Hair of the Dog Doggie Claws (2003-)

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

12 ounce bottle (2008) from Holiday Wine Cellar. Pours a muddy orange-brown with virtually no head. Even with a careful pour, there are still a lot of floaty things and a big layer of yeast left at the bottom of the bottle. Sweet aroma of malts, lots of fruits (bitter citrus, berry), a little bit of alcohol. Sweet flavor of sticky caramel, honey, and fruits. The sweetness never becomes cloying but rather the hops kick in and give this an incredible balance and a great finish. The 10.5% is altogether hidden in this one. Complex and very good.

12oz bottle, 2003 release
Pours a rich, dark chestnut brown with nice tight tan head. Aroma gives a hint of the lush malt and strongish hop content; some hint of raisins and a touch of soy are there too. Flavor is drier and hoppier than I had anticipated given the malt that showed up in the aroma. Dry, fairly bitter, leathery, tobacco-leafy, and finally some malt shows up. along with ints of dried tart fruit. Palate is thick and chewy. This is a well-crafted beer and hence I give it decent marks. But while I appreciate that there’s some room for interpretation of the style, I’m not big on examples that almost forget how the barleywine style got its name. It could have scored higher but it was just too dry, too hoppy, and not enough "wine" so to speak in this barleywine..

Had at the brewery on tap. Very good barley wine, not bitter at all. Herbal hoppy sweet aroma. Very sweet taste actually from the honey which masks the 10.5% ABV. Very good.

Wow. I opened the cap and there is a solid cake of something under the cap. not intimidated... this beer is fierce. Pours dark amber with enough head for me to think it’s flat. A mountain of sediment here. Carbonation emerges slowly and shyly. Nose is raisin, honey, caramel, piney hops, sugar, booze, fruit, and balance. Flavor is magic- caramel, honey, alcohol-soaked fruit, and sweetness all over. Silky mouthfeel and a light body for a barleywine. Very lovable, and one of HOTD’s best.

bottle 2008 poured a dark caramel colored with a thin off white head. aroma has sweet rich malt, flowery hops, dark ripe fruit, nice yeasty smacks, and a bit of alcohol. mouth feel coats well and has a nice heavy malted body. flavor has a sweet malted side and a fruited hopped one. light bitterness creeps up, dark fruit, and plenty warming. very smooth and well balanced with good sweetness but not too much.

2005. Great, deep amber color. Very inviting aroma of citrus and melon. Begins with a sharp bitter flavor of grass and grapefruit skins, quickly bringing in a hint of orange. Just before, and after this burst, is a more delicate, sweet, malty flavor, along with a good sour which lingers. The bitter, really the whole thing, leaves the mouth nicely dry at the end. Not hint of alcohol, not even warmth. Every taste invites another. A masterpiece of flavor. Not everything works, but still one that stands with my very best.

2005 bottle opened April 2009. Nutmeg color like dark iced tea. Even in the snifter the head won’t go away. Fluffy, porous, and off white. Intoxicating aroma from 3 feet away. Big, sweet, and herbacious. A mouthful of love. Heavy, sweet, floral, with just a little more than a touch of alcohol. Bitterness hits after about 45 seconds. Full bodied but not sickly. Great. Hard to imagine much better.

2008 bottle. Pours a hazy brown with a bubbly tan head. Aroma of sweet fruit and caramel malt. Bitter flavor with sweet malts helping out. Medium bodied.