Hair of the Dog Fred from the Wood

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

Bottle, 2008. Pours a clear orange with NO head (sad to me because I loved the luscious head of regular Fred). Aroma of a woodshop (fresh pine!) and vague sour/fruity notes (pear in particular). Flavor is quite woody with a nice sour/sweet background. This is more like a wood-barrel aged sour ale than a barleywine. It’s very tasty, but a little sharp in terms of the wood/alcohol. It’s very interested to me that Fred could have turned into this! I prefer the regular Fred but this is an excellent beer as well. Top-notch. 8/4/9/4/17 (4.2/5) Update 12/30/08. Had this again and was simply blown away. I don’t think there was anything different about the bottles, but the flavors just seemed to blend so well to me. Tons of piney wood and nice sour/light fruity notes. I could really taste the regular Fred in this. Heavy palate, but smooth. This was incredibly awesome to me the second time around. So I’ve got to change my numbers. 10/4/10/4/19 (4.7/5)

12 fl oz bottle, courtesy of Papsoe. Pours clear and golden orange with a slowly diminishing white head. Wineous and fruity maty aroma. Flavour is sweet and vanilla with a distinct hoppy note coming through. Sweet malty and slight roasted malty into a smooth finish. Lingering sweet flavoured.

Tap at the brewery. Flat-out not what you expect a barley wine to look like - looks like a golden, and the label says ’special golden ale’. This is a highly potent aroma of wheat, stale hops and rind. Flavor is the same with wood, peas/carrots, and slight brandy. A beer that grew on me to be sure.

Batch 64 - Pours opaque orange and followed by the sludge, head is massive and lingers...aroma is amazing, barrell vanilla, hop flowers, caramel malt, acidic although not unpleasantly, oak, fruit, and thats just the nose...The first time I tasted this I was speechless...everything you could smell you could taste as well, along with a bit of spice and perfect alcohol...I know I tasted more but was trying to review from memory and suck at it...just amazing, drink over time...

12oz bottle. Batch 64, ratebeer version. Pours a muddy, emphatically unclear light orange color with a nice fat, thick white head with surprisingly good retention. Nice lacing as well. Aroma is the familiar Fred aroma, thankfully not buried or mutated by the barrel. Vanilla, sweet grains, malt, something else I cannot put my finger on that is present in the regular Fred. I’m a big fan of the regular Fred and I’ve had it several times. Sometimes it’s like a normal BW and sometimes it’s magical. I think older samples have been better and the time in the barrel and the two plus years since bottling have helped this one. Back to topic. Red and dark fruits abound as this warms. Intensely fruity almost. Plum, apricot, brown sugar, slight citric fruits as well, honey. The oak is subdued providing only a soft and nice vanilla component, no harshness is detected. Just a hint of alcohol sneaks through though it is not distracting or obvious.

Taste is very rich, extremely thick, sweet to the max without pushing cloying. Thankfully this is mellowed to the point where the sweetness and thickness is not distracting. All the apricot, honey, caramel goodness that was present in the nose comes through quite clear and well in the palate as well. This is just really good, I don’t know what else to say.

12 oz bottle, batch 64. Pours a cloudy dark orange color with a cream colored head. Aroma is surprisingly hoppy given the age, backed by sweet carmel malts, oak, some spice, and just the tiniest bit of alcohol. Taste is sweeter than expected, no sign of any hops, very smooth, alcohol detectable but not overwhelming. This is really good... I think it could actually benefit from another year or so in the cellar. Re-rate: 2009 Fred from the Wood.... I was actually getting ready to watch a movie, but I was prompted to get up and mark down my thoughts because this beer is absolutely amazing. Very oaky aroma, vanilla, caramel. Flavor is like buttercream frosting... so rich and creamy, very satisfying. Alcohol is incredibly well-hidden. Flawless.

7-27-08 bottle shared with lb4lb with a big thanks to ditmier
Super thick red brown amber with a nice fluffy off white and creamy head. Smell is oak, bourbon, vanilla, malt and maybe some figs. Flavor is sweet figgy oak and is overall, quite woodsy. Mouthfeel is thick and creamy. Very unique and memorable - a very good beer.

Bottle 2008 vintage. Tastes of light fruits, spice, vanilla and lots of wood. Alcohol is there, but adds a nice warmth. A complex beer that should age wonderfully.