Hair of the Dog Rose

Formerly brewed at Hair of the Dog Brewing Company
Style: Abbey Tripel
Portland, Oregon USA

Bottle from Volo. Ruddy brown body with a white creamy head that fades a bit. Interesting fruity aroma does not scream beets but hints at it, light floral notes. Fairly prominent beets in the flavour with a fruity character to it as well. Very light bitterness, muted floral notes. Average palate could be medium with a bit more. Bit strange overall but interesting. Tweaked with a bit more malt and less beet so that the beets were an accent rather than the dominating flavour and it might be more drinkable.

This was a hard one to rate for me. I actually had an old predecessor of Rose, called "Golden Rose", Batch 32, bottled in about 1997. Poured to a cloudy burgundy color, with suspended particles, and absolutely no head or lacing. Aroma was a very sour dark fruit, mostly plums and grapes. The flavor was very tangy and almost like vinegar. Finish was also sour and tangy, reminded me of apple cider that had been kept too long. I think this may have been a better beer in its day, and so I gave it some benefit of the doubt, but this particular one was past its prime...this was actually more like rating wine.

Had this at HotD on July 28th, 2006. The brew was made with fresh beet juice and hibcus flowers to add a nice pink hue to the beer. Pinkish red color, very sweet with a hint of beet flavor. light hoppiness, yet still full bodied.

Batch 38. Pours bright amber into a tulip. Significant micro head leaves lacing as it subsides. Biscuit and caramel notes. Tingly with upfront full honey with a dry, lasting pepper alcohol finish.

Bottle, batch 35. Pours an unfiltered cider color with a soapy white head and tons of floaters. Aroma is pears, toffee, caramel, with buttery notes. Earthy and musty with almost no aftertaste. A little bit sweet and spicy up front and then bitter and then nothing. Nice and bubbly on the palate but all I can think about is all the yeast that I’m drinking. My least favorite Hair of the Dog to date.

Bottle, batch 40.

Pours a cloudy deep caramel brown with a scant head.

The aroma is surprisingly faint, with some sour musty saison notes and rose petals, a hint of steamed...cauliflower?

The flavor is spicy and yeasty, banana esters and nutmeg, slightly sour, some rotten pear, very dusty, and with an unpleasant, acidic burnt-coffee finish. Prickly aggressive carbonation on the palate.

I wouldn’t have called this one a tripel (or an HOTD) if I’d tasted it blind, and most if not all of the deviations are for the worse. I’m disappointed here, especially after my experiences with Adam and Fred. This one is really no good, and in fact I wonder if there isn’t something gone wrong with my bottle or with this batch. Down the drain.

[bottle, batch #34] Pours a beautiful reddish brown color. White head sticks around the glass quite a bit. Aroma is like tart apple cider, with some nice yeast and alcohol as well. Flavors are quite sweet, much like the aroma- apple juice, some nice belgian yeast and slight warming alcohol in the finish. Very drinkable for 8% ABV.

12 oz. bottle. Pours dark clodu ruby color with thin white head. Slight sweetness in aroma. Feels thinner than you’d expect for a 7.5% ABV (which isn’t bad). Tastes slightly sweet and has a fruity finish. Very nice.