Doggie Claws - Hair of the Dog Brewing Company / Brewery and Tasting Room

Auracom

Illinois

3.73/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

2012 Vintage at the Hair of the Dog's brewpub in Portland. 2 oz. served in a taster tulip on November 29th, 2012.

A - Slightly lighter version of Adam, white thin head with great lacing and marginal retention.

S - Plentiful piney hop resin. Touch of caramel and candied sugar underneath.

T - It's actually better balanced than anticipated. Initial tropical fruit and pine sap meld with toffee, rye bread, and honey at mid palate. Lingering bitterness into finish.

M - Medium body, moderate carbonation, semi-dry finish.

D - Yeah, it's a solid American barleywine here in its super fresh state. Absolutely need to try an aged version to see how it transforms.

Serving type: on-tap

12-05-2012 23:15:02 | More by Auracom

PicoPapa

Connecticut

4/5  rDev -5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap straight from the source. 2011 Vintage. Pours a dark, dark brown with an inch of head. Lots of lacing. Aroma is sweet with some toffee, dark fruits and earth. Taste echoes the aroma. Sweet toffee, dark fruits and earthiness. Warming alcohol is very present. Sweet, chocolatey finish. Not overly boozey and well balanced. Creamy mouthfeel. Overall, solid barleywine worth having again.

Serving type: on-tap

06-10-2012 19:40:45 | More by PicoPapa

Mar02x

Netherlands

4.28/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I had this beer pored in by Alan Sprints himself during the Alvinne Craft Beer Festival. What a fantastic moment.

A - A yellow beer with a white head.

S - A fruity hop scent; mango citrus.

T - There is fruity mango, pineapple, candy sugar, but the fluid is not crispy. Alan told me that it came because of the added honey. I didn't notice it though. I know it sounds stupid but I thought that I was drinking a Imperial IPA. Later I discovered it was a barley wine.

M - A soft carbonation and no real bitterness. This beer is beer lemonade!

O - A real nice beer, and so easy to drink. I know that I am nagging now, but a bit colder would have been nice.

Serving type: on-tap

03-05-2012 19:58:08 | More by Mar02x

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

First had: on tap at their brewpub
Also have bottles of this for later consumption.

Poured a nice brownish amber with a small cap of tan head that retained fairly well. Sweet caramel and brown sugar in the nose, with some fruitiness and distant hop tones. Sweet and thick with dark sugars--caramel and brown sugar--notes of raisins and red wine, with an obvious alcohol kick, and a touch of citrusy hops. Smooth and nearly full-bodied, very drinkable. Great barleywine.

Serving type: on-tap

01-10-2012 16:42:02 | More by Rifugium

zaphodchak

Virginia

4.45/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Vintage 2007, on draft at HotD.

Swiss cheese lace and red-brown body.

Dank vintage malt nose, chewy already.

Aged American, honeyed hops and big malt. Hops have mellowed, but are not without bite. Classical barleywine with prune, date, etc.

Super smooth.

Darn good vintage barleywine, mostly American, but a bit English.

Serving type: on-tap

12-31-2011 20:07:12 | More by zaphodchak

StoneTSR

Colorado

4.13/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

APPEARANCE: Deep copper with an orange hue. The head is about a half-inch thick and off white. The retention is average at best, but this is still a lively, good looking beer.

SMELL: I was a bit disappointed at first. I expected a big, aggressive nose, instead I got nearly nothing until it aired out a bit. Once it opened up, there were some sweet spices, caramel and malty aromas present.

TASTE: This is an outstanding example of the style in terms of taste. It is a big and malty with cinnamon, sugar, caramel and molasses flavors along side banana, dark fruit and just a hint of apple. Hops are also present here, but they are more rounded and subtle than in some other big west coast beers.

MOUTHFEEL: The mouthfeel is rather pleasant. It is big, rich and oily, but by no means is it mouthcoating. In fact, the finish is rather dry.

OVERALL: This is an outstanding example of the style and it also happens to be an excellent beer to introduce someone to the style. Doggie Claws is solid.

Serving type: on-tap

11-01-2011 08:10:18 | More by StoneTSR

dgilks

Australia

4.35/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Clear red colour with a nice creamy light tan head. Good head retention and some great lacing.

Big robust toffee aroma with some notes of honey and lots of fruit. Great esters with pear, apple and stonefruit all coming through.

Big malty sweetness with lots of caramel and some toasty toffee. Big fruity esters again with some great pear and peach notes. Really delicious.

Full body with moderate carbonation. Really solid and a great example of a barleywine.

A really great Barleywine. Alan really knows how to make big malt flavours sing with the addition of some hops for balance and great yeast character. A stunner.

Serving type: on-tap

10-03-2011 23:29:54 | More by dgilks

DoubleSimcoe

New York

4.38/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Doggie Claws on tap at Pony Bar, NYC, looking and tasting MUCH better than last time at Blind Tiger!

Smell: Goes up to 4.0 from 3.5, with everything you expect from the style... sweet and muscular, raisin, bubblegum, sugar.

Taste: Goes up to 4.5 from 3.5, classic barleywine taste. Caramel, toffee, honey, sugar. Sweetness. Bit of wood, even bourbon. Mellow hop around the back. Love it!

Mouthfeel: Goes up to 4.5 from 3.5. Chewy, sticky, low carbonation, great for the style. Full body and flavor.

Overall: Goes up to 4.5 from 3.5, because this truly is a great barleywine all around. Eight ounces were mighty drinkable (even though the alcohol is more than noticeable) and I was left wanting more. Maybe what I had at Blind Tiger was not right, or an older, lesser vintage (have heard bad things about 2009)? This, I love. Cheers!

---

Doggie Claws on tap at The Blind Tiger, NYC, 8 ounces for 9 dollars. WTF!

Appearance: The Claws look very dark, more like a brown ale than a barleywine. Mahogany overtones, but mostly a dirty opaque brown, almost black.

Smell: Not a lot going on in the nose. Chocolate, hops, kind of reminds me of Stone Sublimely. Black ale, brown sugar, cocoa powder. Sour funk. Strange! Not quite a barleywine in my book.

Taste: Lots of stuff here for sure! Chocolate, mushroom, dirt, freshly unearthed black truffles. Musty hops, some farm aromas. A bridle path after a copious rainfall. Sharp booze at the end, it burned me as I sipped. Is this melange of complex favors a good thing? Not necessarily. I find it to be confused, as if the brewers had try to gather as many intense and earthy flavors as they could.

Mouthfeel: Just about average for a barleywine, with full-but-funky flavor, full body and medium carbonation.

Overall: I love Hair, but totally don't get this ting. Feels like they were going for something completely different and ended up creating something new indeed but not quite succesful.

Too hoppy for a barleywine, too funky, too... weird! I like adventure, but this ain't right. Overtly boozy, not very drinkable or enjoyable. And at this price, it is a no-no! Would love to try this aged, though.

Serving type: on-tap

07-19-2011 02:55:23 | More by DoubleSimcoe

JizackFH

New York

4.22/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had on tap at Rattle N' Hum in New York, NY on 5/27/11.
Review taken from notes.

A - This beer pours a nice dark amber color. It has a small white head on it. The head has decent retention, and it leaves just a bit of lacing behind.

S - It smells of sweet caramel malts and hops mostly. There is also some light fruitiness, toffee, honey, and some booze.

T - It tastes of big caramel malts and a strong american hop presence. There is a candy-like sweetness to it, as well as some nice fruit notes. The hop presence really helps to balance this one out. The finish has some lingering hop flavor and a touch of booze. The booze is very well hidden for being 11.5%.

M - This has a medium body and good carbonation. It goes down smooth, and has a bit of a chewy quality to it. There is some sticky sweetness, and some lingering hop bitterness. There is also some alcohol warmth in the finish.

O - There is good drinkability here. It goes down good and the flavor is just awesome. It is a sipper for sure, but it tastes so good, you just don't want to put it down. Overall I think this is an excellent barleywine. I really enjoyed this beer, and I look forward to having more. I recommend trying this one.

Serving type: on-tap

06-03-2011 10:34:22 | More by JizackFH

doughanson78

Washington

4.28/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Got on tap at Bottleworks in Seattle, WA. The store was pretty dark so I could get a great appearance review but I did what I could.

A: Deep redish/purple. Not much head (due to the pour?), but what was there left awesome lacing. After I drank it down a ways and swirled it I was getting decent head. Lacing hung around forever.

S: Big grape smell. Fruity and sweet. Citrus and grapefruit. Faint alcohol. Light caramel. Very mild hop presence.

T: Faint bit of hop bitterness. Big grapefruit or sour grapes, but good. Hides the 11.5% very well.

M: Full-bodied. Lightly creamy. Dry

O: Very good. Anything that can have this much alcohol and not let it show is doing a good job. Very good desert drink. Winding the day down.

Serving type: on-tap

06-03-2011 03:41:25 | More by doughanson78

barleywinefiend

Washington

4.58/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured draft from the Luck Lab Bwine Tastival 2011. Vintage 2009 A+ 5.o all the way!

A: Poured a cloudy dirty brown color with cood carbonation leaving a dirty white cap

S: I got big citrus on the nose, caramel, earth

T: I got a big caramel malt, faded hops, mainly lots of citrus and oine to this. Lots of earthy notes, sweet and tangy and absolutely phenominal! One of the best bwines I have had to date.

M: So tasty, full, booze is just right just amazing. Sticky, sweet and excpetional

D: Will not find much to rival this. I could have drank this all day long.

Serving type: on-tap

03-06-2011 17:53:01 | More by barleywinefiend

Elendinn

Oregon

4.03/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2010 vintage, served in a tulip glass at the Hair of the Dog tasting room.

Pours a cloudy, honey-infused, dark mahogany, with two fingers of frothy, off-white head and thick, sticky lacing that stubornly adorns the glass (and winds up remaining stationary throughout most of my tenure there). When held against the light, it becomes a gorgeous, hazy amber.

Smells hoppier than I remember the previous vintage smelling, but the hops aren't excessively-aggressive. Pine and citrus are definitely prevalent (I feel like I've ambivalently wandered into the produce section of a grocery store), but beneath that is a nice, malty, fruity (grapes, apples), honey-like foundation, with hints of raisins, figs, and bread.

Upon my first sip, hops, again, are immediately discernable -- I'm reminded of fresh produce. The malt, honey, and dark fruits attempt to subdue the resinous, pine flavors, and, though they put up a pretty good struggle, are ultimately over-powered. Right now, this beer is tasting more like a well-balanced double IPA, with only the faint birthings of what this beer will likely become given another year or so of age.

The carbonation is a little more exuberant than I'd expect from the style, but not overbearing. The body is medium-to-full. Not as smooth or as syrupy as I'd like it to be, but it's probably better suited for the flavor profile.

I love Doggie Claws with age on it, but, when still relatively-fresh, it just doesn't seem to represent the style quite as well. No doubt, hop-lovers will enjoy it this way, but I'll definitely be holding onto my bottles for another year or so before I even contemplate opening them. It's still a great beer, but slightly more difficult for me to drink at this stage in its development. I'd still recommend acquiring these, if for no other reason than to cellar, as I'm sure they'll blossom into something extraordinary.

Serving type: on-tap

02-10-2011 05:34:40 | More by Elendinn

smakawhat

Maryland

4.47/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Vintage 2009 of Doggie Claws consists of a reddish copper color hue. An enticing head with good lacing, but a very surprising bouquet of Christmas like spices, cinnamon, nutmeg, sweetness perhaps some earthy pine needles. The bouquet feels of a very sweet beer to come, but the surprise is in the honey like dominant taste that isn't as sweet as expected. Faint hop seems to come through on the aftertaste along with the honey.

Does not taste overpowering, feels very balanced.

Quite enjoyable.

Serving type: on-tap

10-10-2010 05:07:25 | More by smakawhat

TheMadJack

California

4.6/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Had the 2003 on tap at Lucky Baldwin's in Pasadena. Poured into a Saison Dupont glass. Review prepared from notes.

A: Murky reddish brown with a very thin, cream colored head.

S: Green apple, green grapes, pine, toasted rye and crackery malts.

T: BIG toasty, woody, grainy, bready malts which rise up to punch you in the nose (literally) at the finish, complimented by tart, fruity hops. Green apple and berry flavors round it out.

M: Weighty and slick. Coats the mouth evenly. The flavor experience involves the entire mouth at once, playing across the tastebuds, roof and cheeks.

D: This is a powerhouse beer with an impressive ABV, but I just can't get enough of them. Despite the challenge and strength of the flavors and character of this beer - which are hallmarks of the style, anyway - I'm giving this one a high drinkability score.

Serving type: on-tap

03-22-2010 22:04:50 | More by TheMadJack

MisterClean

California

4.58/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

On tap at HOTD for OBF.

A - Pours copper with 3 fingers of off-white head. Dissipates slow and leaves beautiful lacing. Stellar.

S - Honey, cloves, coriander, and citrus.

T - Honey, cloves, coriander, citrus and light bittering hops.

M - Full-bodied, and malt dominated. Not overly dominated by malts as the hops do leave some balance.

D - Awesome. Another great beer from HOTD. Good thing I got a bottle stored away in the cellar.

Serving type: on-tap

08-03-2009 00:35:42 | More by MisterClean

Magpie14

Michigan

4.28/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: hazy red copper with thin ring of foam and lace, looks rather nice in the glass. The bartender was super great and gave me a huge sample and said " Merry Christmas" before I ordered one! IBU rating was 70

S: sweet hoppy punch up front with a slight malt edge that makes for a tempting brew. My nose wants to describe it as a strong Belgian-type brew

T: malt presence and hop bite all surrounded by a butterscotch sweetness, or some type of honeyed caramel flavor. It also brings to note various fruit characteristics that is in favor of hops. Considering its alcohol content it is rather complex and not just festering with alcohol tones. It is rich overall but malts and hops share the load and keep things interesting. Since were on the topic, by far an "interesting" barleywine brew.

M: creamy with syrupy type feel. Not super heavy but knocking on the door. Slight lemon/orange flavor in the finish

D: sometimes barelywine beers make me cringe as they are to over the top. They are not my favorite, but this one is by far the best I have had of its kind.
The first sip I had blew my socks off, the second sip blew my pants clean of my legs...this one put me on cloud nine and made my legs light and rubbery. Alcohol is a bit to much for my liking, but if in the right place, like by a roaring fireplace, this beer is perfect

Serving type: on-tap

11-26-2008 03:30:03 | More by Magpie14

TheBlackMallard

Michigan

4.35/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I've been wanting to try this for quite awhile. 2005 batch.

Pours a nice hazy orange, there was quite a bit of yeast in the bottle. Nice creamy white head.

Smell: Pine, grapefruit, orange, spice, and caramel.

Taste: Wow, starts with smooth caramel which gives way to a pine and grapefruit explosion and ends with a dry finish with a lingering sweet pine aftertaste. Mmm, Simcoe and Amarillo.

I need to stock up on HOTD.

Serving type: on-tap

04-12-2008 05:29:03 | More by TheBlackMallard

PuckLSHS

Iowa

3.98/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had both the 2003 and the 2001 one on-tap at Lucky Baldwin's Barleywine Festival this year.

The 2003 happened to be my favorite as I believe the 2001 ended up leaving a more metallic flavor in my mouth and I believe was a little bit past its prime. The 2001 poured with no lacing and almost no head. There was a nice hop finish and a malty front. The problem with the 2001 is that the fruit got lost in the aging and it just didn't finish well...leaving this barleywine fanatic a little upset.

The mouthfeel was nice but did not make up for the difference in taste on my end. It was smooth, but bold. It left a slight warming sensation in the throat as I drank.

As for drinkability, I really did like the beer and would choose it again. I would pick the recent aged beer but I do think that the 2001 was still a very excellent selection...I just missed the fruit front.

Serving type: on-tap

05-14-2006 05:17:10 | More by PuckLSHS

Billolick

New York

4.33/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I was glad to see this rare tap offering at the BTAH in NYC this past week. It poured an inviting hazy shade of light orangy amber with a thick tiny bubble head. The nose was a pungent melange of hops and more hops. Intricate and well developed lacing. This is a pleasantly strong and full flavor BW. "Yowza, yowza, yowza" came the description from one of my duly impressed table mates! Loads of malt, hops, flavor, complexity, alcohol noted but in check, very fine stuff. Seek it out on tap if you have the chance.

Serving type: on-tap

05-21-2005 13:21:56 | More by Billolick

PatandDavid

Massachusetts

3.13/5  rDev -25.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This was a hard one to review for me...while I thought it was fine, I didn't think it was much finer than that. I will assume with aging that this one takes off, but I have to review the young version that I has, so here goes. Dark crystal amber when served, no head. Aroma was the wackiest element...initially it seemed like dark fruit would win the day, but several deep whiffs later, I noticed an acrid note. Some finishing pine tree aromas later led me to think: acrid = someone pee'd on a pine tree. Sorry, but I gotta call 'em as I drink 'em. Moving on, I admit for being a young big beer, it is surprisingly smooth. It flows on malt, and ends with faint pine and fir notes. Some faint smoke in the background as well. Probably a killer with aging.

Serving type: on-tap

12-11-2004 15:22:56 | More by PatandDavid

schemb

Massachusetts

4.18/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Bizarealicious. Nice choclate color hints at whats to come. I haven't had a beer before with such a strong rose flavor. Starts out roses goes to rapidly to choclate and cycles between them. Chewy mouth feel but not overly so. Hops flavor and bite right at the finish, not detectable before then (except in balancing out some of sweetness for the whole ride). The alcohol hides out right to the very end, going up to your sinuses and reminding you this is a pay-the-next-day H.O.D. brew. A good one to curl up with by the fire while alternately chewing on your favorite squeeze toy.

Serving type: on-tap

12-08-2004 18:52:30 | More by schemb

Truh

New Hampshire

4.03/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had no choice but to put Old Yeller down with this one on 12/4/2004. 10.5-oz. goblet pour at Redbones.

Thin sheeting of carb with some moons and stars, and one large cratered bubble at eleven o’clock. Nice lacing throughout. Deep core of almost Macoun apple red with just a touch of brown to hue. Hoppy fruitiness to nose, a surprise, with a center of alcohol sweetness, almost a raspberry schnapps. Good god, a hoppy barleywine with a warmed bite of the nectar up front followed by the usual malt chuminess that seethes with an alcohol whip at the end. This is one, given its hop character that balances out the treacle, that I could dangerously drink many of without realizing it. This offering simply cannot be leashed.

Serving type: on-tap

12-04-2004 22:00:49 | More by Truh

gentlebubbles

Massachusetts

4.35/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

on tap at Redbone's

A hazy reddish caramel swirls under a nice off-white barely yellow head, a color somewhere between old bones or chicken fat or beeswax. Lots of caramel and toffee mingle with pine resin in the syrupy body. Even more grapefruit in the finish and the aroma and the sticky stuff on the lips.

Just a sample totally overwhelmed my better judgement and I ordered a full glass. Dangerous stuff.

Serving type: on-tap

12-04-2004 17:52:15 | More by gentlebubbles

Denali

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at the Split Thy Skull event at Mugs Ale House in Brooklyn, New York.

Appearance: Opaque orange-amber with thick tan head. Effervescence was clearly visible as tiny bubbles of carbonation were percolating to the top. It was looking at me saying "drink me" so I did cause that's what I do (Note that the comment "cause that's what I do" is a tribute to slander).

Smell: Glorious apricot aroma. Hops aroma was also present.

Taste: Hops flavor up front along with a very fruity apricot-like flavor. Sweet malt flavor then follows, along with cloves, and finishes with a hop bitterness. Aftertaste is very complex, first dominated by apricot, but banana was also detected. Lots of flavors going on here.

Mouthfeel: Syrupy with good carbonation.

Drinkability: So delicious its almost quaff-able, even for a barley wine.

Comments: My favorite barley wine at the event. What flavors! The aftertaste lasts forever. Oh my! Woof Woof!

Serving type: on-tap

03-25-2003 16:09:14 | More by Denali

nomad

Kansas

4.47/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

2002 vintage - which seems a bit better than some of the vintages below - this beer was a smash hit at a barleywine festival

Poured a beautiful apricot/peach color. Swung this easy puppy up to my eye and it was easy to kick up a head of tiny little bubbles - all fun to watch. Fast sliding lace. Altogether the appearence was almost like a hefe-weiss profile. (Truly though! I had a Weisenstephaner next to it, so the comparison is fair) Appearance was like no other barlweyine I've seen.

Nose was of wild grapes, floral, like a peach wine almost, astringent pine, and lemon. Scents were very uplifting due to the underripe apricot and peach. Tasted like wild grapes, hops, and a flavor that almost tastes like eating edible flowers, if you've ever done it. Nice balance of sour and salt. Citrusy but uniquely so from the unripe peaches. Among the palate it had a great middle where all these taste came together nicely. Very drinkable with a mouthfeel that was fairly and not thin nor oily nor etc.

Extremely tasty and a great and different take on barleywine. A unique type of alcohol in general, like a magical fruit concoction – and wasn’t even aged!

Serving type: on-tap

03-23-2003 18:42:17 | More by nomad