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

nhindian

Pennsylvania

1.6/5  rDev -61.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

12oz bottle poured into a Cantillon wine glass.

Batch 78.

To begin with: This beer is explosive. I poured a little bit of the beer gently into the glass and I was met with a rushing cloud of foam and carbonation. I had a half inch of liquid to 10-feet of foam. I literally had to scoop the foam out with a spoon to get it to a level where I could actually get a drinkable amount of beer into the glass. Their first beer I had from them was dead flat and this one's bursting with carbonation.

Anyway, onto the review.

A - After scooping out spoonful after spoonful of dense foam, I am left with about 2.5-fingers of incredibly thick, creamy head. This is the closest thing I've seen that resembles the head that Allagash beers get, but this one gets a little chunky at the top and doesn't budge. Even after sitting for almost a half hour, there's still carbonation and head sticking around on this, unfortunately as it's so thick I'd prefer if it went away. I find no faults with the body, however, as it is a beautiful amber gold with a lot of radiant glow to it. It's hazy, but it's easy to see the multitude of carbonation. The lacing benefits from the persistent head, as it coats it almost completely.

S - After taking my first smell of this, I can definitely tell this is off, as if the head and carbonation didn't give it away. It's full of tart green apples and is slightly sour. I can discern some yeast, malts, and bread, as well as some spices? The back has some citrus hops to it, but not much.

T - The flavors from this are just a mess in my opinion. From the tart notes, to the bready malts, to the overactive carbonation, this is a jumble of flavors that are not congruent at all. I am actually having a tough time picking out specific notes in this. Yeast, green apple, caramel, slight citrus hoppiness. All vying for pole position only to get blindsided by carbonation.

M - Mouthfeel is medium-bodied with too high carbonation. Again, this is the second Hair of the Dog beer I had in as many days that suffer from mouthfeel and carbonation problems. Adam was completely flat, and Fred is brimming with carbonation. Very awkward for the style and flavor profile and I can still feel it bubbling in my stomach.

D/O - Drinkability is low. I kept going back and forth on whether I should drain pour this, being conflicted that it might foam up and clog my drain and pipes, and then getting scared as to what is going to happen to my digestive tract. Eventually I lost the battle with this beer, getting knocked down by the yeast and carbonation, and then finally TKO'd by a surprising amount of sweet cloyingness that manages to rise from seemingly nowhere and assault me in the finish. Stay away unless you can get a guarantee you are getting a clean bottle, which from my now 0/2 track record from Hair of the Dog, makes me think it may be harder than it seems. Take out insurance.

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2011 04:29:15 | More by nhindian

KiMiRaiK

Washington

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

05-25-2013 00:59:50 | More by KiMiRaiK

lunarbrew

Wisconsin

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

05-23-2013 13:33:00 | More by lunarbrew

sendbeer

Georgia

4/5  rDev -3.4%

05-22-2013 14:41:55 | More by sendbeer

ChugMan

Washington

4/5  rDev -3.4%

05-22-2013 03:44:03 | More by ChugMan

NJB145

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

05-20-2013 00:33:25 | More by NJB145

beagle75

Iowa

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a tulip glass.
Batch 81

A: Clear, medium golden color with over two fingers of voluminous and persistent white foam head. Moderate clumped lacing remains on the glass and effusive sheets of bubbles rise in the column.

S: Lightly toasted grain is clean and very honest. The rustic quality of the smell evokes just-milled base malt, and lots of it--exactly like a visit to a working brewery. Fruit is weak but bright, a combination of pear and delicate lemon. No alcohol is detected.

T: Begins sweet, with big pale malt that is paradoxically refined after the rustic smell. The cleanliness, on the other hand, parallels that of the smell, lacking any characterful input from yeast. Things get interesting into the middle as the flavor sweetens further to become truly dessert-like. There is a definite boozy thread that develops mid-way through the flavor profile, well-timed alongside emerging herbal bitterness. Whatever fruitiness is present appears similar to the pear from the smell, but is short-lived. The finish maintains the characteristic cleanliness of the rest of the profile with a sleepy-but-moderate bitterness that has shows staying power.

M: Thick viscosity, very smooth--even slick--on the palate, with low carbonation.

D/O: I did not expect or want to like this beer; strong blond beers never seem to measure up. This well-aged bottle of Fred was able to win me over, representing well the learned opinions of those few who reported that this beer might even exceed the excellence of Hair of the Dog's other signature strong ale, Adam. Something--namely Belgian abbey yeast--seems absent, although it is not missed. A strong burst of yeast-derived metabolites would only distract here. As it is, this beer is a focused and decadent beast of a malt-bomb. Although the official derivation of the name honors craft brewing royalty, I like to think that is also gives a nod to Fred Armisen and his Portland-inspired humor.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 02:18:44 | More by beagle75

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +8.7%

05-16-2013 18:43:24 | More by Slatetank

Seanniek91

New Hampshire

4.49/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served from a 12oz bottle into an Allagash chalice. Batch number 86. Cellar temp.

Appearance- Slightly hazy orange/copper with thick off-white head that shows no sign of leaving. Incredible lacing follows.

Smell- Very strong fruit aromas of peaches, green grapes, apricots, and citrus fruits. heavy caramel malts and light booze are also prominent.

Taste- Belgian candy sugar, apricots, and rasions are the dominant flavors I'm getting. Carmel and earthy tobacco notes are light, but still there. Finish is mildly boozy with nice hop bitterness. Well balanced between malty/sweet and hoppy. Hops linger for a while.

Mouthfeel- Thick and resinous. Ample enough carbonation. Smooth and mildly hot. Clean finish with a mouth cleansing bitterness.

Overall- With the moniker of "Golden Special Ale", one might believe this beer to be a light crisp ale, butin my mind, it has more wheat wine qualities to it. Phenomenal none the less. Would love to try their variations or older vintages.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 16:14:09 | More by Seanniek91

Pelican5

California

4/5  rDev -3.4%

05-16-2013 07:25:28 | More by Pelican5

Bouleboubier

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

A: bright gold with round juicy glow, a touch of haze, cottony white head, decent snail trails

S: floral bouquet, hard candy.... really hits you.... strong medicinal alcohol aroma, permeates the mucus membranes, opens them up, but reigned in and complemented well with the honeyish, turbinado syrup tones.... overall, pretty baller-bold

T: strong, smooth, phenolic, hot, with odd under-/over-ripe honeydew.... a slick hybrid between an old school type Amer strong (Yards Tavern Ale?) and a spicy Belgian strong golden (Duvel, but with a different, smoother spice)

M: round like its glow.... tiniest gummy-chewy texture... buffered desiccant effect from medicinal alcohol.... has some substance, has something to say

O: the funky melon thing really sticks out, the most memorable thing about it aside from the honey-nectar like body (like an ice-wine or a Moscato?).... I could tear through a few of these

Serving type: on-tap

05-15-2013 20:52:13 | More by Bouleboubier

Bonko_the_sane

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +8.7%

05-13-2013 06:30:45 | More by Bonko_the_sane

FranzBC

Oregon

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

05-13-2013 02:00:59 | More by FranzBC

Myst

District of Columbia

4/5  rDev -3.4%

05-11-2013 04:02:38 | More by Myst

chinchill

South Carolina

3.6/5  rDev -13%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. cellared bottle from 2008.

Poured amber and more-or-less clear. Although bottle conditioned, the aromatics seem similar to a barrel-aged beer. Some of that is the suggestion of brandy in this high ABV ale. Also smells a little fruity. Has a medium-full body with some harshness from the alcohol.
Taste: very strong flavor; no style on bottle but "imperial barleywine" seems appropriate. Mildly bitter.

O: an extreme ale that seems a little over the top and with the high ABV a bit too obvious. Rough and unrefined in contrast with an aged Firestone DBA that preceded it.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 02:54:53 | More by chinchill

justforrazors

Missouri

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

05-10-2013 01:56:04 | More by justforrazors

Axnjxn

North Carolina

3.78/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

12oz bottle batch 87

As i was first cracking the top open on the bottle, i could hear a loud "pop" sound. Obviously, this beer was massively carbonated. Slowly poured it into a Tulip glass and the head was massive. Pours a dark golden color with a massive white head that slowly dissipates. Smell is amazing - fruity and sweet. Tropical fruits dominate the nose. Taste is intense! extreme carbonation and tang is all you taste at first, then you get a taste of raisins and apricots. Its much less sweet than the nose would leave you to believe. However, a very bitter finish detracted from this beer. Body is on the heavy side of light with extreme carbonation.

overall this beer doesnt mess around. It has a massive flavor profile that seems to be just too over the top for me. i cant quite tell what it is.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 18:31:29 | More by Axnjxn

leftoverburrito

Oregon

3.75/5  rDev -9.4%

05-09-2013 01:00:24 | More by leftoverburrito

tommyguz

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -21.5%

05-08-2013 03:48:32 | More by tommyguz

4000qtrap

Missouri

4.98/5  rDev +20.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Source/Serving: Bottle

S: Wow, this is a BIG nose. Lots of hops, malt, and yeast too. Wow. Fresh lillies, honey, spearmint, caramel, rye bread are all in your face. A nice toastiness and also fruit heavy which is super complex (banana, tropical fruit, guava, pineapple). Light ginger, tangerine, and vanilla. Lively and zesty overall. Rye spiciness and Belgian spiciness are moderate, along with apple cider,

T: Ginormous flavor profile, wow, this is massive. Fairy sweet up front, but not as sweet as it should be given how malty it is. Syrupy and thick, but the worried expectation of cloying sweetness is never met - more of a mouthfeel indication than a sweet taste per se. Confusing to the brain. Hops are evident from the get-go with mint, herb, fresh flowers, but are clean and not oily or resiny at all. Body is over the top heavy, practically a shake. The middle is syrupy caramel/toffee/toasted bread malty but really only slightly balanced to the sweet side due to a soft, fortifying bitter balancer. For how heavy this beer is there is a ton of juicy fruitiness and liveliness, really a study on how to make a heavy beer light - very well done. Belgian spiciness/fruit and the rye notes are all evident but in the background, more of a foundation flavor. Incredibly smooth, creamy, almost slick. Finish has a nice dryness, but the alcohol is not at all hot or really very present - very well done. The sip ends with smooth clean mint, heaps of caramel, brown bread, more floral and importantly some rye grittiness (which is good) and pithy bitterness, cleansing the palette and keeping you fresh for the next sip.

A: some of the best head retention I've ever seen.

Notes: This beer is a blast to drink. Find some and drink it. Its totally original, its intensity is uniquely awesome and amazingly smooth for the absolute flavors/aromas of the beer. Don't worry too much if you don't like sweet beer either, its really fairly balanced but uber-malty.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2013 01:03:53 | More by 4000qtrap

SMITHAND

Oregon

3/5  rDev -27.5%

05-06-2013 17:17:36 | More by SMITHAND

BWH999

California

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

05-06-2013 06:41:19 | More by BWH999

yankeepride

New Jersey

3.63/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.25

This one was a little all over the map for me. If you hate super-sweet beer, then run to this one, and then run screaming in horror in the opposite direction. It poured almost flat, and the massive malt bill comes right out of the glass and smacks you. You get all sorts of fruit flavors; banana, cantaloupe, guava, and whatever else your nose is sensitive enough to pick up. However, the sheriff in this town is the Belgian candy sugar. It is so syrupy and sweet that it has a bit of a sticky taste to it. I picked up the slightest bit of hops toward the very end, but the sugar completely overwhelms all sense of balance. As my first HotD beer, it is clear these guys don't mess around, but this was just too, well, too for me to truly love.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2013 00:29:52 | More by yankeepride

jsurfs82

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

05-05-2013 19:40:54 | More by jsurfs82

DarthGuitarHero

Minnesota

1.75/5  rDev -57.7%

05-05-2013 17:55:59 | More by DarthGuitarHero