Hair of the Dog Fred from the Wood

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

Serve in Snifter

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RB release bottle, an incredibly generous bonus from RooftopRogue, shared with SuIIy on 9/2/06.
Exuberantly frothy, thick-cream-colored head piles atop a surprisingly dark, copper-beige body with some strong tan highlights (Fred being strikingly light in color for a bw). Medium to medium-high clarity, leaving the sediment behind, with fierce carbonation rushing upwards. Retention is strong, and moderate lacing is created as the head recedes. Appearance is always top-notch at HOTD.
Grainy wood notes immediately rush forth from the glass, dry and slightly sharp, blending coconut-like notes, some esterized alcohol and an oily, dry, toasty oak and cigar-note that lends just a hint of darkness. But massively fruity pineapple jumps in to the mix, lightening things and adding a very intriguing fruitiness. Peaches, nectarines and the like join the fray, and throughout it all, a supple, rich, juicy-sweet pale maltiness helps deliver the support/balance. Some dry tannins still break through, somewhat, with light paperiness and slightly acidic/astringent vanilla. I certainly wouldn’t call it balanced in the aroma, by any means, but the pale malts, luscious, nearly tropical fruitiness and slight cigar-like edge is just too intriguing and unique to leave behind. Not to mention, the strength of the aroma is quite high.
Continued use of toasty, earthy, dry oak is apparent in the flavor, with a graininess that chips at the palate. It slowly eases in to the sweet malts, but all the while a touch of sharp alcohol hangs in the background. Dry fruitiness abounds, which really sets this apart from most BA barleywines, and the yellow fruit nature of it really helps keep things fairly lively in nature. Carbonation is high to begin, but evens out over time, though it still breaks the malt cohesion perhaps a bit too much, tipping the balance to the more dry, tannic, grainy flavors. But you can’t deny that any juiciness (not to be mistaken with syrupiness) in a barleywine, no matter how fleeting, is quite delightful. That being said, I still think the barrel is a bit too dominant.

Thanks to Enjoyit. Pours amber with a tiny beige head. Aroma is wild honey, caramel, darker sweet fruits, sour berries, syrup, oak, vanilla, sugary, weak oxidized, raisins and some fainted hops in the background. Taste is sour berries, honey, syrup, alcohol, very dry wood and some fainted hops in the background. Yummmy ..

Bottle courtesy of Enjoyit. Clear amber pour, small rim of head. Aroma has spicy bourbon and wood, vanilla, lots of honey, white raisins, nuce malt conplexity. Red currants, fudgy malts, toffey, very sweet over all. The taste is much like the aroma, very sweet, lots of toffey and bourbon, light hints of dal fruits and white raisins, figs. Light carbonation, chewy mouthfeel, light hops in the finish. Good one.

2008 vintage. The screams of drink me coming from the bottle proved to be too much tonight. Pours a clear deep amber/copper color with a huge beige head that persists forever and leaves lots of sticky lace on the way down. Smells of caramel, brown sugar, alcohol, slight bit of sherry, lightly earthy and sweet dark fruity. Taste is caramel and sugary sweet with an earthy herbal edge and a distinct bit of alcohol presence. I could sip on this thing all night long if only that damn bottle wasn’t so small. Medium to thick body with a moderate level of carbonation and a sweet almost syrupy mouthfeel. Wood aged, but I get very of that in the aroma or flavor. It’s a damn fine barleywine just the same. Maybe the wood was subtle and has faded, but I’d drink the shit out of these if I could.

On tap @ the brewery - 2008 vintage. Deep amber pour with a sparse head. Aromas of brown sugar sweetness, oak, vanilla, toffee, and a hint of pine. Flavor is warming with lots of rich malt and some wood.

2009 vintage. The beer pours an amber color with a off-white head. The aroma is full of oak and dark fruit, with a little bit of cherry coming through. The flavor is a lot more complex. I get some oak and wood notes, as well as some cherry and cinnamon. There is also a strong yeast character, as well as some caramel malt. Overall, the oak is quite strong. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. Glad I got to try this one.

08 Bottle. Clear amber gold, thin head. Aroma of oak, dark fruit, light berry tart, toffee. Taste is sweet toffee, some tart fruit, earthy, funky, lots of wood (insert splinter reference here). Medium body, soft carbonation, lemony finish, awesome, complex beer.

33 cl. / 2009 Vintage bottle split @ home with Belgbeergeek: A: dark amber / red fruits with a small white head, smell is bourbon going into a sweet barley wine, caramel, slightl vintage, above all lots of sweet caramel, T: über sweet caramel, lots of fruits, dark grapes, apricot, sweet burbon, vintage, dark sugar, very slight bitter aftertaste, B: nicely, slightly sticky with low carb, most likely even better fresh

Bottle @ Armin’s house. Hazy, brownish orange appearance with an off white head. Very rich, fresh oaky, organic woody, grassy, dark fruity, apricot, rich, amazing aroma. Pretty strong, fairly boozy flavor but incredibly rich with a shit load of fresh oak, dark fruits, citrusy fruits, tangy, rich, fairly caramelized sweet malty flavor. This baby is a winner.

12oz bottle, 2007 vintage. Pours a dark amber color with a thin white head. Aroma is sweet, oaky, vanilla. A bit heavy on the palate with nice, smooth carbonation. Flavor is sweet, woody, oak, vanilla, a little smokey, Tobacco, with a sweet, smokey finish. Excellent.

Bottle shared at RBWG- Nose is vanilla, coconut, wet wood...Taste is chewy malts, vanilla, oak, coconut, honey..Palate is thick with some heavy sweetness..