Hair of the Dog Rose Cassis

Formerly brewed at Hair of the Dog Brewing Company
Style: Fruit Beer
Portland, Oregon USA

Sampled from bottle purchased at the brewery. This belgian-inspired beer pours a murky purple with a rose-colored head. Oddly attractive. Aroma is not only the expected currants, but also some other over-ripe fruits and black pepper spice from the yeast. Wonderful because it is assertive, but not over-done. Flavor is perfectly bitter just like the HotD beers. Warming, smooth and full-bodied. Very drinkable (or digestible, for the belgian critics). The fruit flavor is subdued as to not overpower the underlying beer’s (a tripel) characteristics. Also quite woody and earthy. Sooo much going on with this beer it is remarkable that it is not overpowering. This is the best ’fruit’ beer I’ve had and I wish I had more.

’05 vintage courtesy of markwise. Pours deep murky dark brown, close to no head. Aroma is full of cassis goodness, puree with hints of malt and caramel. Flavor is hard to describe, just plenty of goodness with every sip getting better. Thick puree like mouthful of cassis with a nice lengthy tingly palate hinting toward some sourness. Hints of caramel and malts.

Pours a sewer water brown, hazy, milky, with a small white head. Nose is primarily tart apple. Taste is tart, nice current flavors, green apple with big red wine flavors ont he back ends. Not sweet, slightly dry and tangy.

From a 12oz Bottle. Also sampled on tap at the brewpub. Pours the color of pink lemonade, topped with a tight bubbled head of creamy pink. One of the most interesting beers I’ve sampled, appearance wise. Completely opaque, saturated with pink currant pectins. Fruity currants in the nose, creamy with a touch of herbal pepper. Touches of vanilla and toffee malt, but mostly just creamy currant. Currant Italian Soda. Hints of mild acidic funk, presumably from the currant skins. Medium bodied, creamy mouthfeel with a milky texture. Big berry flavor with a very mild acidity and tannic skin quality. Highly unusual texture and color, but the flavors are quite enjoyable. Yogurt-like is an awesome description, as is the waxy texture (thanks, notalush). This rating is a composite from bottles I’ve sampled along with drafts at the brewery. I have to admit that I’ve had a truly awful bottle of this beer - reeking of rotten fruit - but the draft and other bottles I’ve had have all been one of the most unique, intriguing, and enjoyable fruit beers I’ve ever tried. I love currants. Rating doesn’t consider the bad bottle I’ve had.

This 2005 vintage beauty is courtesy of markwise. Thanks! It pours murky muddy oxidized bloody brown with really no head whatsoever. The aroma is full and rich with smooth black currents, some earthiness, chewy aged malts and faint assorted spices. The taste is nice and rich and smooth with musty cassis goodness blending seamlessly into aged viscous malts and some smooth sweetness rounding things out. Wow! Tasty stuff.

(Bottle) Sampled at the post-GCBF party hosted by Oakes, "Big Beer Sampling". Nose is definitive cherries; malt mixes with whiskey, sweet frozen strawberries, milky brakefluid and creamer. Good malted blackcurrent base. Very enjoyable.

A great beer and what a different flavors to add the current berries. This would be a great addition to a winter warmer also. The flavors of malt and hosp where also present so this was a great beer. I got a hint of tartness and a great malt flavors. I can drink this again.

Bottle courtesy of larry pitonka. Pours a red and cloudy beer with a thin tan head. Smells of currants, lots of sourness and buttery. Taste is very sour with a nice compliment of black currants. Great take on a fruit beer!