Hair of the Dog Fred from the Wood

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

Appearance: Suspiciously opaque, medium brown body with a very thin, white head. Smell: Rich, aromatic, malty nose! Woodsy oak, jam-packed with rum-soaked raisins, homemade caramel, vanilla beans, juicy peaches, and honey liqueur. Taste: Decadently sweet, tasting of honey, dark caramel, and pralines. Bready rye and barley flavor. Some rosebud florals. Hint of dull, earthy spices. A single drop of vanilla extract. Moderate bitterness present. Sip of champagne. Lusciously fruity, with tastes of raisins, peaches, and ripe green apples. Maybe a spritz of lime juice. Woodsy barrel character the pops up midway and grows into the sweetish, fruit-laden finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation. Drinkability: Excellent! A first-rate barleywine. Crammed to the absolute brim with flavor and complexities, plus they don’t skimp on the alcohol.

Aroma is sweet caramel malt, intensely caramel, a touch worty, citrus hops, some dankness and the merest whisper of malt sourness, and oak. Lots of oak. 2008 bottle. Pours a murky thick-piss yellow with a significant amount of head that lingers and coast the glass. Fucking beautiful. Taste is lots of sweetness in the same vein as the aromatic profile, some citrus and bittering hops in both the initial taste and in the finish, and oak. Finishes very crisp and dry for the style due to the oak and the bittering hops, yet still creamy and dense, yet quietly aggressive in the mouthfeel due to the oiliness and assertiveness of the hops, not to mention the malt structuring. This is a fantastic beer.

I sure was stoked to get a hold of this one. Hints of sherry, cherry, and fresh tobacco in the nose. Reminds me of a time when the tobacco factories in my hometown were still in production and would open up the events at the end of every day. Plenty of oak up front in the flavor with some candied fruits, sweet vanilla, bitter grapefruit, and a hint of honey. Lively carbonation was surprising and welcome. Alcohol noticed and appreciated. Very enjoyable.

12 oz. bottle. Cloudy light brown color with a white head. Sweet malt flavors with sour lambic and an interesting candi sugar finish. Well balanced - worth a try.

2008 Bottle: This poured orange to brown in color with a thick off-white head of large bubbles that dissipated away. The aromas were of caramel, dark plummy fruit, sweet tobacco brown sugar and oak. In the mouth it was medium to full-bodied, rich and concentrated. The flavors were similar to the nose and there was a lot of oak noticable that should integrate nicely with time. This one could use some time to mellow out and integrate the oak and when it does should be wonderful.

Pours a medium brown with a slight head. Taste : awful - Tasted like tobacco -- what is that flavor doing in a beer. Worst beer I’ve ever had. I got violently ill after drinking this one.

2008 bottle thanks to jjpm74, I’ve wanted to try this for some time. Pours a cloudy ruby color with a very thick pillow head. The thick head stays throughout adding a nice creamy texture to the mouthfeel. The aroma is full of sweet candies, dark fruit, brown sugar, very sweet nose balanced by strong oak notes. The flavor is very nice; initially I am struck by the agressive amount of bitter hops, the oak and wood flavors come in soon followed by a ton of sweet candied fruits. Some rich prune, plum and strawberry flavors. The flavor is well rounded by the barrel, almost a bit of bourbon in there. Some spices, especially orange peel also. Very good example of the style. HOTD is obviously a gem, and produces well crafted brews. I loved the creamy mouthfeel and the aging added much, maybe I should have waited to drink this, but hey it was great.

Pretty orange applesauce color with decent and lasting head for the style. Candied fruit and figgy malts highlight the amoras of this malty sugared and juicy brew. layered complexities are evident as well as an insistant and obvious alcohol flavor and warming apperatus. Very nice subtle and sublime smells and flavors but those same subtle and sublime flavors and scents doen’t come together so smoothly or elegantly Still, that said, this is still some dank brew