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

arizcards

Arizona

4.15/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Picked up a single from Holiday Wine Cellar in Escondido while visiting President's Day Weekend for $5.49. Batch 84 was bottled on 9-22-11.

Beer poured golden with a perfectly huge billowing white head that is everlasting in my Sam Adams glass.

Nose is sweet candy.

Taste starts sweet, huge pilsner malt base is touched deftly by rye spiciness. There is enough lemon peel to take the edge off the sweetness and finish nicely. Alcohol warming with the first sip only.

Mouthfeel is perfectly smooth with a very nice effervescence to make this feel like a brew half of the abv this one is.

Overall...Wow, what an interesting brew! This beer is perfect from some aspects. The pilsner base is just a tad too sweet for me. Totally fun to try and i look forward to trying Adam and Doggie Claws!

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2012 22:20:30 | More by arizcards

chiefydawg

Ohio

4.08/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle poured into a flared pint glass.

White, thick, fluffy head tops a hazy orange body. Highly carbonated. Easy to look at as long as I know I can drink. Head lasts long, and the lace sticks well.

Dry, tart,citrus rind scent with a nice (though recessive ) Grape-Nut scent. Like a lemon candy almost, with the pleasant, almost sourness backed by sweetness.

Mouth-full of American C hops! Fills the mouth (more on that later) with a viscous hop juice that has a sweetness to it. You know how Bells Two Hearted has that fresh hoppiness, yet balancing sweetness, yet clean drinkability? Fred is that on some serious growth hormones. Hopheads will relish in its nearly harsh piney citrus resin, but will note how the malt backbone ameliorates it. Remarkably, the finish is tight enough to invite another drink, and the mouth war starts all over.

Seems to be enough hop material to create a resiny, thick mouthfeel. The clean, nearly astringent bitterness scrubs the palate, tempting the next sip. Easy to swish this one around the mouth a bit for fun, though there is a nagging tingle at the back of the palate reminding you that this is no penny candy.

Even though this has a notable drinkability for its kind, I would not recommend too many of these in one sitting. They would fill your belly quickly, but not before filling your head with thoughts of how irresistable and invulnerable you are.

I would call this a DIPA any day of the week, and one of the better ones at that.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2012 02:53:48 | More by chiefydawg

KDawg

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

poured from tap into pint glass. Pours a dark orange color with a nice head.

Well balanced with nice malty aromas of navel oranges, hops, citrus notes and some spice tones. Good depth to it as well.

Full bodied with a real nice and smooth feel. Good depth of flavor with notes of navel oranges, hops and a good dose of spices as well.

This was really enjoyable. Full bodied and well balanced with no hint of the alcohol at all.

Serving type: on-tap

06-27-2012 20:12:08 | More by KDawg

cradke

Texas

4.38/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

appearance: hazy golden, nice head, digging the yellow hues.

smell: sweet rye hop. lots of Belgian candy

taste: great sweet hops. very nice candy. nice balance which USA incredible given that's it's 65 ibu's.

mouthfeel: good consistency and carbonation.

overall: love the sweetness, great balance though it's almost to desert beer

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2012 04:27:32 | More by cradke

Greywulfken

New York

4.5/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: golden beer with fat head

S: floral notes and caramel malts, brighter notes of citrus, soft tones of vanilla

T: ruby red grapefruit, butterscotch caramel, pale fruits, candi sugar

M: rich, creamy, soft and clean-finishing

O: awesome brew - had lots in common with tripels and imperial IPAs - most American strong ales are darker and more meaty - this was a fuzzy and lush treat of a beer

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2012 20:03:46 | More by Greywulfken

Gatch

Massachusetts

4.58/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Batch No. 83

A: Beautiful, cloudy, deep brown, almost red/amber. Huge off-white, very bubbly head. I mean huge. Towering. Hangs around forever.

S: Incredibly floral & fruity hops aromas. Sweet, sugary malt.

T: Very malty, mellowed hop, boozy concoction. Bready, sweet, fruity, delicious. Complex hop flavors but fruity and incredible.

M: Smooth. Huge flavor. Booze is inviting and complementary. Drinkability is off the charts.

O: Incredible beer. Such a treat.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2012 03:51:50 | More by Gatch

mdaschaf

Washington

4.35/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Batch 83. Thanks to James for this want!

A: Pours a hazy orange/copper color with a massive white foamy head, one of the thickest I have ever seen with the best retention of pretty much any beer i've seen. Thick lacing all around the glass.

S: Wow, lots of caramel and toffee with some brown sugar, vanilla, and a little bit of pine. Underneath there is a little bit of raisin and red apple.

T: More caramel and toffee, some raisins/figs/plums underneath with a little more red apple. Slightly yeast and bready as well.

M: Medium to full bodied, definitely a slow sipper. Moderate carbonation.

O: A really good beer. Drank slowly over the course if an evening it only got better.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2012 02:51:06 | More by mdaschaf

ehammond1

California

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 4.5

Bottle (2011)

Holiday Wine Cellar
Escondido, CA

(Aged for 6+ months)

Slightly hazed golden and dark yellow with a huge, tightly bubbled, near-white head that lasts for as long as any head I've ever had the pleasure of pouring. It stuck around so long I actually wondered if I ever was going to get the opportunity to taste my beer. It eventually faded and left irregular webbed lacing down the glass.

An interesting, pleasurable aroma. There's something funky here, without actually resembling anything like a typical beer funk. It's earthy and floral, hoppy and sweet, yeasty with just a hint of Belgian tang--wonderfully interesting. I could dissect this all night, but I digress.

The flavor too is distinctly Fred. There's some stale funk here, though while that sounds terrible, it's incredibly delicious. There's rotting flowers and a fresh garden, earthy yet vibrant citrus hop components, moderate bitterness, and sourdough bread crusts.

Medium bodied with too much carbonation.

Fantastic.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2012 02:24:49 | More by ehammond1

AgentMunky

Alabama

4.08/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 ounce bottle into a Koningshoeven chalice. Batch 83.

A: Huge, tight, off-white head fills the majority of the glass. What little beer there is is translucent amber brown.

S: Interesting! Fruit and spice. Some yeast. Tangerine zest, white grape...and a touch of soapishness?

T: Flavor-dense, but compelling. The label tips me off to the pilsner malt and candy sugar that highlight the particular juxtaposition of flavors herein. Light, grainy, and spicy -- like a tripel -- but then dark, fruity, and brooding -- like a dubbel. Mix a dubbel, tripel, lager, and bourbon-aged ale, and it approaches this. Then you've got the perplexing hops that are undeniably bitter and present, but somehow understated. Definitely strong (there are some liquorish aspects) but still drinkable. A bizarre beer, to be sure.

M: Full-light, spicy-dense, carbonated, grainy-fluffy, things are all over the place.

O: I don't have a damn clue what to make of this concoction. Definitely good, if not obviously enjoyable. Recommended, if not without reservations. Would have another.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2012 06:19:53 | More by AgentMunky

VncentLIFE

North Carolina

4.35/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Batch 83. thanks heatwave33!

This thing was so carbonated. I let it decant for at least 10 minutes, and the huge 3 inch thick white head (it looked like meringue honestly). Somewhere under there is a bright orange body.

Smells dry, yet citric. Loads of grains, yet theres a delicate floral/citric hop presence. Surprinsgly, thats it. Not overly complex, but still fantastic. love it.

Oh wow. This thing tastes fantastic. Its got a lot of light toffee sweetness with a dry super sweet caramel feeling. Very much dominated by those, but I get those oh so subtle hints of orange and lemon peel. Taste is very thick, but theres not a ton of carbonation. So it feels slick, and insanely light for the ABV.

very well done HotD!

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2012 20:29:04 | More by VncentLIFE

BlackBelt5112203

South Carolina

4.53/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Big thanks to FosterJM for this one!

12 oz bottle poured into a pint glass at cellar temperature.

L - Medium amber color, slightly hazy from bottle conditioning yeast, with an incredible 4-finger bubbly, pillowy white head. I had to pour and stop multiple times just to get enough beer into my glass; it was nearly all head at first! Amazing retention, great lacing, nice amount of carbonation bubbles. This may be the best head on a beer I’ve ever seen to this point.

S - Sweet caramel malt and candied sugar, noticeable rye spiciness, and a solid presence of the telltale West Coast citrus and tropical fruit hops. Maybe a tinge of alcohol, but that also may be the rye spice blending with the fruity and sugary sweetness. Smells nice and well-balanced.

T - Starts off sugary and caramel sweet, then the building hop bitterness catches up with grapefruit, pineapple, and peach notes, along with a definite rye spiciness. A little bit of alcohol noticeable.

F - Medium-bodied, a little bit of carbonation, very creamy mouthfeel, and a spicy, bitter, and dry finish. Every taste (sweetness, spice, bitterness, and dryness) lingers for a great amount of time. Also, a pleasant throat-warming feeling from the alcohol.

O - This was a deliciously drinkable sipper of a beer. One of the best looking beers I’ve ever seen, with a complex aroma and taste. There’s lots of different flavors here but they all go together extremely well. Great creamy mouthfeel as well. This was my first “strong ale” but I can tell that this must be one of the best. Extremely glad I was able to try this beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2012 02:29:24 | More by BlackBelt5112203

herman77

Minnesota

4.23/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Batch 83

A: Orange copper with a huge head, even poured slowly since I knew this was gonna be highly carbonated. Decent lacing.

S: Candied sugar, carmel, fruity yeast, honey. Some apples and grapes? A bit of spice in the under everything.

T: Very complex. Lots of malty sweetness, but not overly sweet since there is some spice too. Honey and carmel sweetness with light fruits (apples, green grapes) and then some light black pepper and rye spice come along with citrus and hops. Nice long finish that kind of dries up your mouth and then makes it water. A little bit of alcohol too.

M: Medium to light body. Very high carbonation, under that though, it feels a bit oily.

O: My first HotD. Well done for sure. Pretty good drinkability considering the 10% abv. Glad I have another one to sit on for awhile.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2012 23:48:59 | More by herman77

dbossman

Nebraska

4.13/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Effervescent and golden with a huge frothy head; great lacing

S: Lots of citrus and fruit: pineapple, lemon, apples; some booziness, grainy, and somewhat hoppy

T: Grainy and fruity and dry and boozy; yeasty and hoppy; this is a balanced and interesting beer

F: Creamy with great mouthfeel; so creamy

O: This is a great and surprisingly complex beer; hoppy and grainy and fruity

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2012 02:58:53 | More by dbossman

orangesol

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle poured into my HOTD tulip glass.

A - Pours deep amber orange with no head at all, only a tiny bit of foam around the edge of the glass, leaving no lace at all down the glass.

S - Smells of caramel, butterscotch, vanilla, fruity yeast, oak and a good amount of alcohol. This one smells really sweet with some booze creeping in at the end of each sniff.

T - Starts off with plenty of sugary sweetness that never really goes away. Hints of fruit, vanilla, oak and some dulled piney hops offer some break from the sweetness but it doesn't last long. Finish is sweet with quite a bit of booze burn, lingering on the palate long after the finish.

M - Smooth body with a ton of sweet flavors and moderately low carbonation, almost none really. There is still quite a bit of booze present in this one.

O - I liked this one but it never really wow'd me in any way. The lack of carbonation really didn't help either. I wouldn't turn another down but I won't be running out to get more.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2012 16:58:00 | More by orangesol

hoody711

Illinois

3.98/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

My first HotD - very excited. Big thanks to Tim (FunkyMacGroovin) for adding this on to our trade. Here we go.

A - poured into my Sam Adams special "ooh-look-at-how-fancy-I-am" glass. Pours a very dark golden with a ton of haze. Great carbonation that lasts. The head is magnificent, up to 3 inches with a moderate pour and pillowy as hell. I want to take a nap on it. Fades over about 5 minutes with great thick lace to about 1/4 of head that sticks around throughout.

S - sweet malt, honey, citrus hops. A hint of alcohol at the end if I really shove my nose in there.

T - wow. Utterly surprising. All malt sweetness that then changes to rye and spice (maybe some fruit?) followed by a bitter blast. Finishes with a lot of alcohol heat that really sticks around. 10% indeed.

M - medium, maybe slightly heavy. Good amount of CO2. The alcohol warmth leaves you with little else to think about though.

O - great introduction to Hair of the Dog. Probably a little too boozy for my taste. Well, I love high gravity, but not when I can really taste it. Thanks again to FunkyMacGroovin for the trade.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2012 01:55:00 | More by hoody711

beerenjoyer1

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - When I first poured the beer it foamed up quite a bit but the foam was thick rich. The lacing on the glass was awesome and it too was thick attesting to the massive hops in the mix. The beer has a cloudy, copper appearance which tells me that there is alot going on in this beer.

S - The rye and hops are very noticable as is a hint of Belgian in the aroma which to me is a great combination.

T - Awesome taste! I tried not to drink it too quickly but the hops, rye, and the big shot of alcohol from the candy sugar really gives this beer a great taste, with some Belgian hints. I imagine that the longer I keep other Freds aging that even more taste will come out.

M - The mouthfeel is great with big full flavor and the thickness, if you will, from the mix of hops, rye, and the Belgian candy sugar really ramps this beer up. Nice job!

O - I really enjoyed this beer. I think only one is enough though due to the strength. I will on the look out for more hair of the Dog beers in my travels.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2012 21:30:38 | More by beerenjoyer1

BarrytheBear

Wisconsin

3.35/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle of batch 84. Believe this was from a recent trade, but my notes defy me. Thank you kind whoever for the opportunity.

Opens with a big hiss that previews the massive billow of fluff. Carbonation seems to be a standing issue with HotD, covering all facets of the spectrum. Very hazy darker orange in the glass with a steady cover throughout. Oodles and oodles of bubbles as well.

Smells along the lines of a belgian triple: candy sugar is well pronounced with the underlying spice of rye and some herbal and citrus notes.

Tastes follows suit. Spicy rye, candy sugar, and hops. A little too much on the Belgian end for my liking. Hops fight through and take grasp leaving a sharp bitter snap on the finish. Citrus and spice seal the deal.

Overall, I prefer my strong ales less in the yeasty vain. In fact, I dislike yeasty beers. There's enough here to distract from the distraction, just not enough to salvage it completely. Overcarbonation doesn't help much either.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2012 03:09:36 | More by BarrytheBear

axeman9182

New Jersey

4.13/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle from batch 83. I got this one courtesy of my local bottle shop manager (thanks Thad!) and it was poured into my Bruery tulip.

Hair of the Dog Fred pours a fairly cloudy orange, with a monstrous four plus fingers of white foam crowning the beer. Head retention is out of this world, ten minutes after the pour there's still a sizable chunk of white floating in my glass. The nose is great, with lots of earthy, spicy notes from the rye, and some fragrant tropical fruit and grapefruity citrus aromas as well. The menagerie of hops that went into this brew (supposedly ten different varietals) don't come off as well in the flavor profile. The fruity and citrusy components are a bit more muddled and not a crisp and clear. The rye comes through again nicely though, with a delicate spice. The body is surprising in that I was expecting it to be a bit more rich considering that a good amount of rye must have gone into the beer. The carbonation is slightly higher than average, which contributes both to the unexpected levity in body and the prominence of hop flavors and aromas. This was my first time trying Hair of the Dog Fred, and I really enjoyed it. I'll definitely look to pick more up in the future.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2012 04:46:28 | More by axeman9182

cmadd

Ontario (Canada)

4.23/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2011, Fresh

A: Huge foamy head – three fingers poured into a snifter. Cloudy orange straw body.

S: Light citrusy hops dominate nicely. Deep in the background: malty earth, esters, ripe apple, alcohol.

T: A sort of rye spiciness, honey sweet, light citric notes, apple and pear ripe orchard fruits. A lingering rough bitterness – perhaps the yeast got unsettled in the trip. Maybe a bit hot for my taste? Really neat, though.

M: Nice carbonation, warming alcohol sits in the stomach. Decent.

O: Great beer, even when I find the roughness a tad unsettling. Someone here put it nicely; a marriage between an American Barleywine and a Belgian Tripel. Fascinating and I'm glad I got to try it.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2012 18:43:48 | More by cmadd

gabrielsyme

Virginia

4.78/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Served in a tulip. Rich copper color. Plenty of carbonation, and nice lacing on the glass. Lots of toasted malt. Sweet without being sickly, like caramelized apples in a pie. I'm not getting much hop bitterness, possibly because I've aged this quite a while. Delicious. Batch 71.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2012 00:10:14 | More by gabrielsyme

shleepy

California

2.18/5  rDev -47.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Served from a small bottle (bought at K&L in Redwood City) into a snifter.

A: Dark amber, cloudy. Some yeast sediment floating around. Medium-high head with decent retention.

S: Caramel and floral hops. Maybe even some hot alcohol.

T: Wow, that's bitter and intense. There's almost a stinging sensation a couple of seconds after taking a sip. Bitterness in the aftertaste, as well. Other than that, there are a few complex flavors hidden in there - caramel, maybe liquorice, citrus.

M: Heavy. Medium carbonation. As I mentioned above, the bitterness is quite overwhelming.

O: Definitely a slow-sipping beer. I don't enjoy beers this intense, unless they're barrel-aged stouts or maybe barleywines.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2012 06:07:30 | More by shleepy

Falcon91Wolvrn03

California

4.53/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Batch Number 78

Let this one warm to near room temp. It will improve considerably.

Appearance – A cloudy golden amber color with a huge head. Lots of sediment. Excellent lacing.

Smell – Honey, citrus, malt, and sweet dried fruit. There’s a nice spicy scent, but I don’t know what spice it is.

Taste – Honey dominates the taste, with lots of malt, hops, and a hint of citrus. There’s also that spice I can’t place that’s really good.

Mouthfeel – Very thick and creamy; maybe too creamy for the style, but it's interesting. The alcohol is incredibly subdued. I would have guessed this be 6% rather than 10% (although if you sip on the huge head, you may notice the alcohol!)

Drinkability – Amazingly drinkable for a 10%abv beer. Another great beer from Hair of the Dog; I’m officially a fan.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2012 04:38:34 | More by Falcon91Wolvrn03

Drinkerofales

California

4.28/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Batch 84

Pours 95% clear, orange-amber in color with a huge light tan fluffy head that doesn't leave much lacing, but does stay until finished.

Smell is very clean and pure. Roasted caramely malts, some booze.

Taste is even bigger than the aroma, candied figs, toasted bread and toasted malts, just about where everything should be, especially the touch of booze warmth.

Feel is thick and viscous, creamy and smooth, all the things I like from a big beer.

My 2nd offering from this brewery, and not disappointed yet. Huge flavor, big caramel and malt make this quite a nice sipper, that I drank greedily.

DOA

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2012 18:17:09 | More by Drinkerofales

CFHMagnet

Ohio

3.98/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to output01x for this beer.

A slow pour is suggested on the side of the bottle, and this netted me half a finger of light tan head. This left me nothing other than a ring within a minute or so. The body is a decent brown color with definite hints of orange.

Caramel and orange team up in the beginning to make an odd couple yet pleasant smell. The candy sugar, spices and hops soon see there way through too. A whiff of booze ends the olfactory journey.

Caramel malt is a tongue pleaser in the beginning. A little bit of sweet orange and some candy sugar follow it up, and it ends with rye, hops and a little spice. Booze builds and holds at the end

This beer is medium to heavy bodied. The carbonation is definitely appreciated as it helps propel the beer through the mouth, as I could see it getting thick and unpleasant without it. It coats pretty well over the entire tongue, and even with the carbonation takes some effort going down. This is a sipper to be sure.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2012 22:45:22 | More by CFHMagnet

Dope

Massachusetts

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

A: A very pale orange pour, fairly cloudy. Big off-white head. Retention is quite excellent. Decent streaks of lacing.

S: Big caramel malt and belgian sugar. Lots of sweet orange. Maybe a hint of honey? Some rum-soaked raisin and a tiny bit of melon perhaps?

T: Super sweet and syrupy oranges. Huge caramel malt. Some honey. Just a hint of herbal and citrus bitterness in the aftertaste but mostly overpowered. Tastes like a ridiculously sweet english barleywine with belgian yeast.

M: Syrupy, cloyingly sweet. Heavy.

O: Not a bad flavor but it's just out of control sweet. Trust me, I love beers like Choklat and Rogue Double Chocolate. This reminds me of a JW Lees with some tweaks. It's not horrible but it was hard to put down the whole bottle due to the sweetness.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2012 03:45:15 | More by Dope