Hair of the Dog Matt

Brewed by Hair of the Dog Brewing Company
Style: American Strong Ale
Portland, Oregon USA

Serve in Snifter, Trappist glass

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   add pic

Courtesy of Pailhead. Dark brown, oily, no head. Malt bomb, vanilla, bourbon, syrup, light ash. Bourbon dominates the flavor, hints of vanilla, syrup, hot alcohol. As it warms, alcohol comes through more and more, really detracts for me. Flimsy on the palate, no carbonation whatsoever. Decent overall.

Bottle courtesy of pailhead. Pours a opaque brown with virtually no head. Aroma is vanilla, smoky, oak, chocolate. Body is full.Flavor is chocolaty, coffee, vanilla, smoky, oak, with a smooth finish. My rating doesn’t do justice. Absolutely wonderful!

Bottle (2010). Thanks to phredrik for sharing. Dark brown with a thin head. Lovely aroma dominated by chocolate, freshly baked bread, apples and with a hint of vanilla, alcohol and liqourice, Incredibly well balanced! At first it is quite sweet, but a slightly bitter finish, which prevents it from being cloying. The flavour is quite fruity, especially apples is dominant but cherries and plums are a part of the flavour profile. Combined with the chocolate characterm the well hidden alcohol and subtle smokey notes, the fruity flavour makes this ale extra ordinary good!

Bottle thanks to Ben, thanks! Pours a dark brown with a strong ruby hue and a gray head that dissipates to the edges. Aroma has notes of chocolate backed by dark grains, light fruits, smoke and a bit of astringent alcohol. Flavor has a nice combination of chocolate and smokiness with backing light fruit.

Bottle 33 cl from pantanap. Pours brownish black with a small ring of tanned small bubbles around the glass, looks very thick and oily. Aroma is fullbodied and fantastic. Dark fruits, very sweet and vinous in front followed by good maltyness, vanilla, coconut and alcohol. Mouthfeel is deep and fullbodied, oily and thick. Flavor has a nice twist of alcohol in it, very sweet, vinous, spicy, vanilla, madeira, raisins, fidges , fruity and nicely bitter. Finishes fruity sweet and bitter with a good warming alcohol touch towards the end.

Well well well.. finally opening one of these after buying it last November at the 10AM release at the brewery for the 2010 version - thanks to those Portland dudes who dumped me off at Brass Horse after - Beardface and leems - a double thanks for not simply raping me and dumping me in an alley on the way. Poured out a beer - a beer with colour and a bunch of stuff on top of the beer. Mostly very dark with a reverse horizon of deep crimson redness on the bottom of my glass. There is a thin head that is a dark tan and it’s quite compact, never leaves and leaves quickly migrating colonies of foam back to the surface. The aroma is simply fucking amazing. This has been worth the wait - I heard that it was a bit hot early so I just let it sit with nervous anticipation in the farthest corner of The Beerium. First sniffs and sneak tastes prove that this is not only an exceptional beer but that it is the upper class of the upper class. I already feel that I am not doing this brew justice by not wearing a stove pipe top hat. I have also temporarily legally changed my name to Cheswick McGavinington III because being English with a stuffy name always adds the required misplaced status one requires. Ahhhh - the aroma - yes, it is very consistent so far: that familiarity with calvados sticks strong with this Mt. Hood version (thanks google!). Ahhh calvados - one of my best memories of the now defunct high end restaurant in Vancouver - the greatest place ever - Lumiere. Me and Leah had some calvados after a 4hr supper / winefest / drunkfest and it was orgasmic - nothing like flying Vancouver just to have supper and then pretending to jerk it as I call out "calvados.... calvaaaados" in a drunken stupor as the Maitre D stood behind me to my wife’s amusement - it was just that damn good. Vanilla creaminess, delectable apple strudelishness, faint golden raisins, faint alcohol on the warmer side of the pour, dark and very fresh fruits of the plum and apricot variety, molasses and melted dark sugars, fig and chocolate, woody smoke intertwined and flowing in and out of my nose in waves and sweet succulent bourbon and then apple perfection once again - pretty much nothing smells better than this.

The taste does not let me down after such an incredible experience with the aroma and non-thinking sips. A bit syrupy and that’s cool, Apple goodness, bourbon + side of the tongue burn, back to that apple woodiness that makes this beer so wonderful, tart notes often, burnt malts and heavy molasses flavour with out being too much to handle - maybe it is but there are so many other things that have piled on. The smoke gets infiltrated by some fresh tart dark fruits but keeps its identity as a defining character in and out of the fringes. Tobacco / chocolate mix, more apple notes, plum, raisin, burnt sugar - the stuff that you use to make gingerbread houses, here and there spice, oak (I assume), honey, awesome. Finishes often with an ashy chocolate lingering that transforms into charred wood and a light fruity note. Not oily. That was a stunningly memorable brew.

Deep brown, bordering on black with only a slight layer of head that forms and dissipates quickly. The swirl produces no legs, but does provide spotty foam and oily resin that coats the glass. The taste and aroma are phenomenal. Raisins soaked in brandy, vanilla, toffee, caramel, dates, plums, and some vinous notes as well. There is a hint of peaty smoke in the finish. This is like a nice glass of sherry. Easy to sip. Smooth, creamy, and full-bodied. Just about perfect in every way.

UPDATED: MAR 18, 2012 Bottle from DrBill at his tasting, thanks a ton! Poured deep orange-reddish with white head, aroma brought notes of big toffee, caramel, sweet vanilla, apple, notes of dark fruit, candi sugar, hints of smoke, even some slight hints of chocolate? Just decadent. Taste was awesome, balanced, yet not over the top with all the flavors. Hints of sweet toffee and caramel, vanilla, and dark fruit up front, you get the smoky, chocolate, earthy notes, some sweet candi sugar and bourbon, hints of puckering green apple before it finishes warming, sweet, but still fairly dry. Fantastic.

2010 bottle from hannont, thanks! Deep dark brown color, opague. Maple syrup, licorice and apple in the aroma. Malty sweet syrupy flavor with coffee, chichory, maple syrup. Alcohol. A bit rough and unrefined, maybe needs some further storage.

Bottle. Colour... medium to dark brown with little head. Nose.... brown sugar, booze (esp. the eau de vie), dates and boiled sweets. Palate... very gentle CO2 followed by a surge of Bourbon and eau de vie dappled with dark fruits, unsulfered molasses, brown sugar sirop, treacle, Turkish delight, sailor jacks and a smidge of deciduous slash smoke just before the last wave of eau de vie sends you home. Ahhhhh.....! Man it’s nice having Hair of the Dog only a few miles from home!