Hair of the Dog Brewery (Portland, OR)

Hair of the Dog Brewery, across the river in East Portland-

Hair of the Dog Little Dog

Little Dog, a small beer from second runs of their normal line, was amazingly deep and flavorful for 3.5%. Toasty malt and a nice herbal hop balance without the bitterness made this a dream beer after a hot day of walking.

Hair of the Dog Ruth Pale Ale

Ruth was dry but had a creamy mouth feel and appropriate hop bitterness. There was a subtle floral note to it that worked quite well.

Hair of the Dog Blue Dot Imperial IPA

Blue Dot falls into the “Pliny-like” category as an imperial IPA, with sweet mango and stone fruit dominating.  There was almost no bitterness to the ale, and the malt was well balanced to enhance the psychedelic amount of hops used.  A must try.

Hair of the Dog Fred Belgian Ale

I’ve reviewed Fred before, but gave this golden strong ale a second chance.  After a stellar start to the tasting, I still have to say Fred is overwhelmed by Belgian candi sugar and a slight medicinal taste. 

Hair of the Dog Adam First Ale

Hair of the Dog’s first beer, Adam is essentially a barleywine, thick and a little sweet.  While not as intensely sweet as Fred, it didn’t pass muster with this lover of barley wines.

Hair of the Dog Doggie Claws Barley Wine

Doggie Claws is Hair of the Dog’s official Barleywine entry, made with honey.  The ale pulls no punches with a huge, sweet malt body, and mead like crispness.  Of the “big beer” offerings from Hair of the Dog, this was my favorite.

Hair of the Dog Fred from the Woods Barreled Belgian Ale

Fred from the Woods is a 2009 vintage of Fred aged for 2 years in American oak.  It comes across much more mellow and integrated than Fred, still sweet, but much less cloying.

Hair of the Dog Adam Hearty Old World Ale

Encouraged by last night’s phenomenal ale, I decided it was time to revisit Hair of the Dog and the second of their bigger ales I picked up in Portland, Hair of the Dog Adam Old World Strong Ale.

Hair of the Dog Adam Old World Strong Ale poured pitch black into the glass, topped with a thick, creamy off-white head.  The pine hoppiness that led the nose over earthy notes of caramel and dried fruits implied a recent brew.

Hair of the Dog Adam Hearty Old World Ale opened with a chokingly sweet start.  Thick, syrupy dried dates caramel, and dark chocolate flavors overwhelmed the palette, and some burnt smokiness came through as the sweetness slowly subsided.

I know many beer drinkers who love the Hair of the Dog offerings, but I can’t get behind the two I’ve had.    Too cloying, too much happening without any definition (the flavor was almost blurry), and flat out off-putting for anyone looking for anything other than a malt bomb.  Maybe a year or two of aging would mellow Hair of the Dog Adam Hearty Old World Ale out, but seemed prematurely released without at least a recommendation to hold on to it.

Hair of the Dog Fred Golden Special Ale

Hair of the Dog Brewery practices the interesting habit of naming their beers after people.  Knowing only that, I picked up two bottles and am tasting Hair of the Dog Fred Golden Special Ale today.

Hair of the Dog Fred Golden Special Ale settled a cloudy honey color with a thick, sticky white head and some sediment from the bottle conditioning.  There was little observable carbonation, and the nose was comprised of candied orange and some alcohol heat.

Hair of the Dog Fred Golden Special Ale opened with big, sweet caramel and maple flavors that darkened into a burnt molasses with some bitterness and a little ester.  The ale lingered for a while, sticky and bittersweet in the mouth. 

Hair of the Dog Fred Golden Special Ale has a bit too medicinal in the finish, and is a big, bracing beer that doesn't quite hold up under the weight of itself.