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

libertygrails

Oregon

4.75/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Year 2005 Made

Pulled the cap off and curiously began reading the label and bubbles began oozing down my hand. Whoa, this stuff is screaming to be let out. Okay then....

Deftly poured into my Trappist Achel Goblet. An amazing carmel colored, earthy brown brew with one of the most dense, foamiest cappuchino-esque, tan colored heads i've even seen out of a bottle.
Cloudy yeasty looking sediment clumps quickly and settles to the bottom of the grail.

Coffee, caramel, estery hopps, earthy yeast all enter the nose immediately.

Earthy malts and estery hopps blend perfectly. A sincere delight.

Mouth is perfect. I could die and go to Beer Heaven right now. In fact this is quite honestly one of the best Barley Wines i've yet to taste. Strange. This reminds me of Trappistes Rochefort 10 Quad.

If i find this again, i will buy as many as are on the shelf. Sadly, don't think i'll have much luck. I count myself lucky just to have found this bottle!

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2006 06:28:05 | More by libertygrails

brewdlyhooked13

Ohio

4.75/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Appearance - pours a hazy dull orange, a thin but solid cover of off white, holding well.

Aroma - citrusy, orange and pine, estery vapors alongside. Smells potent.

Taste - huge, sweet malty opening, roasty coffee-like malts chiming in early as well. Followed by syrupy, citrus, juiciness. Light on the bitterness, though not the hop flavor. The swallow stays sweet and grows slightly bitter with peach, dark fruit, mandarin orange. Abv is well-masked but makes its presence known with a finishing warmth.

Mouthfeel - heavy and drapy with low carbonation.

Drinkability - what a wonderful bottle of beer. Fresh or aged, I imagine this will be a fine experience. Big thanks to udubdawg for parting with one of these for my sake at DLD08.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2008 15:54:30 | More by brewdlyhooked13

marcpal

New Jersey

4.75/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I've traded for a few of these and apparently I have yet to review. God, I love this beer. I can say that I am not just influenced about my passion for HotD because in a previous improptu blind barleywine tasting, this came out on top alongside Foghorn. Much different indeed but both delicious.

12oz (2007) bottled poured into a big Delirium goblet.
Bottle Graphics: 9/10. HotD Classy.

A: Poured thick apple juice hazy peach color with a pretty thick off white head. The head was volumptious and did not go anywhere, nor did the lacing.

S: Intense sugar coated grapefruit right out of the gate. More of a mango aroma tickles the senses as it warmed up. The amount of hops can not be a joke here considering that their presence is more than blatant behind all those malts and sugars.

T: Not nearly as citrusy as the smell, the sweetness took over here. This is a roller coaster ride of flavor- it hits the mouth and it is sweet alcohol and malt, through the swallow it has a bit of tobacco and fruit and the aftertaste is laden with the bitterness. Terrificly complex with the closing out of toffee considerably dominating the caramel.

D: Dry with a resiny texture. More oily than creamy, albeit a full textured body. Can you tell this is weighing in at over 11%? Yes, but I don't care because I want to savor every single sip. This is a Mariano Rivera caliber closer for a night of smaller beers before it.

Another hit from the HotD house. I would love nothing more than to get a never ending supply in Jersey and will continue to trade to make it happen as much as possible. Hard to describe but it is one of those beers you drink and you know a lot of passion went into it.

This is a beer with a multiple personality disorder in that it is always changing with the flavors I am catching and love every bit of it.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2008 00:49:30 | More by marcpal

bargerking

California

4.75/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

08 vintage poured into a snifter.

A Pale ruby. Very thin head. Thin lace. Low carbonation. This is an 08 though...

S sweet and juicy. Faded hops. Hints of pear. Lots of candi sugars. Dominate honey smell.

T Very sweet. Kind of thick. A little burn going down.

M Tons of honey from start to finish. The aftertaste is even stronger. Not boozey at all and really sweet.

D Great and deadly drinker. Canttaste the booze at all. Really sweet though. If you like honey and Bwine, this is the best it gets.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2010 04:31:35 | More by bargerking

boMD

Oregon

4.75/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Have had many different vintages of Doggie Claws. It's exceptional fresh, and exceptional with some time on it.

This is a review of a 2002 vintage bottle I had enjoyed. Prior to 2003 and forward vintages, this had been brewed with Ahtanum and Vanguard hops opposed to Simcoe and Amarillo.

Poured a deep amber with a thick, long lasting, off-white head. Deep barley and alcohol aroma with a roasted and berry quality. Very smooth and still retained a good carbonation but very soft on the palate. Dark fruits like grapes or dates, vanilla and a whiskey like booze character. Roasted caramel malts. Not much in hop flavors left on this one. Also notes of smoked oak and lactose. Very rich, complex and a joy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2010 21:31:40 | More by boMD

sweemzander

Illinois

4.75/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12oz. bottle poured into a snifter. 2010 vintage. Huge thanks to black13 for this one!

(A)- Pours a hazy reddish sienna brown color that produced a huge foamy off-white head with superb retention. Tons of lacing around the entire rim of the glass as it took forever to dissipate. Extremely impressive due to the ABV level of this.

(S)- Some rich fruits of raisin, fig, and maybe even dates. Some hints at cherry & cocoa with some caramel or toffee sweetness.

(T)- Just like the smell predicted. Some rich fruits of raisin, fig, date, with hints at dark chocolate covered cherries. A light spiciness with a honey or caramel sweetness. Has a dry, almost bread-like finish with hints of peat.

(M)- A great carbonation level and balance. Rich and quite strong this fresh, but a complex one at that. Mildly bitter with a mild boozy warmth.

(D)- A world class Barleywine. Tastes great now fresh, but I can only imagine what a year or two would do to this. I need to acquire more of this to find out! It still is a bit too strong to have more than one of these at a time, but it sure hit the spot on this cold New Year's Day!

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2011 19:05:37 | More by sweemzander

drpimento

Wisconsin

4.75/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

BOOM! Big Beer! Would've given it an even better score had I noticed it was a gusher before half the beer left the bottle and therefore my mouth. What I did get had a thick, creamy, foamy, frothy, fluffy, billowy light tan head that lasts all the way down and some lace. Color is a cloudy amber brown. Aroma is yeast, caramel, toffee, hops, honey, fresh leather. Flavor is like nose but with sweet and bitter standing out most with enough tang to balance and then other flavors too fleeting for me to identify. Soft full, round body and excellent carbonation. Finish is like flavor, fairly long, and only a hint of alcohol.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2011 01:17:19 | More by drpimento

DimensionX

Oregon

4.75/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2012 vintage

A: Dark amber colored with a light bronze hue visible around the edges of the glass. Highly carbonated, had to pour slow, great lacing and head retention.

S: Smells like big floral hops, piney and fruity, almost estery bubblegum but could just be overall sweetness/sugar.

T: Very hoppy with fruity citrus and dark pine flavors dominating, almost a spice like quality, not sure what. Rich malty backbone supports this interesting flavor combo, dark and deep with a dry finish.

O: One of my favorite barleywines lives up to it's reputation once again. Like all American Barleywines this beer greatly improves with cellar time.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 22:53:34 | More by DimensionX

mickeymac

California

4.72/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Uh . . . wow. Hair of the Dog is always a hit or miss proposition in our part of the country. A few bottles seem to show up here and there every now and then. Sometimes they're at Trader Joe's for $1.50 or so a bottle; other times they're on small liquor store shelves at twice the price. After seeing Adam and Fred on more than one occasion, I finally had the distinct pleasure of being all scratched up by Doggie Claws.

It comes in a 12 oz bottle with a somewhat festive but very interesting looking bottle. This is probably the only beer label in the world with a Menorah (actually two) and a bulldog in a Santa Claus cap. It pours a deep copper with a thick off-white head that lingers to the bottom. The smell is piney hops, loads of malt, just a bit of dark fruit, and-yes-alcohol. The taste is almost overwhelming yet somehow subtle at the same time. Hops seem to smack the hell out of the tongue on the first sip, but giant waves of malt immediately fill the mouth with hop bitterness and malt sweetness locked in a battle to the death. Fortunately for all the battle ends in a draw, leaving the promise of a re-match, or at least a return trip to the shop for more.

For a beer that approaches the abv of Pinot Noir, it's unbelievably drinkable. Seek it out: drink it, age it, introduce it to your friends, put it in the passenger seat of your car and take it for a scenic drive. This is a special beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2004 06:41:15 | More by mickeymac

smuttanator

Massachusetts

4.72/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

2005 vintage

Holy hell this beer is good. Full of hops and honey this beer really doesn't pull any punches. The honey compliments the generous amount of hops and malt beautifully. While I wouldn't call this anywhere close to drinkable, I don't think its intended to be. Perfect for a winter night.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2009 23:06:54 | More by smuttanator

alpinebryant

Connecticut

4.72/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

-2009 vintage -
Poured into snifter an overflowing light tan / white head that continued to pour out of the bottle like a melted ice cream would fall off of a cone. Quite possibly the thickest most sticky head I have ever poured. Lacing was obviously present all over the lass and the head stuck around for a while.

Smell of strong grassy , citrusy, grapefruity hops. Pellet hops were actually still present on the top of the head as it settled. Pine ever present in the nose, I really actually enjoyed the dry hopping that I believe actually occurred directly before bottling. Chewy has been given more meaning with hop particles actually present in my glass... Caramel and caramelized sugars very present in this high abv 12 oz bottle. Sugar cookie, Caramel, cotton candy, you name it, if kids were allowed to drink beer, they would probably apprecciate this one fresh. This is a sweet tooth drinkers brew, so if you do not have a sweet tooth, just send me your doggie claws.

Glad to have tried this one fresh, now to get a couple more and age them to see what a few years do to transform the flavors....

I hated to take points off for appearance, but this one literally overflowed from the bottle before I could pour it into my glass. Lesson learned for next time, but everything else was great.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2010 01:43:38 | More by alpinebryant

GreatPondBrewer

Oregon

4.7/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

2002. This beer was exceptional. Poured a cloudy dark golden color with a very plush and frothy white head that left lace everywhere on the glass. Smell was very complex with a strange affinity for a Double/Imperial IPA with all the juicy hops floating about. There was also a slight sting of alcohol sweetness that lingered after every sniff. Taste was heaven in a bottle. Tons of juicy hops along with a woderful warming syrup undertow with the alcohol just tugging at the edges of the brew. Mouthfeel was wonderfully chewy as it is bottle conditioned there was little carbonation. This has aged wonderfully in the cellar and is everything that a barley-wine should be. Mellow, yet explosive, full of flavor and complex, yet easy to drink. This capped off a perfect christmas eve.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2003 17:48:33 | More by GreatPondBrewer

kbub6f

New York

4.7/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Three fingers of yellowy-tan, coarse head and a dark, dark red-brown, clear body. Cloudy on the last pour with lots of floaties. The nose shows sugar aplenty, with grapes and prunes, spice (nutmeg?) and major piney hops. Wow. Hops and hard sauce dominate the front, but step aside for tons of sweet, malty cream in the middle. Rich, rich, rich. Big hops and spice make a comeback in the finish. This beer tastes just like plum pudding with hard sauce. Delicious. It has a great sweet/spicy/malty/hoppy balance.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2004 15:41:29 | More by kbub6f

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.7/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a nice dark caramel with a fairly nice tan head. Not too much lacing.

S: Loads of caramel and brown sugar alongside bits of alcohol, and then even more sweetness and a few fruits.

T: Very strong sweet malt presence, without being completely overdone. Plenty of brown sugar and caramel. A few ripe fruits.

M: Pretty full mouthfeel with little carbonation and just a bit of alcohol heat.

D: Very, very drinkable, especially for the style. While I did enjoy this one slowly, I could have consumed it a lot faster. A beautiful sipper that I'd love to always have on hand.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2010 00:21:28 | More by Thorpe429

sulldaddy

Connecticut

4.68/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This brew came to me via Weefisheads. Thanks man!
I have a 12 oz bottle and pour it into my snifter. As I am looking at the glass, I realize the bottle is foaming out the top. Little too much activity in there?
Back to the sample. The beer is a dark amber color and is rather hazy, lots of sediment that got disturbed during initial pour. oops.
A beige creamy head foams up about 1.5 inches real easy and fades super slow, in fact there is a layer on the surface throughout my tasting.
Aroma is hop dominated. I am getting mostly sour citrusy scents like a fresh cut grapefruit, some fruity scents come through and just a mild hint of alcohol is allowed to pass as well.
First sip, whoa! Prickly small carbonation almost burns my tongue. Definitely some bottle condition action happening. The body is fairly thick on this brew.
Flavor is up front hoppy bite that receeds to a sweet caramel maltiness and ripe fruit for a second or two and then finishes sour citrus hops again. NIce to see the balance come through like that. I really like this well balanced drinkalbe brew. Wonder what it will be like in a few years??
Thanks again weefisheads!!

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2004 04:32:25 | More by sulldaddy

AaronHomoya

Indiana

4.68/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

2004 edition, 12 oz bottle.

I had this in May, 6 months or so I guess from when it was released.

Poured into a glass this is a beautiful beer. Dark amber color and a thick, smooth head that lasts.

Aroma is sweet and you can tell the alcohol is there.

The flavor is sweet, warming, complex and with a very smooth hops bitterness at the finish. It's full of lots of malt, lots of roastiness, and balanced all perfectly with just the right amount of hops.

Mouthfeel was also exceptional - full, smooth and delicious.

Drank the bottle with no problem, but probably good I didn't have two. Very easy to drink, but at that strength I guess I can't give it a 5 in drinkability. I just hope to find some more of this someday.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2006 17:28:50 | More by AaronHomoya

doubleipa

Georgia

4.68/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Oh my god! Had this ON A HAND PUMP at KClingers (Hanover) - go figure. Big frothy, brown head. Very strong malt aroma. Taste was very sweet and incredibly malty. I've had only a very few barleywines on cask, so this was a special treat. Could not taste the alcohol at all. Color was surprisingly clear. This was th ebest beer we had all afternoon at KClingers. I was even able to buy some bottles of this and Adam at the bar.

Serving type: cask

07-12-2006 16:59:14 | More by doubleipa

jamesm7485

Colorado

4.68/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

2002 vintage poured into a oversized brandy glass
even with a carefull pour a thick white frothy head is quick to form on a dark amber body.

The smell is very nice with lots of malt oranges and something i just cant quite put my finger on.

The taste is very heavy on the orange but in a good way.

Mouthfeel is nice lots of carbonation despite it being 6 years old now.

This barleywine drinks just as easy as a lager yet is far more fun, ill be going back to my secret store to get more of these for sure!

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2008 01:04:43 | More by jamesm7485

RidiculedDisplay

California

4.65/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

2006.

Poured into an oversized wine glass.

Appearance: Pours solvent-like with no head, no lacing. A honey amber with some traces of green. A lot of floaties from the bottle conditioning are visible in the depths of the body. Wisps of carbonation hugging ths surface of the body save the look, however, keeping it overall pretty, and considering the addition of honey, appropriate.

Smell: A huge wash of pine-y hops with honey, like a huge bunch of fresh pine needles and branches dripping with the stuff. This produces a surprisingly effective and wonderful aroma. The sweet aromatics of citrus hop aromas I'm used to, but the sweetness lended by the honey melds with the pine aromas here for an incredible effect. Floral and orange on the back end, and some rubbing alcohol aromas. Some sharpish sherry or port lingers in there somewhere.

Taste: Pine, pine, pine, pine, pine, with a little citrus. The honey manifests itself in some smoothed-over sugar sweetness that virtually wants to stick to the tongue. A little sherry, again. The honey and pine mixture here is even more effective than the aroma. In its young stage, this honestly reminds me more of a DIPA than a Barley Wine, but the intensity of the flavors, the amount of sugars, and the dessert wine-like characteristics lurking within make it obvious this will transform dramatically with age in a way a DIPA never could.

Mouthfeel: A little thickish and honey-like, appropriately. Almost a little undercarbonated, but it manages to do well regardless. Not very hot considering the ABV or the alcohol aromas I picked up in the nose.

Drinkability: Very, very drinkable at this stage. If you're a fan of DIPA's and a little wary of Barley Wines, this would be a nice stepping stone of its own. Unusually, this is one BW that is incredibly drinkable despite its youth.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2007 03:21:13 | More by RidiculedDisplay

grittybrews

Washington

4.65/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

2010:
Opened 12/2010.

Poured a murky orange-mahogany into a tulip with a finger of long-lasting off-white head. Strong hop-forward aroma with pine, spice, traces of orange and grapefruit, and some vanilla caramel sweetness to balance.

Moderate carbonation and lively, creamy mouthfeel. Very sweet up front with sugar cookie and caramel followed by full-bodied honey, orange, and some floral, spicy hops on the lightly bitter finish.

A sipper due to the sweetness, but the high alcohol is amazingly well-masked. By taste alone I'd peg this at 7-8 percent, not 11!

2009:
Blue cap, opened 09/2011. Just a thin film of white head. Carbonation was more muted than the 2010 bottle, but I encountered no flatness issues as some had reported with this batch. A little less hop aroma than the 2010 with a subtler honey character. Taste followed suit with a smoother feel, less hop spice, and some nice orange and vanilla on the finish. Sugar cookie and caramel sweetness remained but seemed to blend more with the honey flavors. Alcohol still completely hidden -- very tasty and easy-drinking!

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2010 05:14:31 | More by grittybrews

liddytime

Maine

4.65/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

AAAAHHH CHRISTMAS!!

That most wonderful time of the year....second only to when the kids return to school. So for December 24th, I thought I might sample Hair of the Dog's Doggie Claws. It is festive enough on the label with the bulldog wearing the Santa hat. Heck, there's even a pair of menorahs on the label! This should be one multi-denominational beer!

My bottle is dated 2007 and I can't remember, for the life of me, where I purchased it... it has been cellared for a bit..

I decanted her into a tulip snifter. Hazy, toffee brown. Soft, scant, foamy head. Aroma of alcohol, figs, prunes, rum, cardamom and raisins. Have I mentioned that I LOVE barleywines?!

What a great beer. Huge mouthful! Big body. Massive holiday fiesta of dried fruit, spices and spicy hops in your mouth.

This is everything a winter sipper should be. Another quality brew from Hair of the Dog!

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2010 03:16:10 | More by liddytime

charliedvrs

Massachusetts

4.65/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

2009 vintage with a little bit of a year of age on it. Saved this one for the first big snow storm of the year. Thanks msubulldog25 for this one, last of my HtDs!

A - Pours a nice slightly hazy, copper orange. Lots of carbonation bubbles and a creamy, white head. Some yeasties float around in the glass but most lay stuck to the bottom of the bottle.

S - Sweet caramel, molasses and sugars with a bit of alcohol. Earthy hops in the background but definitely present.

T - Oh, what a treat! Tons of sweet malty flavors that come across and blend with the yeast to give a nice, cohesive taste full of sugary caramel, molasses and honey mixed with sweet dark fruits like cherries, figs and dried prunes. Even a year after bottling the hops are still all over this one and round out the taste with strong grass and pine notes.

M - Full bodied, which fits well with the honey and caramel sweetness, with a good amount of carbonation.

D- Great sipping beer for a cold winter night. Makes an even better post or pre shoveling drink! High ABV and full body would keep me from having more than one, but that ain't the point of this one. Great beer, thanks again Brian!

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2011 21:52:03 | More by charliedvrs

ngeunit1

California

4.65/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a cloudy amber-brown with a finger of frothy khaki-tannish head. The head fades down fairly slowly leaving behind some nice lacing.

S - Aroma is a mix of sweet toffee and caramelized malts, brown sugar, some grapefruit, citrus, and pine hops, dark fruits, and a bit of booze.

T - Starts off with a mix of lots of sweet toffee and caramelized malts with some grapefruit and citrus hops and some hop bitterness, and a bit of sweet dark fruits. Through the middle, some pine and grassy hops come through with some more bitterness alongside some brown sugar and some more sweet caramelized sugars. The finish is a mix of rich sweet caramel and caramelized malts, grapefruit and resiny pine hops, hop bitterness, and some booze.

M - Full bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth with a sweet, bitter, and warming finish.

D - Very drinkable. Big rich and bold malt character, but the body and hop really balance out nicely. Fantastic barleywine.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2012 04:05:43 | More by ngeunit1

Risser09

Pennsylvania

4.63/5  rDev +10%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

2004 Vintage • 12 oz bottle poured into a tasting glass

Appearance: Thick, honey-like appearance pours into the glass with minimal head and traces of lingering lacey bubbles. Considerable sediment floats at the bottom of the grog. Looks like thin caramel.

Smell: Aromatic vanilla and sweet floral tones. Smells of brown sugar. MMM

Taste: Very complex. Birch. Floral hops initially. Mango. Orange. Rose. Midtones consist of vanilla and sweet sugar. My tongue is overwhelmed with flavor. Finish is long and delicately balanced between malts and hops. Alcohol burn in minimal but evident. Warms the throat and stomach. As the beer warms I start to taste caramelized pears.

Mouthfeel: Buttery without very much carbonation. Dangerously creamy and begs for me to drink more. It's a shame I only got half a glass. Alcohol not present and well hidden.

Drinkability: Awesome. I could have 2-4 of these on a good night. I wish I could have more of this stuff. Ages extremely well. This is a testament to cellaring American Barleywines. I'll probably buy a bunch of different barleywines each year and pace them out. What an experience!

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2006 15:15:58 | More by Risser09

hoppymeal

Michigan

4.63/5  rDev +10%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a murky light brown, a good amount of sediment, like unpasteurized apple cider, with a one finger cream head that slowly recedes. Aroma is big on the citrusy hops, tangerines, with some yeasty breadiness and sweet malty and caramel aromas as well. A booziness is evident, but not overly strong in the aroma. Taste is basically the reverse of the aroma. A big rich and sweet maltiness hits up front, very sweet caramel and raisin flavors. The citrusy hops come in middle to end of the taste and blend and balance the sweetness and linger with the richness into the aftertaste. Soft and full bodied, yet not overly cloying, a nice hoppy dryness in the finish. The alcohol is almost unnoticeable, incredibly balanced for its strength. An outstanding american barleywine, possibly my favorite hotd beer, the 2005 vintage is drinking wonderfully and probably will for the next year or two.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2007 02:13:24 | More by hoppymeal