Hair of the Dog Ruth

Brewed by Hair of the Dog Brewing Company
Style: American Pale Ale
Portland, Oregon USA

From the bottle Pours a light gold; my bottle had no head whatsoever.

Aroma of yeast and orange peel; flavor is slightly sour yeast with a soft malt touch. This particular bottle was flatter than a projection map of Kansas, though - I assume that’s a quality control issue and not a general characteristic of the beer.

I’ll have to try another bottle; this one should come up somewhat.

30SEP05 Bottle bought at Happy Deli Happy Deli. Pours a yellow-orange with a foamy white head. Aroma of a Belgian Tripel along with a little sour, lambic like aroma. Sour taste with an acidic burning sensation left on the tongue.

Pours golde, with a good sized white head. Aromas are hops, citrus, and malt. Flavors are citrus, yeast, malt, hops, grain and some pepper. Tastes very Belgian in style. Alcohol seems higher than 5.6%. Very good.

Bottle. Amber in color with a nice white fluffy head. Hoppy and malty aroma. Citrusy hops. Lemony and peppery. Malty and hoppy flavor. Smooth tasting with a nice bitter finish. Medium bodied. Crisp and refreshing. Nice beer. Enjoyable.

(Bottled@Oliver Twist) Paleish amber/copper color with almost no head. Aroma of oaky whisky barrel and some hops. Some acidity. A mild, low-malty, oaky flavor with some lingering, oaky bitterness. Light to medium-bodied, dry and oaky-ashy palate with low carbonation. Not very enjoyable or refreshing. Quite a disappointment from HotD.

(12 oz bottle: Hi-Time Wine Cellar in Costa Mesa, CA) Self-described as an All American Ale, HotD is being very modest here. It’s much more than that, showing a lot of obvious Belgian characteristics, and frankly, I think it’s bordering on a light Belgian Golden Ale. Very flavorful and balanced, fairly grainy, and yeasty. The tart citrusy hops are spicy and moderately bitter, and the spiciness features a mild amount of coriander toward the finish. The aromatic nose is sour, grainy, yeasty, and spicy. Medium bodied with a tangy palate and zesty, well-carbonated mouthfeel. Medium yellow color and slightly hazy, the mass of carbonation bubbles can be seen rushing to the surface. Large off-white head is very bubbly on the pour, but the plentiful carbonation bubbles help keep the head tight and sizeable. If Ruth is an All American ale, my name is Alan Sprints.

Pours to a hazy golden body with lots of visible carbonation and a thick white merengue head and good lacing. if the color were different, I’d give another point on appearance. The aroma is very different than anything I’ve ever smelled. Lemon, pepper, peaches, light wheat and barnyard. Overall, the aroma is weak but discernable. The flavor is yeast, flower hops, light saison-like characteristics. Very light and refreshing flavor. The palate needs to be brighter and lighter. It’d be really good for hot summer days if that were the case.

This beer makes me think, style infusion. I can see qualities of lambic, pale ale, and wheat beer. Surprisingly complex for the style. Mild barnyard aroma with yeast. Cloudy orange, with a creamy white head. Flavor sour citrus and followed by bitter hops. This is kind of weird, but a nice change and enjoyable.