Hair of the Dog Fred from the Wood

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

Ratebeer special batch. Glowing amber-red, to yellow spectrum. Hint of sour, low alcohol sensation, sweetness...bourbon, vanilla, woodiness...gentle bitterness. There’s a lot here. Smooth but not overwhelmingly rich. Interesting and rewarding.

<!-- p -->RB Edition. I lather up with Ylang-ylang shampoo, and it froths a wispy silk of off-white. Frilly. Out the door, the sun sets on a crystal clear Pontiac evening, with dust particles dancing the light into an array of soft peaches and henna. Someone opens a bottle of honey and blends it with rosewater, cognac and white-tea. A chardonnay cork is dropped on the floor. Out of the shower, I breathe deep over a pot of stewing sage. I take a spoonful and get a wicked mouthful of alcoholic hot rice pudding, replete with raisins and cream. The delivery man arrives with a huge fruit basket of fresh Harry and David Bosc Pears, Honeycrisp Apples and California Plums. We send him out the door with a bouquet of Baby’s Breath and pine needles. I sneak a pinch of my grandfathers apple tobacco and roll it with tissue paper, smoking it secretively in my closet. My neighbor finishes his bottle of Old Grandad. A bite of the tall grasses in our old potato field leaves a long smack of plant material. It reminds me of firing weapons. I’m continually caressed by spicy mexican Vanilla beans, orchid blossom, orange rind and galanal, with musky spice splendor. <!-- p -->Such insane balance. The fruits are so full of character and distinguishable. The sweetness is not cloying, only pleasurable. And the hop work, out of this world. I was much more taken with this, then I was with the regular Fred. The yeast and bread fade in this example and the fruit malt and alcohol tones really shine. Amazing. It really grows on me and I’m impressed with the quality of the carbonation for a barrel aged beer. I much rather like fresh Oak as an aging implement that Bourbon Barrels.

Ratebeer edition...good times. Pours out a cloudy dark orange hued brown with a small laing head. Aroma is of some malts, wood and some alcohol. The taste is very complex with many different flavors. Some smoky malts picked up on the back of the palate with as suggested some very nice earthy tastes which I’d expect in a fine cigar. Some malt and alcohol on the finish with some burnt wood flavors. What were barley wines before barrel aging?

12 oz bottle, fresh: dark golden pumpkin, slightly hazy...strong, complex aroma mixing wood and fresh herbs with sweet caramel, hop cones and hints of alcohol. A bit hot initially, perceived as ‘young’, but the spicy tropical fruits and soft hops make this truly remarkable already…wonderful texture on the tongue, smooth, creamy and tingly mouth feel. Though initial impression suggest that development will treat this brew well, it can hold its own as a top beer right now!

batch 64, 12 oz. bottle from OhioDad and rooftoprogue, thanks guys. poured a cloudy, hazy golden amber with a slightly musty and definite oak aroma. a lively blend of flavors but still has some heat associated with it. overall, a damn fine brew.

update 6/25/08 my last bottle of FftW - batch 64. time has treated this big boy very well the heat is gone and what’s left is a delightful blend of oak, toffee and dark candied fruit. had to bump up my score just a bit ( .3 ) this is a true gem

Pretty sure RooftopRogue brought this to a small tasting last week. Hazy golden appearance. Lots of barrel aged oak in the nose and flavor. Barley wines just aren’t a style I’ve ever really liked, so while I can tell that this is a well made beer, it’s not something I enjoyed too much.

Batch 64 (12oz) in an Authentic German style Luettich Balloon glass - Peering into this burnt amber brew, I am lost in the opaqueness that exists within. As I pour the contents of the bottle into my clear glass, I am awed, but the aromas of peat, smoke stained oak, while a slight hop, "pineyness" lingers. Allowing the head of this glorious, well aged beer, I notice how the foam slides down the side creating creases of lace before disappearing beneath the surface. The first sip allows initial hopped goodness, while a smoked peat and oak seems to roam freely across my taste buds, and blankets me in spiciness as it slides down my throat. A beer that demands to be aged for sure, I look forward to cracking another open in a few years.

Thanks Santa. Slightly hazy orange, off white head. Nose is oak, vanilla, alcohol, orange, light caramel. Flavor is oak, caramel, vanilla, alcohol, spice, earthy malt, burbon. wow. Tasted side by side with a regular Fred and in most ways superior.