Hair of the Dog Fred

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

the deep color and the fruity, spicy nose prepare one for a grand beer. The rye add nuances to the flavor. They also do a good job of getting a surprisingly strong hop finish.

WOW...what an excellent pick for #300!!!! Batch #36: This beer absolutely encompasses just about every aspect of a beer that i am looking for. The pour is simply beautiful..one of the top barleywine's a beer appearances in general as the colors co-ersced into a brown, orange, cherry and yellow amalgamation..super cloudy with this super creamy tan/beige head..it was quite a marvel to look at. The aroma was very vivid with wood, vanilla, caramel malt, chocolate, hops, brownies, cake frosting, cinnamon, and fruits becoming readily apparent...i was finding new stuff in the aroma for at least a good 6 minutes before i even took a sip..and despite it all, not one hint of alcohol in either the taste or the aroma...how in the HELL they hid 10% is beyond me!!!!! The taste is just top notch....hops soothe the tongue amidst a super sweet barrage of vanilla, peaches, caramel malts, honey, cinnamon and brownies. This thing is so goddamn awesome its unbelievable. Nice use of carbonation...fairly light and not overdone. Very very sweet barleywine..a sweet barleywine style is really starting to grow on me. Im damn impressed!

cloudy golden pour, with dense white head. The nose has got a ton going on there. So many hops make it hard to nail down exactly what's happening. Alcohol, hints of sweet melons, some light yeastiness and lighter fruits. Balance is the key here. This is the most multifaceted 10% bier I've ever had. Backed up with an unbelieveable array of hops, some serious malt presence for complexity. Definitely the most drinkable beer of it's potence I've had to date. (it may just give some heady belgians a run for their money)

4/4/03: bottle.
my first hair of the dog, i believe that i’ve been bit. golden orange in color. no real lacing. tastes, smells and looks like a barley wine. complex aroma and taste. to the nose: lots of alcohol, malt and some maple syrup. strong alcohol flavor especially as the beer begins to warm. other flavors include apple and some sourness. can’t wait to try more hair of the dog.

And then there was Fred. Probiere rocked our world at the NJ Bittings gathering when she pulled out a magnum of FRED batch #39. Let me tell you about Fred. Fred has a nice fluffy head which lasts the duration of the date with Fred. Fred also has decent lacing as he is very upscale. He has a very plesant and complex aroma with apricots and lots of sweet malts and hops. Loaded with caramel and toffee also. His color is a very handsome orange/amber. And then we kissed. It was like heaven on my lips. Big time malts and hops but very well balanced. Again loads of caramel malts and coffee. Very chewy. I must say that Fred is put together very well if you know what I mean. Yet a very mysterious man. Hiding his massive alcohol content in this subtle package. Bad Fred, bad. To finish the night off we danced a little. He is very soft yet warming from his alcohol content. As we danced he carressed my palate and when he left, I was delighted to find a soft thin film in my mouth. Not going to tell where that came from, snicker, snicker. I must say that Fred was a delight as a date and one that I will always remember and will look forward to the next time I roll into his town. Sweet dreams Fred, you stud you.

P.S. I do not bat for the other team but Fred is making me reconsider.

Pours a rosy golden color with a fluffy white head. Particulate matter in suspension doesn't move very much, which is really cool. Aroma is sweet and hoppy with hints of apple and burnt sugar. Flavor caresses the tongue slowly with malty sweetness, then draws back to leave the sting of alcohol and bitterness of hops on the back of the tongue.

From batch number 46. 12 oz. brown bottle. No freshness date seen anywhere, but let's face facts, none is really needed at this strength. Loud pfffttt when opened. Poured out a murky, cloudy, full of yeast burnt orange color, with an enormous head that wouldn't quit. I don't know what HOTD puts in their beers to make the head so huge, but it works, and works well. Almost too well. Anyway, it smells like fresh cut Timothy hay, candi sugar, Brach's caramel candies, and alcohol. No fusels in here though, which is a really good thing. Tastes are exactly like it smells. Caramel candies, strong malt backbone, sweet esters, almost floral in taste. Hops make their presense known, but in a vague sort of way. It's like you know they're there, but they sneak in and out on you. This is truly a great beer, and Fred Eckhardt should be very proud they named a beer after him. Finished sweet, caramel-ly, and slightly hoppy. Mouthfeel is rich and creamy, carbonation is high, but in check. A one of a kind beer. I like it. You will too.

12 oz bottle. This is a very very good ale. I couldn't believe the head on this bad boy. It was sudsy and fluffy and took up about 2/3 of my westvleteren glass. It stuck around awhile as well, having a constant inch of fluffiness floating on top of the hazy brown liquid. The aroma is FULL. Peach, pear, alcohol fills the nostrils. The taste is COMPLEX. It actually changes as you drink it. At the begining the hops came through more than the malt, then I noticed the fruit tones more, and near the end I was getting this awesome spike of sugar on my toungue with a nice dry finish. I would buy this again in a heartbeat.