Hair of the Dog Fred

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

Amber hue, lasting tan head, no lacing, small sediment pieces, barley, strong alcohol smell, big flavor, spicey and syrupy, sweet and sugary, lasting alcohol taste but earthy. It’s a good one.

Hazey honey brown color with creamy white head. Sweet caramel nose with the alcohol punching through. Dry hop flavor starts out and leads into a bitter hop body with a caramel malt finish.

Bottle. Sweet apple yeast nose with some alcohol presence. Cloudy amber-orange with swirly head. Flavor is great- peaches. caramel, some sourness and alcohol. Smooth across palate but a bit harsh from the alcohol.

Simpsons orange. Smell was honey, orange blossoms, light fruits. Sweet, syrupy mouthfeel with honey and orange tastes. Somewhat one dimensional on that aspect, but highly enjoyable. Excellent palate and balance. Fruit finish.

Deep copper in colour, beige coloured head, excellent retention and lacing. The aroma is quite rich, lots of caramel malts, some butterscotch, fresh orange juice, some alcohol, dark fruits, light floral hops. The flavour is rich and chewy, lots of sweet caramel malts, light alcohol, lots of citrus hop (oranges mainly) bitterness, apricots, peaches, raisins and plums. Smooth mouthfeel, medium body, high carbonation. Finishes very long, dry, high bitterness, some alcohol. This was fantastic, only some minor alcohol noticable throughout leaving an excellent balance from start to finish.

330ml bottle obtained in a trade with <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/ViewUser.asp?U target=blank>Larry Pitonka, thanks Andre.
Opened on January 1, 2007.
Batch #56.

Man, why have I not had this before. Not that I am surprised how good this is., actually it’s so good I have to make this my 600th rating. Batch 63, 12oz. bottle, the reason I picked this up was that my local Whole Foods had two beers for 3 bucks and it was this with a Wolavers Oatmeal Stout. So I figured I was getting a good deal. Until now I just always passed up Fred thinking eventually I would get to it and this ”sale” ended up being the impetus. Back to the point, poured into a small tulip glass. First of all this is the most liberal use of golden I have ever seen. The label clearly states a “Special Golden Ale” and even though it’s definitely a special ale but it’s as a golden as Michael Jackson is black. The color is more like a thick, mosquito stuck in a maple-sap hard rock (a la Jurassic Park). Very still looking with medium clarity. Original pour has a small but prominent head. It fades into nothingness with absolutely no lacing. Aroma is strong, candied apples hit the nose first. That’s followed by an almost equally strong malty cherriness. After that there is a lightly alcoholic tropical pruniness (if you could imagine a tropical prune). Some white wine flavors as well as a peach-like light liquor. The malt is just creating some crazy aromas here. Extremely complex, strong, and just plain lovely. Flavor is not so heavy (something often associated with such strong brews) but full of flavor of sweet, lightly alcoholic tropical fruits (a la peaches and nectarines). Very light alcohol felt on the edges of the throat. Other flavors of spikey and tangy maltiness. Mouthfeel is a bit thicker and syrupy with just enough carbonation to set it off. A light-medium bitterness. Leaves a long light cherry and lightly alcohol aftertaste, almost a minty feel on the palate. Pretty much one of the finest barleywines I have ever had.

Also at the Horse Brass in Portland. I handed this to someone who said they didn’t like beer, and after tasting they just stared at me in shock. Yes, my friends, this is good beer. Pours a nice dark auburn. Minimal head. Aroma is rich and of dates, caramel and dried fruit. Flavor is rich and yet balanced. I got lots of grapes and raisin flavors with some caramel but the bitterness (ten hop varieties!) balanced it out and gave it a good finish.

i thought this beer was gorgeous. it poured nicely, with a little fizz and airy nature. i was excited to try it. it was the siren songs of good beer. it attracted me with it’s beautiful look, stunning. i actually wanted to throw up when i tried it. it made my tastebuds smack me around a little. it was disgusting only when in direct comparison with what it proposed to me, to be. i feel betrayed.