Hair of the Dog Doggie Claws (2003-)

Brewed by Hair of the Dog Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Portland, Oregon USA

12 ounce bottle, 2005 vintage, from Blue Max in Burnsville, MN (June 2007, consumed a bit below cellar temperature from a Maudite glass. The head on this sucker is quite astonishing, filling 2/3 of the glass immediately with soft creamy off-whiteness and decaying every-so-slowyly; hey, I might be sober before I get to taste this!.....the body is a very nearly opaque rust; the head finally dissipates leaving thick gobbets of lacing after several minutes....aroma-wise this is mostly sweet, with resinous, lightly orangy hops mostly serving to keep it from being gaggingly sugary; there’s also a fair bit of musty, earthy character to it, some old very dry prunes.....overripe apricots.....upon tasting, no real surprises, as the musty earthy qualities and huge sweetness blend fairly harmoniously with rough woody hops, alcohol is present mostly in a warming, comforting capacity with just a bit of harshness towards the finish....rather too dry and minerallic right at the end for me, but I really like the sparkling carbonation and soft, pillowy mouthfeel. A very solid effort if not for me a masterpiece.

2006 vintage at The Collins Pub, Seattle. Great subtle undertones of pear and oak, caramelized sugar. Musky fruit, raisin, plum and vanilla. Sweet with light vapors. Ruby-tinted amber clear with thin off-white head. Thick rich body with light carbonation, so smooth. Lusciuos sweet raisiny malts, with plum and oak, vanilla, caramelized sugars, fruity hops, and a rich balsamic tang. Finish is largely sweet, with tons of sugar and plum. Alcohol warming. Only fault is that it’s too sweet at finish. Nice sweet nutty after, however.

2005 vintage. pours huge off white head and ruby color. nose is slightly infected with caramel notes. very gross nose. another infected HotD! why do they continue to get a pass on this site when half the bottles i’ve had are infected? flavor is bandaids, caramel, biscuit, still drinkable but really off. i swear sometimes i hate this brewery. 2.1.


4/17/08, 2002-2007 vertical, all 12oz bottles.

2002, pours hazy amber with creamy white head. an oxidized nose with sherry, nutty, bready. flavor are oxidized and doughy with some alcohol. past its prime. a medium body with smooth carbonation. 7/4/6/4/13=3.4.

2003, pours dark red with white head. nose has hints of soy, port wine, caramel. flavors of alcohol, dough, port wine. a very prickly mouth feel and harsh finish. 7/4/7/3/14=3.5

2004, pours dark red with white head. nose of sherry, red fruit, alcohol. flavor is doughy, mild fruits, caramel, decent but pretty bland. 7/4/7/4/14=3.6

2005, pours bright amber with thin head. nose is faint tropical fruit hop notes, and caramel. flavors of tropical fruits, a bit harsh. dry finish. 7/4/7/3/13=3.4. 2006, pours bright dark red, thin head. nose of tropical fruits, b.o., windex, alcohol. flavors are sweet cookie, toffee, got better as it warmed. 6/4/7/4/14=3.5.

2007, pours hazy amber with thin head, nose is very citrusy and tropical fruit hop aroma. really nice. flavors are big tropical fruit hops, really tasty and something i could drink tons of. alcohol well hidden. 8/4/8/4/16=4.0.

Final 02-07 vertical thoughts: obvious change in malt bill as 02 was the lightest, 03 and 04 were dark red, and 05, 06, and 07 were a brighter but lighter red. everyone agreed this beer doesn’t age well as we all preferred the fresher vintages and the freshest (07) was the best. fresh, a wonderful hoppy barleywine but doesn’t improve with age.

2004 bottle... Appears a deep chestnut brown with a dark beige head that slowly fades into a mild cap. Scattered lacing is left around the glass. Moderate amounts of CO2 rises near the top. Smell is of caramel, vanilla, toffee, cherries. roasted nuts, and light oxidation that’s welcomed.

2006 $4.09 bottle from Hi-Time. Whoa, what a thick solid sediment at the bottom of the bottle, 5mm! Even after carrying bottle around, it doesn’t budge. Poured into glass with no head. Stopped pouring before yeasty liquid came out. Then drank the yeasty remains in the bottle...about the same taste as the unyeasty portion. Pure amber color. Malty aroma (indiscernable hops). Tastes get better as the beer warms up. Very sweet, mild hops profile. I really like beers like this. Needs some more aging, and alchohol nose is a bit stronger, but already excellent.8,3,9,4,18:4.2 2006 version, 1 yr old. awesome, buttery malty oak aged aroma (even though it isn’t) 10,3,9,4,19:4.5

#600! Courtesy footbalm. Bottle 2005. Pours a hazy orange amber with a thin off white head. Good mixture of hops and malts in the nose, defintely some citrus fruit as well, especially oranges. Very crisp smelling. The taste is very powerful, big on flavor and the alcohol lets you know its there. Heavy on the malts, but with enough hops to balance it out decently. Some mixtures of caramel and fruits make up the rest of the flavor. Pretty complex and interesting. Just a solid barley wine. Very happy with this choice as my latest milestone beer.

Fresh hop nose - herbal a little, also like an IPA. Deep auburn color, foamy head. Sweet heavy malt gets quickly bowled over by a huge hoppy component. Gritty and dirty end--a little spicy too. Thick body. Big whaff of alcohol. Really nice stuff.

2006 vintage. Pours a coppery caramel auburn color with almost no head. Syrupy. Aroma of syrupy caramel malts, citrus and pineapple. Taste is very syrupy and sweet with caramel malts present along with orange citrus, pineapple, and hops. Flavors are delightful in this beer. Excellent.