Hair of the Dog Doggie Claws (2003-)

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

updating this, as I pulled a bottle from the cellar. 6 months old. Wow what a change. Well balanced thick malty front with a nice hoppy finish. aroma of citrus and honey. This is really fantastic.

Bottle from 07. Pours a murky copper with no head. Nose is hops, alcohol, and fruity. Interesting in that it starts off syrupy, but then the hops kick in, and they are pretty big,and good.Carbonation is pretty light, helping create the syrupy effect.But the hops dominate. Has kind of a spice bittersweet finish. And the 11% is pretty noticeable, but not overpowering. Very good.

bottle, a muddy brown orangish color, slight foam, nose is hoppy pines and butterscotch, flavor of grapefruit, malt, brown sugar and a very nice smooth bitter finish, not as heavy or overpowering as expected

Cloudy orange-brown, slow-to-rise yellow-tinted head that generates lace for the first half of the glass. Very rich, heady toffee and spice aroma, along with candied orange, and subtle resin. Velvety, heavy mouthfeel. Rich toffee flavour, chewy, with beguling spices competing with a massive hop attack (bitter citrus oils and resin, a definite hint of anise). Sweet up front, but balanced very nicely by a bitter finish that is very long and very dry. There is subtlety in here that I enjoyed to the last drop. Wonderful!

Great pour, nice hazy ruby/golden with meaty looking head. Powerful malty aromas to smell and even more to taste. Powerful and complex flavors all over the place work very well together. Drinks easily for the high alcohol content, and this one makes a great nightcap. Delicate and layered, yet forceful on the palate, very nice.

12oz bottle 2005: appearance dark brown in color with huge cream color head, aroma heavy in citrus and grapefruit hops and a good amount of malt, flavor huge in the citrus and grapefruit hops as expected but backed by a very unique malt flavor that has hints of chocolate and nuts and just the right amount of carbonation. I hate to say it but this was a much better BW then the 08 doggie claws I had. Best beet I have had to date. 08 doggie claws ranks 9 4 9 4 17 Didn’t have as complex malt flavor and needed more carbonation who knows it could age to be as good as the 05 but I know I will be picking more 05 up at the next dock sale.

2007 Bottle - Pours an amberish copper with a large off white head...aroma is palpable hop bitters and caramel malt...from the nose, I fully expected this to be a hop bomb, but that was not the case...well balanced caramel and subtle hops, tons of dried fruit, killer alcohol, a year in the bottle made this twice as nice...great dessert

Getting notebook online. Bottle, 2006. A hoppy port! The good raisin/date oak flavors usually in a barley wine with some great hop flavors. Very nice!