Hair of the Dog Ruth

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

Bottle. Pours slightly hazy orange. Aroma is clean, fresh hop. Taste is smooth, slight hop.

The Hair of the Dog bears an egg-crate thick coat, pale and pillowy and insulating a dark gold body, itself marked by a fuming core of carbonation. The aroma somehow finds its way through this burly bulwark of bubbles to deliver a fresh aroma of white grapes, butternut squash, and pinches of clove, nutmeg and a generous squeeze of honey. It’s definitely on the lighter side, but the eviscerating effect of the spices keeps me from treating it like a fruit juice. The taste is light, and contemporaneously sweet and bitter. White grape juices contends with hops to be the prime flavor, surrounded by a sudsy audience lending itself to the body of the beer. Meanwhile, and little noticed in the corner, grapefruit and cotton candy lend their sugary energies to beer. Despite their efforts to add multi-dimensionality to the beer, I find that the hops bitterness has perhaps overpowered the flavors - an addicting quality to some, a disappointment to me. But the Hair of the Dog Ruth still deserves credit for being more colorful and appreciably complex than most IPAs on the market. With some warmth new flavors emerge from the golden bog, including mango and black pepper, lending some credence that this beer has more personality than most in the genre.

I nice pale ale. Pours a clear golden color with white head. Sweet malt, light bread, citrus, grass, and hints of spice. Quite balanced and easy to drink.

Poured with a 1 inch thick foamy head that falls into a halo. some lacing. Smells of pine and grains. Taste is good, a little sweet, a little bit of a malt back, sharp hop bite that washes quick. Easy drinking, a little bigger than I like in a pale ale, but good stuff.

Bottle with thanks to scrizzz. Pours a hazy orange/gold with little head. Aromas are citrus (lemon) and grass. Flavor is heavy lemon and grass with a little bit of a pine bit to the finish. This is very pleasant... but fairly simple.

Poured yellow with a white head. Hoppy aroma and flavor. Not bad. Refreshing and slamable.

12 0Z Bottle. pours hazy gold lots of yeast. small white head. well balanced apa.

This was a 12 bottle that poured a very clear gold with a tiny white head and as a result little lacing. Very attractive color. Nose is citrus and pine. Very clean and smooth mouthfeel. Flavor is a perfect balance of malts and hops, and the finish is dominated by citrus hops bitterness. A solid example of an American Pale Ale.