Hair of the Dog Fred

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

Bottle of Batch 68. Aroma of caramel, sugar, rye, pine, citrus, apple, and some alcohol. The flavor is very nice; a compilation of the things mentioned in the aroma. Good malt up front with a fruity, hoppy finish and alcohol warming. Above average version of the style.

Batch 68. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw this on the shelf at Tanakaya, can’t get it in Ohio, but Japan is no problem...Pours a slightly hazy reddish orange with a monsterous off-white, thick head. Inviting aroma of sweet malts, citrus hops, fruits, oranges, and some alcohol. Full body with nice carbonation. Intense flavor. Syrupy sweet malts cut down to size by some strong citrus hops, caramel, floral, oranges, alcohol, and fruit. Long, bitter, sweet finish. Powerfull and complex, this brew is a treat for sure. I had to go all the wy to Japan to get my hands on this brew, but I think it was worth it.

Ordered from bottletrek. Fantastic. The bottle says "Golden Ale" the description here is barley wine. But this is something else. Rich tones. Sweet undertones. A really delicious beer. Extremely complex. I can’t find the fancy language to describe this beer. I’m watching football, glad the Gators won, and am amazed by the tastes I’m experienced.

I believe the bottle that I tried was old. There’s no way that the astringent and mild diac flavors that I got were brewed into this one by the good folks at Hair of the Dog. Pours a beautiful lighter brown with just a hint of amber. Wonderful lacing on the cream-colored head. Aroma was a wonderful balance of malt and spicy notes. The flavor was just off. There’s some confusion on my pallet with the 10 different hops, to be honest. It wound up just being a bunch of hops and not a great blend for me. But there was also the aforementioned funk in the flavor, which I’m sure is a result of the age of the bottle when I bought it. The beer is rated too highly to have something this "off" in the flavor. I’d give it another try if I can get my hands on another one when I’m on the West Coast.

12oz Bottle $3.89 Liquid Solutions Batch 67 Fred pours a hazy dirty copper with a great three finger tan head that lasts and lasts. The body glows with orange highlights when backlit and for some reason the head even seemes to have a tint of dirty orange to it. A few tiny carbonation bubbles rise to the big dense head keeping it busy. Leaves sheet lacing down the glass after each sip. This beer smells nothing like what I was expecting. The first thing that comes to mind is juicy but tart ripe green apples along with slivered almonds. Hmmm....interesting. Some caramel and semi-sweet pale maltiness lurk around in the back and there’s a nice alcohol spiciness toward the end that adds a great complexity. Really interesting and delicious smelling. Makes my mouth water. The maltiness comes through much more in the flavor than aroma. Caramel and toffee maltiness show through big along with a mid-palate leafy hoppy bitterness. The green apple tartness and quick but sharp nuttiness come through as well. This beer is as unique as it gets. Layers of complexity. The next sip never equals the last. The mouthfeel is unbelievably luxurious and plush. Airy up front, creamy in the middle, and smooth as velvet on the finish. The carbonation level is perfect. This beer goes down super easy but is without a doubt a sipper. I could drink it a little faster but with the sheer complexity I would be missing way to much. Fred must have been a good man because the beer brewed in his honor is brewed with great care and unbelievable flavor. I’d love to see the recipe for this beer. It fits in no catagory but has hints of many styles. Another great beer from Hair of the Dog. Adam and Ruth are two of my favorites from this year. 10/19/07

Freakin Fred. So good. Spices, malt, hop balanced so well and has a wonderful mouthfeel and body. Rich and delicous. Pours hazy golden and has some strength to the aroma. I love Fred, Fred, Fred , Fred, down into my belly.

On Tap Hamilton’s. Earthy, bready, fruity caramel, hop. Strong and delicious.

Thanks to Pantanap for sending this to me. 200th rating. Smell is big, rum soaked fruit, alcohol, burnt sugar. Taste is even bigger, brown sugar, raisins, dark fruit, interladen with a beautiful hop boquet, balanced and incredibly complex. The taste just kept going. Hair of the dog continues to impress me. I wish I had more of this. Outstanding.