Hair of the Dog Fred

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

Kulminator, batch 67. Strange how one of the best beers iv tried in belgium was american. Notes say: Best aroma iv ever had in a beer ever, super hoppy, everything i love about hops, 10. An outstanding iipa, lychee, amazing syrupy base, long finish, reasonably balanced and not over powering in anyway, mind blowingly good beer.

Bottle. Batch 62. Pours cloudy brown with a HUGE head. Great lacing. Quite lively carbonation. Wonderfully complex flavors. Hints of candied fruits, toffee, caramel, a hint of hops, orange rind, sweet malt... Keeps developing as it warms. Wonderfully long finish.

12 oz bottle batch 59. This beer had the most amazing head I have ever seen. It poured perfectly and the head slowly started to rise so I too a slight sip. A minute later it had risen again to the point of overflowing and I took another sip. This happened two more times before I finally just gave in and took a big sip. Aroma is nicely complex with loads of malty sweetness, caramel, molases, toffee, tropical fruit, slight alcohol, doughy bread, yeast. On the initial sip I got an alcohol warming sensation that slid all the way down my throat. Flavor has lots of alcohol, sight malty sweetness, lots of spiciness. Alcohol is just a little to obvious in this one but a very good beer none the less.

bottle (recent batch).....appearance: looks like an IPA but not an IPA. poured an opaque reddish-brown with a fluffy off-white head. looked really appealing....aroma: sweet, sugary, caramel malt......taste: a tad sweeter than doggie claws and lacks the spiciness at the end. full mouthfeel.....very enjoyable but prefer doggie claws slightly more.

12 oz. bottle, Batch 63. Pours a muddy amber brown with amoderate off-white head. Some floaters noted in the glass. Perhaps this beer had been on the shelf a while and not stored under the best of conditions. Aroma is of caramel malt, some hops, and dates. Flavor is initially caramel malt and dates, which is followed by a dose of hops which also yileds a dry, bitter finish I didn’t particularly care for. Definite alcohol burn which becomes more pronounced as the beer warms. I will have to try another bottle from another batch, as I found this beer to be unworthy of its reputation.

Magnum from batch #57. A huge beer in more ways than one. Cloudy light brown pour with sediment. Squatty head that turns into a ring with good lacing. Hearty aroma of malt, tobacco, toffee, slight citrus with hops, and alcohol. Robust taste that immediately warms the stomach. Resiny goodness with malt and earthiness mix throughout with hops, wood, and vanilla. Loved this one.

12oz bottle #67. pours dense amber with orange hue and small white head that really lasted. nose has brown sugar, english toffee, tobacco, and some orange zest. flavor has orange, pear, brown sugar, caramel, and tobacco. alcohol is very well hidden. carbonation is a tad high. a tasty english bw that has great aging potential. that gives me an idea...

12oz bottle from LarryPitonka. Aroma: Nice maltiness with a touch of bready yeast and caramel. Interesting hop character with a bunch of citrus, pineapple and mango, and some light floral notes. Some light peppery spiciness and alcohol comes forward as it warms. Appearance: Deep golden in color with a little orange tinge. Off-white head was big and creamy with good retention. Nice lacing. Flavor: Medium sweet maltiness with notes of bread dough and caramel. Some raisin and vanilla. Complex hop flavor. Light resin, Citrus and pineapple, big earthy notes, and some light spice and grass. Medium bitterness. Fairly dry finish with some bitterness carrying over. Palate: Medium-full bodied. Medium carbonation. Light alcohol warming over entire mouth. Overall: Nice beer, but I preferred Fred from the Wood.