Hair of the Dog Fred from the Wood

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

Hazy deep copper body, soapy off-white head. The head brings an astringent soapy cheap IPA hop aroma to the nose. The regular Fred was similar, but this is more so. There is also a underlying fruity, caramelly, vanilla. Some of the same astringent quality showing up in the taste too. More of an oxidized hop/caramel malt thing. It’s a very smooth beer. Toned down hops and malt with some sour vanilla. It drinks like candy. Sweet sticky candy.

Bottled, Batch 64: Beer pours hazy amber/orange/red color with a nice creamy off white head that slowly dissipates. Aroma is mouth watering with lots of wet wood, some vinous notes, alcohol, and some spicy hoppiness. Flavor is spicy, sweet, with some really enjoyable wood notes, as well as some terrific vinous qualities as well, spicy hoppiness in the finish. This is a delightful beverage by any stretch of the imagination. Carbonation is lush and soft, reminding me of the great Belgian ales which are so often perfectly carbonated. Thanks to Alan Sprints for his support of RateBeer.

Side-by-sided this with the original at Bill and Steiny’s party. Very different. A fresher, funkier aroma, the taste is hoppier and just plain better the whole way through. Excellent. A1.

Batch 64 (RateBeer special release). Hazy orange-amber body, thin off-white head. Nose dominated by sharp alcohol notes and fermented fruits (fig, raisin), also almond, vanilla, soy, and honey. Bold and potent. Big oaky body, buttery, with a significant alcohol presence. Toast, fermented fruits, and vanilla complete the palate. Rich but amazingly soft despite the high ABV. Bitter finish. Very well done. Thanks to the generous trader of this beer!

Bottle: Thanks Kramer17801!! Hair of the Dog has gained my deepest respect over the course of recent history. I hope this will be another awesome experience for me. The pour is a light hazy amber, but it is very dense and it’s impossible to see anything on through the beer. An even, bubbly head sits atop the beer for a great long while and fast, fairly dense carbonation is lively throughout the body. The aroma is extremely rich of fresh, juicy, fruit notes. Distinct juicy oranges, pears, and grapefruit all adorn the sweet nose. Hm. . .where’s the oak, oh it’s there oh so subtly melding with caramel and pineapple. The flavor is much harsher than the nose, it highlights the oak in a bourbonesque fashion much more than the aroma let on. Strong notes of pineapple resonate through my sinuses as I take small sips. The alcohol may as well not even be there as far as taste goes. The initial taste is really bizarre, it’s like a cup of fruit salad/bourbon, but I soon decide I like this unique profile. I consumed this at cellar temp (which warmed up pretty fast) based on my general idea of a barley wine, but I think this one may have been better just a few degrees cooler due to the rich pineapple notes. hm, I wish I had another bottle or two to see how this quirky brew would most appeal to me. Either way, I enjoyed the beer.

very very good beer, poured a very hazy amber orange with a wispy white head. aromas of hops and oak, with a nice sweetness. great complex taste, strong maltyness with a smooth counterbalance bitterness. not to much oak in the flavor, but very good. full mouthfeel and a nice lingering finish. i’m glad i have another one of these to age for a while. great beer.

Bottle courtesy of Blankboy. Shared with Blankboy, Hogtown Harry, and MDS. First off, this bottle was a leaker in the package Blankboy received, so it may not be in prime condition - we are planning on sampling it again around Christmas, so I will rerate then. Until then though, here are my initial notes to compare. Really woody, whisky aroma - quite pleasant. No head, hazy murky brown. Super boozy, stronger than 10% if that is possible in initial taste. Tons of wood and rich oak taste, strong alcohol burn. I’m sure there is a beer below all this booze and wood, but I couldn’t find it - original Fred is unrecognisable. A good idea taken way too far, I really didn’t enjoy this at all.

Thanks to nolankowal for this in a trade. Pours a bright reddish brown with maybe some orange hints and a thin white head. Aroma was strong oak, alcohol, sweet maltiness, and some cigar smoke. Flavor was oak heavy but was balanced between alcohol and maltiness with a slight bitterness. This has one of the best lingering oaky smoke flavors I have ever tasted. Well I love the finish and the only negative thing I can say is that the initial taste is a little too oaky and slightly too alcohol, but dont get me wrong this is an excellent beer.