Hair of the Dog Doggie Claws (2003-)

12oz bottle, 2006 vintage. Holy sediment in the bottom of the bottle batman! Must be about 1/2" of sludge down there. Bottle opens with barely a notice of carbonation. Uh-oh. Pours just about still, just a little ring of foam that surprisingly leave some trace of lacing. Aroma is big stupid bunches of malt, just a little hint of piney hops. Flavor is very sweet, sweeter than I remember this being in past years (2002 maybe?), almost candylike with just a hint of hop bitterness in the finish. Mouthfeel is a bit off due to the lack of carbonation, but still a solid barleywine.

12 oz. bottle, 2006 vintage. Rich aroma of toffee and brown sugar, dark and sweet, some licorice notes along with suggestions of aged wood, dried herbs and flowers, some light golden raisin, orange citrus and faint alcohol as well. Medium red-orange color, very lightly hazy, doesn’t generate much in the way of a head. Flavor is hugely malty and sweet, this tempered well by the hop spice and leafy herbal character, along with peppery bitterness and spicy alcohol, these melding with a pleasant dried fruit (raisin, date) character and hints of anise. Smooth, thick, warming mouthfeel, lightly syrupy, body is massively full. Lingering hints of citrus (orange, pineapple), lacking much in the way of detectable alcohol in the flavor profile. Nicely balanced for such a huge beer. Tasty stuff, makes for an incredible nightcap. Almost candyish at times after considerable warming, but the hop flavors come through a bit more strongly as well, very late. Really good.

2005. Ruby. Small, creamy, tan head. Aroma of rich, sweet caramel/toffee malt and fruity (melons and tangerines), resinous hops. Flavor adds a very light dose of spicy menthol, some earth, and dried dark fruits. A little aged malt in the aftertaste. Surprising hop presence for a two year old bottle. Full/medium body, balanced carbonation, very soft, easy to drink. Excellent barleywine.

I got a 2003 in trade and sat on it until this past BCTC. Even though I had it later in the day it still was one of the highlights of the day. So sweet like beer candy. Aroma seet malts with some dark fruits, figs or molasses. Taste is superb and I wish I had more.

Wow what a burst of flavor! Sweet carmel, and rich hops with just the right amount of alcohol to give this beer a good punch.

Name: Doggie Claws
Date: 03/06/2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Roadtrip
Vintage: 2004

clear dark red, fine beige head, sweet fruity dark caramel malt aroma with soft earthy hops, thick sticky sweet body, sweet brown sugar flavor, lots of ripe fruit, hot alcohol is present but not a distraction, only enough bitterness to keep some balance with the caramelized sugars,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 8/10; Overall: 16/20
Rating: 3.9/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4
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Name: Doggie Claws
Date: 03/06/2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Roadtrip
Vintage: 2006

clear dark red, wispy beige head, sweet caramel and fruit aroma, creamy body is a bit on the thin side, sweet caramel flavor, nice fruity character, no where near the flavor or complexity of the two year old 2004 vintage,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.4/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: **+/4

2006 Bottle, purchased at Bottle Barn in Santa Rosa. The bottle opens with a barely noticeable "pfft" and looks flat pouring into the glass - no head and it ends with a faint, white ring around the perimeter of the glass. Dark, fiery copper which would be clear if it were not for some of the yeast sediment pouring in (there’s a lot of sediment at the bottom of the bottle). Really nice (and surprisingly fresh) simcoe/amarillo tropical fruity hop nose with a little honey.. Flavor starts off with sweet caramel/toffee, honey, a little raisin and a slight tinge of vanilla. Next comes notes of pine, peach, apricot and mango hop character. The alcohol is present but pretty smooth, in my opinion. The body is medium and syrupy with very very slight carbonation - the only part of the beer that wasn’t really satisfying - it would have been nice to have a little more carbonation pushing this flavor orgy forward - It looks like I got one of those under-carbonated bottles others have mentioned. Still, a pleasurable drinking experience.

12 oz bottle. Pours a very cloudy brown - kind of like dark caramel. The bottle made very little hiss when opened and poured like it was practically flat - several big bubbles, but no real head. Swirling the glass doesn’t raise any bubbles either. The aroma is very, very sweet - but lovely and nuanced nevertheless. It smells like fruit (raisins, figs), a little spice (like a very subtle touch of nutmeg and cardamom), floral -almost perfumy- hops, alcohol, and loads of sweet malts (tons of brown sugar and caramel). The flavor starts with a touch of ethanol and lots of maltiness: molasses and caramel. The middle of the tongue picks up hints of fruit, yeast, and spice (like a glazed cinnamon bun with candied dates). The finish has a touch of fruity and bitter hops, but is predominantly malts. The mouthfeel is actually not that unpleasant considering it tastes completely flat. Crazy big brews like this can sometimes stand up to a lack of carbonation. But it is still thick and syrupy on the tongue. Overall, it isn’t bad - but the Fred was better. Maybe I just got a bad bottle that didn’t seal in the carbonation properly...