Hair of the Dog Fred

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

bottle from a trade with SuzyGreenberg. bottle from batch 70. was saving this one but since its the BOTD i decided to crack it. pours golden with a big off white head. aromas are hoppy american barley wine with some of the 10% ABV showing in the nose. flavours are wonderful balanced between the sturdy malt backbone and the 10 different hop varieties. the rye malt smooths out the mouthfeel but the hops add a nice bitter finish. very very nice, especially as a bonus bottle. thanks ben!

bottle. hazy golden/orange pour. small head. some sediment. pulpy orange and grapefruit, spicy, floral aroma. strong. 10% alcohol is in your face. hot and bitter. apricot and fig show through the alcohol warming. rich and sweet malts. spice. a bit too hot for me.

12 oz bottle from South Bay Drugs (I think). Batch 70. Pours a slightly hazy orange-gold color with a big sudsy head. The nose is loaded with fresh fruit, melons, berries and bananas. The flavor is rich and complex with sweet malts, hops, almonds and caramel. The mouthfeel is full, creamy, and malty. The finish is long and biter-sweet with almonds and a bit of alcohol. Overall: A fine strong barley wine. Gotta get more.

Served cold from a bottle. Pours a beautiful amber/honey color with a thick off-white head that leaves a good amount of lacing. The aroma is sweet (to me), yeasty with a lot of fruity notes (pears? apples?) and a hint of hops. The flavor is rich in malts and hops, a slight alcoholic aftertaste, and plenty of sweetness and fruits, quite like the aroma. There are a wide variety of flavors at play here. The mouthfeel is slightly warm from the alcohol, thick and sticky. Overall I would rate this beer highly due to its unusual blend of flavors and general drinking goodness. Not for the faint of heart.

12 oz bottle. Pours amber with a thick off-white head. Lots of lacing. Smell is yeasty and pilsner-hop. Sorta liker a cross between a Belgian Ale and a barleywine. Taste is sweet caramel malt, spices with some bitter hops. Mouthfeel is thick and creamy with some alcohol burn. Quite an interesting treat.

Bottle shared at tasting. I believe Humulone_Red brought this, and thanks! Pours a medium caramel color. Smell is lightly malty, and bright and light, with a hint of alcohol. Taste is almost oaky, perhaps from the oxidation of this older bottle? Moderate maltiness aside from that and a pleasant alcohol character. Lightly drying at the end as well. Nice beer that I’ll have to have again at some point.

Bottle, Batch 59. Saccharine aroma with undertones of floral hops and heavy Duvelish yeast. A hard stone, though: clear but non-boozy alcohol, heavy, gritty caramel, and a massively, massively complex hop mix - a little hard to figure out what’s gone into this, but I relish the attempt. Pine and citrus with a lot of must, wood, raisins, etc. Light pepper and spice. Deep dark amber pour with a firm, frothy, rocky tan head. Taste balances bitter and sweet, hard to tell which is winning at any given time, they tumble and roll as a surging tide. Full, viscous, sticky body, obese with layers of malt. Loads of hops with prominent - but not quite burning - alcohol, woody yeast leading furtively to a dry, bitterish end. Dark toffee and a muddled background of fruit (orange rind and hidden lemon). Earthy, herbal currents blend with yeast and remind of an overly-hopped saison. Honey-golden sunshine. Thick and heavy and much worthier of the name Kong than FFF’s offering - a true, top-shelf sipper.

Batch Number 63

4/02/2008: Fred Golden Specialty Ale (Bottles Conditioned) has a really nice deep honey color and is alive with carbonation. The foamy beige head stays around for quite some time as the bubbles keep chruning their way to the surface. The aroma is sweet and fruity with a good amount of rich maltiness as well as a touch of rye-like spiciness. I am encouraged by the lack of blatent hoppiness in the aroma. This beer really smells wonderful and has aged and developed nicely based on what my nose is picking up! Wow, the flavor is great as well. The aroma did not let me down. The flavor begins sweet and sticky with the caramel maltiness coming through. Then it gets more fruity (nuances of caramleized pineapple, some apricot, candied and aged orangy citrus, and similar) and spicy with a bit of an edge to it like a Belgian Triple might have. A dry and spicy rye character is quite pronounced in the finish and it blends so well with the citrus rind and resiny hop flavors and bitterness that emerge. The alcohol is not present in the flavor but presents somewhat of a welcoming burn through the nose. The flavors are incredibly well-balanced. The mouthfeel is prickly yet smooth, easy to drink yet thick and slightly sticky, wonderful to sip yet hard not to just drink it all at once! This is an expertly crafted beer that does not disappoint! I bet this beer would also pair nicely with any number of tasty cheeses, dried fruits, and nuts. This is a great English-style barleywine with a tasty Belgian Golden Ale twist.

12 fluid ounce bottle (Alcohol Content 10% by Volume) from bitbucket via trade in November 2006. Thank you very much Bob! Rating #698 for this beer...