Hair of the Dog Doggie Claws (2003-)

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

Plumb and malt and sweetness. As amazing as this barley wine is, it baffles me since most Hair of the Dogs defy taxonomic categorization. But this...this is a barley wine. No doubt about it. A great barley wine. Caramel. Sweet. Really nice.

Big ups to after4ever for this one. Sad that it was also my first gusher. I was able to salvage about 2/3 of it so no worries. Cloudy copper color. Intense aromas of caramel and apple. Taste is slightly alcoholic. Nice sweet sugary caramel tastes as well. Reminds me a little of molasses with how thick this drink is. Very complex, very good.

Bottled, 2005 Vintage. Native copper red colored pour with a thin layer of even, off-white head. A pleasant flurry of yeasty sediment clouds the beer, giving it a muddy consistancy. Strong hoppy presence is apparant in the nose, but is supplemented by honey, fresh mint leaves, juicy strawberry, english toffee, and a touch of anise upon further examination. The texture is a bit thinner than expected; the crisp hoppiness is a bit surprising given the beer’s murky appearance. The hoppy tongue splash, however, is a great palate cleanser for the flavor parade that immediately follows. Under-ripe cherries, rye seed, raisins, and dried figs march on through. A gin-like resin from the hops adds to it in a fashionable manner. Some spice livens up the brew along with a peanut butter creaminess. Final finish of hops cleanses the palate for a second time, leaving a smack of lemongrass and cayenne pepper. Great brew; wish I had the patience and another beer to age 10 years for another tasting.

12oz - 2004 - 100th rating! - Aroma is strong with black cherry, plum, carmel malt, and a touch of hop. Pours a really dark brown with a nice medium off-white head that slowly fades leaving great lacing. Flavor is full and deep matching aroma. Very smooth palate. I can’t wait til next year when I revisit bottle number 2. A great barley wine.

Over carbonated again, urgh. Frothy brown head. Brownish red color hazy. Aroma is very sweet and very piney. Flavor is so sweet it is over bearing to me. Thick syrupy body. Finish is bitter up front and sweet as candy from there on out.

Bottle poured a hazy caramel color with a large creamy off white head. Aroma was a light caramel. Flavoe is a light sweet caramel and spice with a bit of a alcohol finish and caramel flavor that lays on the palate. Not bad.

2006 Bottle thanks to MrChopin. Just looking at the bottle, I knew I was in for a murky treat. It poured a muddy, semi-bright brown with orange hues. Zero head. Looked like a strong English Breakfast tea with milk in it. Intimidating, actually, but made me curious. Instead of making me think of caramel flavor, this smelled and tasted like sweet, complex caramel. Big Amarillo hop presence, too. The combination of the hops and malt added up to a really nice creamy bready fruit taste. Mixture of dark and lighter fruit notes. Bit of butterscotch that could perhaps indicate some oxidation. Nice bitter finish. Thin body, but overall this was a treat.

bottle. hazy deep brown pour with thick tan head. big citrus hop, rich malt, slightly sour aroma. Apricot, sticky malts, floral hops, mild sugar. tart aftertaste. If I was blindfolded I would have thought this to be an Apricot flavored IIPA, not a barley wine. Very enjoyable.