Hair of the Dog Doggie Claws (2003-)

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

2004 bottle. Pours a deep murky red, almost brown color. 1/2" caramel head forms and quickly fizzes away to leave a thin layer atop the beer. Aroma was all malt. Big huge caramel malt....very little hops in the aroma . Flavor is much of the same. You are greeted with a huge malty burst of caramel, toffe and spicey notes. The palate is nice and creamy. The malt is backed up by a nicely balanced bitterness, but it lacked the fruitiness I was expecting from the simcoe and amarillo hops. Alchohol is very well hidden and this beer is extremely drinkable. Overall this beer is awesome, I need to get some more.

Thanks to Brewblackhole for sharing this!Pours a odd beige/tan color with TONS of particles floating around.Has a nice malty/alcohol/hoppy aroma to it.Huge malty flavor that was backed ny a big alcohol flavor.But behind all of that was this bold hop presence.Different.

Bottle - 2005. Poured a amber color with a nice tan head. Nice smell of hops. I found it a little easier to drink than my previous favorite for barely wine (Bigfoot).

Bottled (2003 vintage) Thanks to Gromit. A mahogany brown coloured beer with a decent tan coloured head which settles into a pool. The aroma has big malts as well as the obvious hops. There is alcohol soaked brown bread notes together with raisin fruits. The tste is maore of the same. Has that moussey mouthfeel like some Belgian Strongs or English Barley Wines together with a good dosage of hops. I found it less hoppy though than most of the few US Barley wines I’ve had. There is more bready flavours and raisins. It comes across as slightly sweeter than expected and has a bit of a petrol flavour to it also. Tasty and sippable.

Doggie Claws pours a nice amber color dominated by an orange tint. The head is a monster. The aroma is great as well, with smells of spicy and citrusy hops mixing to create a great deal of anticipation before tasting. The taste is interesting. There is a nice crisp and refreshing taste to this barleywine that is anchored by a good amount of orange zest flavor--not orange, but definitely orange zest. You get some spice as well and a straw like flavor that I have found in every HOTD I’ve had to date. The body is thin for the style, too thin in my opinion. It does make this one go down easily, but that is not what barleywines are all about. "

2005 batch. This could almost be classifed as a double IPA if it weren’t so sweet. In fact, several of its characteristics, especially its strong, thick citrusy flavor and aftertaste, reminded me of Dreadnaught. It pours a murky, almost opaque, copper. Lots of yeast and sludge. Huge light tan head with big bubbles and staying power. The aroma was full of orange, grapefruit, floral hops, pine and a slight bit of leather and band-aid. The flavor is sweet — caramel malt and sugared orange juice. That rides atop pine, grapefruit and a bitterness that creeps in at the end and sticks around. There are notes of earthiness as well and a slight rubbery taste. Thick body and long, peppery, bitter finish. Sticky, but not cloying. Nicely carbonated. A delicious beer.

2004. Grape color with no head. Aroma is sweet dried plums and chocolate. Taste is somewhat bitter but what I find strangest, is the large amount of chocolate in the flavor and the absolute lack of head. Still some grape in there which tells me this could have used another year or two stashed away. Why is HOtD so fuckin hit or miss though?

On cask at at KClinger’s in Hanover, PA. Pours murky brown with a one-finger off-white head. Excellent hop aroma against a background of caramel malt. Subsequent sniffs reveal a chocolatey sweetness. The flavor begins sweet, but pine needles soon prick at the tongue, spearheading a wave of Douglas Fir. Citrus sneaks its way into the mix, complementing the other flavors perfectly before the wood and pine finish. There is a lingering roasted chocolate flavor. Velvety-smooth in the mouth. I love it.