Soft, tannin-full, tea-like aroma with suggestions of orange blossom, pepper, herbs, wood, lychee and pear. Opaque orange-tan body with pillowy, off white head that recedes to generous cover with excellent lacing. Mellow tannins in the strong malty flavour with plenty of fruity esters. Lively but soft, fine bubbled carbonation to the medium-full body. Bottle enjoyed with MartinT and Olivier_MTL.

Bottle Pours a golden hazy color wih traces of head and lacing. Nice complimentary mix of sweet fruity malts and bitter hops. Flavor is similar but also a ncice smooth feel. Pleasant bitter trailer. Thanks to Buck Dich for sharing at this weeks Boise RB poker night.