Hair of the Dog Fred from the Wood

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

Bottle via trade...a big thanks to Hannont (and maybe one from Hopdog too?)! Finally getting off my ass and reviewing some beers instead of writing notes for another rainy day. Pours a very ruddy brown with a heavy level of carbonation and a decent single-finger head that settles slowly with good lacing. Aroma is a beautiful meld of a fruity, candy sweetness and a bold oak note, with the sweetness winning the battle...very engaging! Flavor is, well, damn near amazing...glad I popped this one out of my newly organized cellar to get back to rating! Heavy on roasty, caramel malts, dark fruit (raisiny), brown sugar, oak/tannins, vanilla, a slight note of tobacco, with a heavy, but enjoyable dose of booze at the end. Finishes with a combination of very sweet, sugary malt and a slight hop bitterness...very unique in the finish. Palate is a definite five...lively carbonation yet silky smooth...this is one of those rare beers I didn’t even need to think about what to rate the palate. Have I really been away from beer this long to where I’m hyping this more than I should? I don’t think so...this is one fine beer and well deserving of the high ratings. Near the best I’ve ever had... (Update, this was Batch 64 bottle)

I know I entered this rating but it seems to have disappeared so I’ll have to wing it since I don’t have my notes anymore. This was a 12 oz. bottle I got in a trade. Slightly hazy pour with a short head. I remember the aroma be oaky and boozy. I remember the flavor being oaky, boozy, smoky and sweet. It had nice a mouthfeel and body to it with a nice warming alcohol/booze finish to it.

2006 bottle, batch 54. Lightish golden orange with a slight haze and light grey to offwhite thin head. Sweet oaky nose. Tobacco. vinous. Full malt, light vanilla. Tannins and cherry. Full creamy body with lower carbonation. Full malt over oak. Light smoke/tobacco. Vinous oakiness. Sweet malty leather balanced by fruitier astringency. Fruity alcohol bite in the finish with lingering cigar.

Orange-amber in colour with a long lasting and creamy off-white head, excellent lacing. The aroma is of oak, some butterscotch, quite sweet with some white sugar, scotch, some dark fruits. The flavour is lightly bitter, some hops, caramel malts, rich apple pie, light alcohol. Sweet and warming mouthfeel, medium body, moderate carbonation. Finishes long, sweet and warming.

Nicely done. This is an example of barrel aging that works for me. Highly drinkable.

355ml bottle obtained in a trade with TheCheeseMan, thanks Dan.
Opened on November 29, 2008.
Vintage 2008.

Bottle: Murky copper pour with no head. Nose is really interesting...I seemed to get a big amount of raisins, citrus, coconut, vanilla and oak out of it. Full bodied mouth feel...flavor was equally interesting with the aforementioned notes all present with an emphasis on the citrus and oak. Good beer.

12-oz. Pours deep murky coppery amber. Some thick white moussy film. Enormous nose of plums, oranges, and other dark fruit. Bold, stinging, carbonated attack (somewhat unusual given the BA). Super complex thick and oily mid-palate carrying fruits, vanilla, and no shortage whatsoever of oak. Incredibly dense orange pith flavors, especially in the clingy finish

Bottle received as a bonus from Cletus (you’re incredibly generous man!) Even with a slow poor, there was plenty of effervescent champaign like carbonation. Wonderful dark/clear golden color with a herbal, yet sweet candi sugar aroma. Flavor was amazingly complex; plum, raisins, tobacco, mellowed malts and finished like a good port. Just an amazing beer.

Dark golden colored with little yellow head. Raisinny aroma with mild alcohol, thin wooden vanilla also present. Near full bodied, crispy and sugary palate. Flavor starts with strongly sweet tone, raisins come up strongly with vanilla and some yeast. Aftertaste lasts with sweet sugary caramel, vanilla and mild alcohol also here.