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

mrmanning

Ontario (Canada)

3.6/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle courtesy of HogtownHarry- Pours a very still deep rusty bronze. Bose is big and fruity, fig and plum, some gold rum, hop resin, pine, lots of wood. Tastes of sweet caramel malts, earthy piney hops, grapefruit, bourbon, butterscotch. Nice. Still again in the finish, very warming, syrupy. A good sipper. Thanks Harry!

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2009 14:52:12 | More by mrmanning

Fish113d

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Upon pouring the 2002 edition of the Doggy Claws, it poured a golden honey color w/ a 2 1/2 inch to 3 inch head which stayed very frothy and heavy, and clinged to the side of the glass for quite some time while I had it in my glass. I also noticed when I tipped my glass, much of the yeast settled in the bottom of the glass.

When I spent time deciding what I was smelling in my beer I came to the conclusion that I got the scent of hops, sour lemons (which lemons AREN'T sour?), and even a bit of pepper. Upon tasting the first sip (which was served cold), the alcohol burn was very prominant at the front and remained for quite some time, but I got the taste of hops and some pepper, which hung around a while with the alcohol burn. However, as I let it warm, some sweetness came out a bit and I got the flavor of some molasses (not sure if this is what I really tasted, but an idea), but stayed pretty peppery as well. I have had many barleywine styles but this was very different than most others and was not nearly as sweet as other I have had in the past. The texture was pretty light, but the mix of hops and pepper did not make this my favorite ever. It is worth the try, but there are others I would rather drink.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2004 23:26:21 | More by Fish113d

cavedave

New York

3.65/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Big thanks to black13 for the chance to try yet another fine NW brew. Vintage 2009.

Pours quite cloudy, quite dark amber, topped by an unexpectedly huge beige head that hangs around. Not like any barleywine I've seen, but it looks delectable.

The smell is light/med. for style, with candy, caramel, fig, rounded yeast notes, stone fruit, and some unidentifiable flavors that bond the bouquet into a light perfume. Not much for a barleywine but what there is pleases.

A figgy sweet ushers the palate along a path of caramel, light floral hop, candy, lightly fruity notes, and into a finish that is sweet and full of effervescent light bitter with hints of lemon. It tastes almost like a sweet BSA minus the tart, but very clean, and sparkly in the mouth. A bit too sweet, but quite delicious. Not as complex as Adam or Fred, but that same HOTD flare for the tasty.

Mouthfeel is the expected thick, but it is fairly light on the palate, the bright flavors fight palate fatigue the sweet might otherwise cause. Lower carb. than the look predicts, decent finish. A bit of a buildup of the lemony notes is my only criticism.

Drinkability, due to ABV and thick feel of the sweet isn't so good as it might be, or even as it may yet be with some age.

Impression: Hair Of The Dog produces some amazing barleywines. This is a good one, but not one of their best.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2010 22:40:45 | More by cavedave

pmarlowe

California

3.65/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

2011 vintage. Tulip glass.

A: Pours an extremely dark, opaque, red-tinted amber with a finger and a half of dense beige head. Some nice swaths of lacing and good retention.

S: Lots of plum juice at first, which mellows out more as it warms, revealing honey and floral notes, and caramel and crystal malts.

T: Similar, quite dry up front and with a moderate amount of bitterness, which is cut at the back end by lingering honey sweetness.

M: Honey smooth, medium-full body and medium carbonation. Goes down easy and alcohol is almost completely hidden. Slightly sticky mouthfeel.

O: Overall, an OK beer but not overly enjoyable. I can see a barrel treatment doing wonders for this beer. I remember having one with a few years of age on it, and that seemed to mellow and integrate the flavors much better. It seems to be in a bit of an awkward stage 6mo out or so.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2012 22:01:54 | More by pmarlowe

mzwolinski

California

3.68/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

2002 edition. The first thing I noticed about this beer was the unusual hop aroma – stemming, I suppose, from the rather unusual choice of hops. The scent is mostly herbal, with a bit of an orange, citrusy note. A whiff of alcohol makes its way through too. All this is undergirded by a subtle, caramel malt aroma. The end result is quite terrific, and improves as the beer sits. In appearance, the beer has a light copper color and a formidable creamy head which leaves good lacing down the glass. The flavor struck me a bit harshly. There’s just a tiny hint of sweetness up front, and then it’s right into a mostly herbal, somewhat medicinal hop-dominated flavor, and a mild alcohol warming, building to what struck me as an extremely bitter finish. Medium bodied and dry, this is a decent beer, and improves when it sits. I’d like to set one of these away for a year or so and see how it smooths out.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2003 18:22:22 | More by mzwolinski

Realale

Missouri

3.68/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Slightly hazy (my fault - head exploded and I had to stop the pour which roused the sediment) mahogany with a huge, extremely fine rocky creamy beige head.

Huge (notice a theme?) hoppy nose of resinous pine, peach pit, apricot, wood, wet leaves, and a touch of clovey spice. No malt or alcohol evident on the nose.

Hops hit huge and hard from the millisecond it touches the tongue, and stay huge and hard thoughout the extremely long finish. There is a bit of sweet cakey malt that kicks in on the midpalate and lingers throughout the finish, but it has a hopeless task at this stage in the beer's development. Some yeasty/clovey notes add complexity. No alcohol evident on the palate.

Excellent mouthfeel, with the carbonation just enough to finally scrape the hop residue from the tongue in preparation for the next sip. May turn out to be a bit over-carbonated as the hops recede with time in the cellar. Drinkability now is hampered by the extreme bitterness, and the cloying sweetness of the malt that makes it through.

Its honestly a bit unfair to review this beer at this point in its evolution. It desperately needs a couple of years in the cellar to bring the hop bitterness under control, and form some semblance of balance. Its definitely built for the long haul, but when and even if all of the components will eventually become a coherent and pleasurable whole is unclear. Ratings are for drinking it now, but this beer has a definite upside. Reminds me of Batch 6000, but hoppier, and certainly much less obvious balance.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2004 15:15:49 | More by Realale

mntlover

Tennessee

3.68/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy cloudy orangeish brown mixture with large head that falls to a finger size cap, light spotty lace.
Aroma of light malt caramel and toffee mixed some light floral earthy hops thrown in the mix but overall not strong and fades quite quick.
Taste is nice malty upfront with lots of carbonation mixed with toffee some light fruit orange mango mixture not really citrusy but almost. Finishes with some moderate bitterness that is earthy in nature more the anything with subdued lemon mixed with pear hints. Very intersting Barley Wine diffrent then the norm not bad just different.
Mouthfeel is good right side of medium approaching full a nice feeling beer.
Drinkability is good having hard time picking taste score can't decide its not bad wish we had a 3.75 to choose from. Would recommend trying this not bad you might enjoy this a little more then I did.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2004 20:07:54 | More by mntlover

chugalug06

Colorado

3.68/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Super Foamy! Very alive... I think i shouldn't have opened this one quite yet, perhaps it's ALIVE!!!

Great head, amber color with murky yeast tints... a few bottom feeders. Spotty lacing

S - Smells like a sugar bomb. Maybe some funk going on too??? Hops are not cohesive together.

T - Yep, a definite funk in this one... Quite good , but it's thrown off a bit by something I can't put my finger on. Very sugary and hoppy, hop schedule could stand a change. The hop schedule could be causing the unique funk???? It almost has a Vodka flavor...

M - Slightly over carbonated, but great coverage.

D - Not a brew to drink cold... Very good, I'm glad I tried this one!

Cheers, thanks Steve!

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2011 04:29:45 | More by chugalug06

freeeekyyy

Washington

3.7/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

'08 bottle. For sipping, not gulping. Looks like unfiltered apple cider. Smells like it too. Big chunks of yeast floating around in the bottle look like dandruff. Fairly high in the hops category, but still nothing compared to some double IPAs. Big malt. A very well balanced beer. If it weren't so high in the alcohol, or masked it a little better, drinkability would be great too. I definitely plan on getting another bottle, and aging that one.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2008 01:06:35 | More by freeeekyyy

Ineedabeerhere

Connecticut

3.7/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

2006 vintage. From notes 8/6/09. Bottle had 1/2"-2/3" of sediment at the bottom. Served with some Cambizola and sesame flatbreads.

Pours a stunning copper color with ruby highlights into a tulip. Barely any head, a few bubbles. No pfft sound upon opening, nice legs, but am worried about carbonation and oxidation at this point.

The aroma begins with herbal and floral hops which are surprisingly present. Oxidation is moderate but tolerable. Malts are toasted and nutty in character with caramel flavors. Raisins, dates, alcohol and a slight smokiness.

Taste follows the flavors found in the aroma. Low bitterness and a caramel sweetness are present. Hints of vanilla and toffee.

Mouthfeel is coating, smooth but allows its ABV to be felt. Became more and more hot as it warmed, but overall was not too imposing and about average for its style/abv. Very low carbonation.

Next time I get some of these, I will definitely wax them and make sure they are stored properly. A friend of mine bought this for me off the warm shelf and it clearly had suffered from some bad storage.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2009 02:31:08 | More by Ineedabeerhere

cooch69

Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

This beer pours a very murky orange with some tan highlights. It's got an awesome small head. When you swirl this beer it sticks to the sides as easy as a melted marshmellow.

Smell is like a fresh garden of mixed wildflowers in the middle of an evergreen forest. It's definetly got that honey character in there as well. I'd say it was orange blossom honey if I had to guess.

Taste is a nice mild but very noticable hoppiness.( note this is a 2009 edition). Followed up by a huge sweetness that is full of both malts, oranges and mangos. In the finish I also get some spices, most notably corriander and even a wee bit of thyme. The alcohol shows through in the finish as well but not 11%. It is very well hidden.

This beer was much too sweet for me to fall in love with, but I did appreciate the intricacy and flavors that it showed off. I'll try to find a 2010 bottle to see if the hops dry it out a bit.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2010 05:39:16 | More by cooch69

Uncle_Jimmy

California

3.7/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance- Ruddy Reddish brown and opaque with 2 fingers of witeish brownish head some lacing and some floaters (yeast?)

Aroma- baked bread burnt carmel brown sugar

taste carmel toffee plum and prune. like a boozey dr. pepper. More drinkable than Fred I think would like to have tried this one barrel aged of cellared for a bit like the label suggests. Hops are peppery and well balanced.

Mouthfeel - syrup-y and full bodied bordering on cloying . the booze gives you a bit of a hum at the end

Overall- I think this is more drinkable than the Fred its a big beer and one that I could have only a few of. also it seems like it may be a holiday beer in which case I could see it pairing well with heavy holiday foods like turkey and prime rib(the game-ier the better) maybe even lamb. The mouthfeel is a bit sticky, but i have only really came across one cloying beer (sneaky pete).

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2013 23:21:19 | More by Uncle_Jimmy

HiroProtagonist

Maryland

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

Doggie Claws 2002 was served from a 12 oz. bottle. When poured into a Duvel tulip, a massive off-white head rose up and out of the glass then slowly receded, leaving numerous patches of crusty lacing and a tall rocky plateau formation with the consistancy of whipped cream. The beer itself was a hazy but vibrant orange-amber hue. The delicate nose was well composed, consisting of roasty candy malt with notes of orange peel and lime, and a tinge of alcohol. I found the taste to be problematic. While the flavor profile was characteristic of the style, it was lacking in strength and finish. I did enjoy the sweetness level, which was on the low end. Perhaps poor aging conditions overly subdued the big roasty flavors and the equally hoppy bitter finish that I look for in barley wines. The mouth feel was OK, but felt a little thin in the finish. As this wasn't really a big beast of a beer, it was quite drinkable, especially for the style. The 2003 effort was much better.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2004 05:07:48 | More by HiroProtagonist

clvand0

Kentucky

3.73/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

From notes. Pours a cloudy orange color with a small head that falls fast and doesn't leave much lacing on the glass. The aroma has a lot of US hops and a backbone of pale malts. The flavor has a lot of alcohol and a lot of sweetness as well as a lot of citrus and pine US hops. Very complex and interesting, but not really my thing. The mouthfeel is thick and the drinkability is not so great because of the higher alcohols.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2005 19:19:54 | More by clvand0

craytonic

District of Columbia

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

Appearance: Clear straw-orange, not nearly as opaque as I expected. Well carbonated, decent head and lacing.

Smell & taste: Hoppy with lots of grapefruit, grass, orange and tangerine. Some honey also. Sweeter than expected; also not as big or intense as anticipated. Lots of malt, not my favorite barlywine.

Mouthfeel: medium-full; alcohol is a bit hot

Drinkability: very drinkable and approachable.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2010 03:33:41 | More by craytonic

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

OldSock

District of Columbia

3.75/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance – 12 oz bottle dated 2004 from Sam’s. In my snifter it is dark brown, in fact much darker than most barley wines. The head is creamy and tan with great retention and sticky lacing.

Smell – Perfume like alcohol up front with a light citrus hop and toasted malt backing. A good barleywine smell, adds a bit of floral complexity, but doesn’t stray far from the standard formula.

Taste – Definitely alcohol warming with lots of great flavor. At a year old this beer has great balance, if anything it leans towards the malt side. The malt has a slightly roasted edge, something that many barleywines do not have. The hop presence is enough to balance the big malt sweetness, but it does not add too much complexity aside from some citrus. There is a bit of dark fruitiness, but not enough to be more descriptive than that. The alcohol fusels, particularly in the aftertaste, are unwanted, but are not too intrusive to the overall experience.

Mouthfeel – Full mouthfeel, but with too much carbonation for me.

Drinkability & Notes – The fusels take away from what is otherwise a sip-able barleywine. This is a solid effort, but there are lots of better choices out there for American Barleywines.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2005 20:22:36 | More by OldSock

Overlord

California

3.78/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This (apparently) unfiltered barleywine ale is overly sweet, but at least it ain't an alcohol bomb (my biggest pet peeve with any barleywine-esque product). Nice fruit flavoring, with apple, cherries, and a host of others I couldn't put a name to rounding out an ale that's surprising flat and watery. I've had a few different vintages of doggie claws, and it's a remarkably inconsistent product.

Fairly drinkable. I wouldn't say it is an attractive beer (murky, actual bits of fruit/yeast floating about ... at least in the one I tried), but it's good.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2007 08:01:52 | More by Overlord

Docer

Washington

3.78/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

2009 fresh 12 oz. bottle.

- Heavy pour leaves no head at all. Hardly a bubbly in sight. Very flat. Thick murky brown.. little bit of haze, and drifting sediment.

- Nice floral honey scent with a bit of strong alcohol... but not too heavy. Citrusy and floral hopping. Sweet and nectar-like.

- Very sweet honey flavor... not strong in alcohol at all.. some tea flavors, flowers... nectar... and a sweet citrus, and pine hopping. Would have to say I do love the flavor... but its flat.

- Little heavy, chalky... overall creamy smooth. absolutely no carbonation though which is very disappointing.

- Great flavor, hides the alcohol well... but no carbonation. A little bit of light carbonation, or some head and lacing would have made this brew much better. Perhaps next year.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2009 01:31:32 | More by Docer

bobsy

Ontario (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Pours a clear coppy with an 0ff-white film of a head that left a few lace spots. A little darker than I thought it would be, but more or less a typical barleywine appearance. Sweet brown sugar aroma blends in with raisins, sherry and alcohol. Considering this is around 6 years old, the alcohol is still very prominent. Due to the aging, the hops have largely died down, pushing this beer more towards the English than American interpretation of the style. Big caramel and dark fruit notes with some honey and a big hit of booze. Medium-full mouthfeel with a restrained carbonation, which is highly appropiate to the style.

Certainly a slow sipper due to the evident ABV and high sugar content, and perhaps seemingly a little young even at this point. Perhaps fresh (where the hops balance things out), or even older (with added mellowing) would be better for this beer.

Thanks to viggo for sharing.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2010 17:36:27 | More by bobsy

Retsinis

California

3.78/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I'm building a vertical of this beer, so will have to revisist this review when I do eventually have those. This review is based on the 2009 that I recently tasted. (which I also had when it first came out, but was not reviewing then)

A: The beer pours a cloudy dark copper brown with a half inch of dark tan head, nice lacing.

S: I get notes of oak, light vanilla and bourbon, along with rich caramel and toffee.

T: The flavor mostly mirrors, sweet caramel malt, light vanilla, oak, and just a kiss of bitterness to balance. The flavors are not as well blended as a I like, and would go as far to say it's a little muddled to me to be honest, as the a little heat gets in the way.

M: Medium body, oily, lightly carbonated.

O: I like it, as it's a Malty barley wine, as oppoosed to a hopped up barley wine. It's good now, but needs some more time to age for my preference. It's 11.50% so it will keep.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2011 00:16:22 | More by Retsinis

ADR

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

2003 version...

Opaque dark brown appearance, fine bubbled head with dark drips mixed on top. Smells like hop tea, and a strange sense of what reminds me of warm dryer lint. Spritely carbonation and medium to full body. Flavor is a war zone of a melange of hoppy tones, some resins mixed with bright orange rinds. Malt is sweet and balances OK for this big beer, it just doesn't speak as a separate flavor. Becomes more gravelly on warming with some ragged notes of alcohol and smoke. Not bad young, this beer has potential to age well, like some of the Fuller's Vintages Ales...

Source: Liquid Solutions

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2003 19:47:51 | More by ADR

shapudding

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured out an unclear homebrewed iced-tea color, dark amber almost. Thick and creamy white head settled barely into a think layer. Yeasy and musty wine cellared scents, vineous- more merlot. Got some caramel scent after it warmed up. Very nice aroma. Highly carbinated for me. Dark and unsweetened black tea tastes, dark fruits and raisins, fairly dry aftertaste. Taste of fresh rosemary -like when you have the fresh sprigs and just grab one and bite into it. The taste is pretty hoppy for a barleywine, -one of my beerbuds tried it and said that it tasted more like a double ipa than a barleywine. Nicely drinkable, good flavors and I could sit back and knock a few away quite easily.

Had this one at FlatRock in Manyunk with some fellow BA's, good times!

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2005 20:32:38 | More by shapudding

bitterdestroyer

New Jersey

3.8/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

appearance: copper brown, slight head, tons of lacing of honey and ferment.

smell: fruit, floral hops, booze, and a sweet hint of honey

taste: powerful taste of hops and malt. nicefinish of booze and sweetness

mouthfeel: ok carbonation, slightly slick.

drinkability: not bad. i bit high in abv. wouldn't advise more than one w/o a good meal in your belly.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2006 17:51:31 | More by bitterdestroyer

lackenhauser

Maryland

3.8/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Vintage 2002. Hazy, off amber sort of color. Fairly carbonated. Malty aroma with a subdued hop presence. Label says simcoe and Amarillo were used. Good solid malt flavor. The hops are quite muted after almost 5 years. Still has a lingering bitterness. Somewhat creamy and sweet malty mouthfeel. Some astringency-alcohol or hops. Very enjoyable and drinkable 5 years later.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2007 01:24:49 | More by lackenhauser