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

andrewinski1

Maine

2.68/5  rDev -28.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Thanks for this one, Derek! Poured into a small chalice. The color is dark murky amber. There is a large white head that settles nicely into a thin layer.

The aroma is tart candy.

The taste is sweet and malty, with a dose of dirt and funk in the finish. This is just a bit too sweet and the tartness isn't quite there. Instead there is just a dirty aftertaste.

The mouthfeel is average with sharp carbonation.

This just misses for me. It's a bit too sweet and I don't care for the aftertaste, but for some It will be just fine.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2011 01:25:56 | More by andrewinski1

claspada

New Jersey

3.73/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle courtesy of kscaldef. Don't remember the year or bottle number; poor job by me.

Pours a rusty reddish color with some slight haze and a small quickly dissipating head; slight bubbles and lacing but nothing too dramatic.

Aromas of (surprisingly) dark chocolate and booze initially. After re-examining I get more of the sour berries and tobacco and mustiness that I expect in this style.

The taste is pretty intense with again some tobacco, light chocolate and a little smoke (which I usually distaste but don't mind here). I get a little more booze as it warms with some lactic berries and tart apple vinegar in the finish.

The mouthfeel is pretty sweet and slick with lower carbonation. Drinks a little light but it is only around 6%ABV.

This was definitely an experience. Not what I expected at all from a Flanders Red style beer but Hair of the Dog really doesn't make anything "normal" per-say do they. A little too boozy for such a light ABV beer but still pretty good regardless. Don't break you back to find this as it was fairly unremarkable overall.

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2011 11:23:24 | More by claspada

mikesgroove

South Carolina

3.9/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

much thanks to michael for sending me this namesake beer, i mean a michael sends a michael a michael, love it.

very nice. Rich looking light amber in color and a nice head of white across the top. Really quite well done I have to admit. The smell was huge, seriously this was a monster sour. Lots of apple vinegar and tart notes, hints of fruit ripping through the air and that deep funk that only comes from the best. As I take the first taste, my lips pucker and that rich sour flavor takes over everything .Really just well done here as a light try finish and a note of tart cherries rounded it out very, very well.

Overall a very solid beer

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2011 21:37:24 | More by mikesgroove

JAXSON

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Clear copper/orange pour, bottle was a gusher. Nose is bright, lactic acid, salt, red berries, metallic. Decent amount of sugars. Flavor is metallic and lightly sour, light red fruits. Light and bright compared to many beers of this style, but too many off flavors to really enjoy. This is typically not a style American brewers do well, possibly overall one of the least enjoyable styles out there because there are so many huge misses. This wasn't a huge miss, just mediocre.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2011 01:37:38 | More by JAXSON

Phelps

Arizona

3.95/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle split with tlay 10 and poured into a tulip. Thanks go out to gford217 for providing this longtime want.

Shimmering, shifting caramel-orange. A creamy one-finger head of off-white quickly pops away to a big, frothy ring.

Beautiful blend of tart, sweet and floral aromas. Brown sugar, roses, balsamic vinegar and orange peel appear in front of a subdued sourness.

A nice touch of acidity blends with sweet notes in the flavor. Hints of oak blend with orange juice, sweet caramel, earthy bitterness and smooth sour stuff. The initial flavor falls off quickly, leaving heavy caramel and lots of floral potpourri lingering on the tongue.

Effervescent. A nice medium-light body pops softly in fizz with intermediate bubbles. The acidity never gets too overbearing.

A complex ale. It’s not the greatest Flanders ever, but it is interesting.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2011 21:47:09 | More by Phelps

psiweaver

Washington

3.8/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Had this last night at Brouwer's, it wasn't as sour or funky as I was hoping for. It poured a somewhat reddish golden color. There was a lot of yeast still in it so certainly this beer has the potential to get better, but I really wasn't blown away with the flavor. It was sour stone fruit focused and you could taste the sherry barrel a little bit, but this beer didn't blow me away or play at the same level that the other HoTD beers usually are at. I enjoyed getting to have it though and while certainly not amazing it wasn't bad either.

Updated as I just re had this beer and its getting better and better.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2011 21:14:09 | More by psiweaver

vkv822

Oregon

3.8/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

12oz bottle into tulip snifter.

Pours a cloudy golden hued brown with slow rising carbonation and a thin cream colored head.

The aroma is of tart apples and some grassy/hay notes as well.

The taste follows the nose, with tart cherry and apple fruit notes followed by some faint vinegar notes. There are less grassy and hay notes than in the nose, though I was still able to pick them up occasionally. The fruit goes from tart to a very nice sweet finish.

It has a slightly light body with pleasant, active carbonation.

It has a nice complexity of flavors. The age has definitely helped it out. I wish I had more of this to see how it continues to progress.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2011 04:54:29 | More by vkv822

zhanson88

California

3.48/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Big thanks go out to JohnGalt1 for including this one in a trade. Thanks Toby! Poured into a tulip glass.

Appearance: As I popped the cap on this beer it came out a gusher. Luckily I was prepared and had a glass in hand. This beer is a hazy, bottle conditioned looking, deep burnt caramel color with 3 fingers of off-white head. Head retention is ridiculous and lacing is very nice.

Smell: Very interesting. I get some funk, acidity, and oak up front. Lighter notes of fruit, mainly tart cherries. After reading some previous reviews of this, I think the fruitiness has faded quite a bit in the last year. I mainly just get funk and vinegar character.

Taste: Tart up front with funk and slight vinegar notes. Lightly acidic. It turns a touch sweeter with tart cherries and oak on the back end. In my opinion the barrel aging muddled this beer a bit, because I can't really pick out a defining quality. Not to say that this beer is bad, because it isn't.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability: Light bodied, and pretty nice carbonation that isn't over abundant despite the fact that it was a gusher. Still this is an interesting, unique beer that I am happy to have tried. Overall pretty good, as is expected from HotD.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2011 02:15:42 | More by zhanson88

rye726

Colorado

3.78/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A tribute to the beer hunter. Heard this one was a gusher, and they were right. I'm usually pretty good at not missing my glass, but not so moose face. Pours a hazy reddish color with a thin beige head. Nice barrel presence. Not much in the nose or flavor. Good example of the style, but no defining qualities. Thin finish, lacks complexity.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2011 03:23:16 | More by rye726

kbutler1

Minnesota

3.58/5  rDev -5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle. 2009 vintage. Bottle opens with a pretty loud "pop" and pretty much started gushing right away. Poured into a NB tulip glass a murky brown red color with a big fluffy tan head that slowly recedes, leaving some lace. The oak is pretty evident in the nose right away along with a cider apple/fruit type note. Light mouthfeel with less carbonation than I thought given the gushing of the bottle. Slightly sweet and sour flavor gives way to a bitter oaky flavor that lingers on a bit. In all honesty, I'm not totally in love with this beer and expected more.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2011 21:52:43 | More by kbutler1

LilBeerDoctor

New York

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed on 3/13/2010. Bottle thanks to scrizzz. Pours a semi-hazy dirty brown with basically no head just bubbles. Aroma of lots of oak, brett/acidic notes, light sweet malts. The aroma reminds me a lot of Fred from the Wood. Flavor is more sweet, just a touch acidic with light sour notes. This isn't like other Flanders red ales that I've had -- more like an oaky, bretty, sherry-ish beer. Anyway, it was pretty tasty, well done!

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2010 19:49:26 | More by LilBeerDoctor

yourefragile

District of Columbia

3.6/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle. Thanks to MSUBulldog25 and black13 for hooking me up! Poured into a tulip.

About two seconds after popping the cap a slow gush falls out of the bottle into a waiting glass. Obviously plenty of carbonation as a bubbly, dense egg-white head forms and has long lasting retention and thick, foamy clumps of lacing. Color is a murky, muddy rose amber. A small layer of sediment settles at the bottom of the glass. Aroma is strong blend of fruit, oak and vinegar. Alternatingly sour and tart with cherry, cranberry, sherry, and vanilla. Taste is at first abrupt and sharp, with the acidity of the vinegar notes taken the forefront. As the beer warms, the front of the palate starts with oak and vanilla spirit sweetness. Subtly the flavors shift to tart fruit and acidic vinegar. Finish is dry, acidic, mildly metallic and extremely long lasting. Smooth body with light carbonation this overall has a very sharp, strong and potentially off putting combination of flavors, but all things considered is very balanced. Very interesting and aging nicely I assume, I look forward to having this again.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2010 02:20:15 | More by yourefragile

oregone

Oregon

4.47/5  rDev +18.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I would obviously rate this higher than most.

Sourness is in check with wood and funk aromas and fruit hints both on palate and on the nose. Some amount of balancing sweetness, but certainly not sweet. Goes down way too easy for $12 a 12ouncer. Could drink this happily all night, many nights.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2010 06:10:18 | More by oregone

Verecund

North Carolina

2.83/5  rDev -24.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Received by a generous BA. 2009 vintage, opened on October 26, 2010 with Bucketboy.

[Gushes.] These are murky waters we tread. Pours a cloudy, oranged-amber. Unsurprisingly after the gushing, Michael is accompanied by a substantial, creamy head.

We both got some weird aromatics out of this one. Coconut and pineapple are most prominent. There's an underlying current of the almost-solventy flanders character (e.g., lactic sourness, oakiness). Really little to none cherry flavor, but there is something resembling white grapes.
It tastes like slightly soured coconut milk. Lactic acid, apple vinegar, a strange tea-like quality which I don't know whether to attribute to the oak/sherry aging or the hops used. Watered-down tropical fruit (as opposed to, say, the expected berry flavors). A fresh oak finish.

Well, it gushed. Medium-bodied in the mouth. A strange miss from HOTD, I think.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2010 15:12:09 | More by Verecund

msubulldog25

Oregon

3.98/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A 12 oz. bottle, purchased at what may be HotD's final 'Dock Sale', November 2009. Poured on a gorgeous October 2010 afternoon, post-yardwork, to a portly Great Divide snifter.

A: Despite early reports of a flat/un-carbonated disappointment, the patient person is rewarded with a bounty of thick eggshell foam, almost two-fingers (and almost gushing forth from the bottle, just after uncapping, if not for a watchful/lucky eye).The pour is murky and chestnut/sienna, impenetrable and burdened by (even with a very careful pour) a fine layer of bottom-resting silt. Head is 2-fingers (at least) of Immaculate, creamy and mounded at its core. Excellent lace, a top-to-bottom dappling of seafoam stickiness.

S: Smells a touch oxidized, a papery/dry hopleaf mustiness. Nose-tickling tartness, holds both citric and lactic sourness; musty apple and grassy/tangy bread dough.

T: Apple vinegar and tart cherry/berry give plenty of fruitiness. A bit of a surprising booziness, sweet and woody. Grassy, dry hay and a little buttery pie crust. Love the balanced tang, balanced with a touch of brown sugared-sweetness.

M: Perhaps a little thin/light, but oh-so smooth and creamy. Drippy mouthfeel; the tartness wrings my salivary gland to near dryness. A brassy, mineral dryness follows.

D: Very easy to drink, a real pleasure after being a little immature last fall (if I recall correctly, and if I'm reading early reviews accurately). I only got to try this as a quick sip or two at the Dock Sale, but never ventured to try one of my cellared bottles before today. Glad I waited - a tasty Flanders Red now and one that might develop even further (toward deliciousness) over time. Well played, Mr. Sprints, well played...a fitting tribute to The Beer Hunter.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2010 00:01:46 | More by msubulldog25

largadeer

Kentucky

3.9/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Arbitrator shared this a long while back. I scribbled down some notes and then apparently forgot about them. Pardon the lack of embellishment in the review, the beer isn't fresh in my mind.

Appearance: Reddish-amber with a frothy white head that clings nicely to the glass. Great clarity and color.

Smell: Cherries, strawberries, acetic acid, sherry and oak.

Taste/mouthfeel: Dark fruit with an acetic undercurrent. Sherry, oak, a little smoke. Mineral, somewhat metallic. A little maltiness. Brief finish.

A good first attempt at the style. I heard this was flat and suffered from poor mouthfeel when this first came out, but that wasn't the case with this bottle.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2010 04:20:38 | More by largadeer

sweemzander

Illinois

4.65/5  rDev +23.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz. bottle poured into a snifter. 2009 vintage on the front label. Big thanks to domtronzero for the trade!

(A)- Pours a deep reddish mahogany color that produced a good frothy off-white head.

(S)- A wonderful nose of dry hay barnyard funk in front of a lactic-like cranberry fruit tartness. Funky, but a joy to smell.

(T)- Very similar to the smell only a tad backwards. A very potent sour vinegar and lactic acid-like bite in the forefront. A dry hay and barnyard funk in the background with some fruit-like notes of some sort. Sour, but oh-so-good!

(M)- A good carbonation level and balance. Very funky and sour, but I like it. Plus, the two are balanced well together not making one overpower the other. It still has a serious bite that is not for the average palate.

(D)- Wow, this one surprised me. A great example of the style in my opinion. Tastes great and has all that funk/sourness I am beginning to enjoy/crave. I would love to snag a few more of these to see how it evolves age-wise.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2010 17:34:31 | More by sweemzander

Shanonbanana

Oregon

4.33/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

2009 vintage bottle poured into a tulip glass at Hair of the Dog Tasting room.

Appearance- Orange-red colour; soft, off-white head with nice lacing.

Smell- Sour fruit such as cherry or a sour stone fruit like apricot or plum.

Taste- Sharp bitterness to start with, which immediately smooths out into a pleasant sour fruit flavour. Finishes with a mild tart aftertaste.

Mouthfeel- Light to medium carbonation; still pleasantly smooth despite the bubbles.

Drinkability- Wonderful on a hot day. This is what my husband and I would fondly call a porch-sipping beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2010 23:02:36 | More by Shanonbanana

Docer

Washington

3.88/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had a 12oz. bottle at their new tasting room...

- Opened with a pop... certainly a foamer... foamed over on the counter. Golden, orange, red, and brown... cloudy... nice fluffy foamy head... settles for the drinking nicely.

- Nice sour tangy fruit notes... light spice, floral notes... ester, berry currants...

- Great sweet, lightly malty.... tangy sour... currants, fig, caramel.... certainly a nice sour... hard to explain all the world of flavors..

- Light bodied.... slightly dry... well carbonated.

- Overall a very nice sour, and I couldn't expect more from such a fine brewer.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2010 23:47:38 | More by Docer

BarrytheBear

Wisconsin

1.73/5  rDev -54.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.5

Massively carbonated Michael...huh? More to follow...

Sweet and tart band aidy goodness....actually the highlight of this beer, which isn't saying much. However, there is a sneaking, crawling, feisty little headache blast that looms like the alcoholic cousin everyone simultaneously fears and reveres in an indescribable way.

And...our downhill journey begins....or continues. What is happening here? Something may have died and I'm not sure who to call.

Say it ain't so. The first HotD beer that I haven't enjoyed. Weirdly under carbonated despite the fluff in the glass. Like milwaukeeclassic huffing rubber cement in his punky, I'm a North Cackolacan sort of way. Headache upon headache, upon band aids gone wrong with an unpleasant finish not unlike inhaling the Great Salt Lake.

What an absolute mess.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2010 06:25:22 | More by BarrytheBear

Jmoore50

Nevada

3.83/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Opened this bottle up on a nice Summer afternoon and it came out like Ole Faithful. Not much was lost, but the dogs sure did like licking it up.

The beer was poured into a nice tulip glass, the dark center of the beer appeared hazy with a very dark ruby color. The beer had a lot of 'floaters' and had no clearity. It had a very fluffy pink head that coated the sides of the glass with a very nice lace. It also left some residue that looked like bits of fruit.

Once the bottle started gushing out the aroma that filled the air was amazing. Really strong fruit notes, light vinegar, some must and wet hay. The fruit notes on this were outstanding, strawberry and cherry being the strongest.

The taste left something to be desired. There were great upfront sweetness, some nice tart 'flanders style' vinegar and lactic tastes, but it left an aftertaste that was unpleasant, like some stale cardboard. This beer has been sitting for a while and I am sure the fruit notes would be stronger when fresh, but Hair of the Dog is known for their beers aging very well. Not sure if I would be sitting on this one for very long.

The mid palate has a great tart flavor with up front sweetness shining through. It has a good level of carbonation and it does have a complex mouthfeel, but it has after flavors that are a bit off that make it less enjoyable. Mildly astringent with acidic vinegar notes, this is just above average.

A good beer overall, nothing great. I was very glad that I got the chance to try it, been looking for this one for a long time.

J

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2010 19:57:14 | More by Jmoore50

portia99

Massachusetts

4.35/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle generously received from hoppymcgee in our ongoing battle to one-up each other with quality beer in a series of awesome, un-negotiated, back and forth trades. This is one I was beginning to think I'd never see, so very happy to pull this one out of the box today. Thanks Greg! Poured into a gold rimmed Buzzards Bay stemmed glass.

A - Minor gusher from the bottle...lost a couple of drops, but my cat-like reflexes managed to get the rest into the glass. Pours a dirty, yeasty, brown with a minor reddish tint. Three fingers of dense, whipped creamy tan foam sits atop the beer for a good long time, slowly fizzing away to leave tons and tons of thick foamy lacing on the sides of the glass.

S - Straight out of the bottle, on the pour, I got a giant hit of oak. After settling into the glass, I get lots of cherry fruitiness, some lactic sourness with mild acetic overtones, a big hit of oak, a general tartnesss, and I think some mild funk (could be the oak fooling me a little bit). Overall, a bit of surgary sweetness in the aroma. Very interesting and complex.

T - Lactic sourness up front, rather mild in comparison to the aroma. Smooth, bready, malty base underneath everything else going on. Major oakiness on top of the base - very noticeable, but in a good way...kinda sets the stage. Mild horseblankety funkiness and medium level sour cherry flavors in the middle. Lactic and lightly acetic sourness as in the aroma. Overall, woodier than most other Flanders red ales I've had...a slight change of pace, and an enjoyable one.

M - Pretty thin in body, bordering on watery, although some residual sugars buoy the body a little bit and give it a slightly thicker feel. Carbonation is a bit light also, and very creamy...expected a little bit stronger carbonation level. Big woody aftertaste in this one.

D - An excellent beer that I'm glad to be able to try. One of the more noticeable oaky wood flavors I've gotten out of any beer. Works in this one, although some might find it a bit heavy handed. This is a style that I really enjoy and this is a fine example...perhaps a bit on the fringes of the style, but well worth seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2010 00:14:39 | More by portia99

sholland119

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to unclejedi for the opportunity to share two bottles. Had this one on 7/4/10.

A-One bottle was moderately carbonated. One bottle was dead flat. So we mixed the two. Pour is a clear amber with a tinge of rust. As expected from the carbonation issue, a few bubbles but no head at all.

S-Nicely oaky with a fair amount of sour notes. Sour cherry is predominant with some oak and some mustiness.

T-Tasty. Medium sour with lots of red fruit notes. Cherry with some raspberry as well, maybe a hint of green apple. I prefer this style to be a few shades closer to vinegar but still some good tartness.

M-Suffers from undercarbonation. Quite the opposite of the experience of others.

D-Quite pleasant to drink. I'd love to try another one.

We were very excited to get to try this one. It was still in the barrels when we did the HotD "tour" a couple of years back. QC issues are not unexpected with this brewery, much as we love the beers. So no surprise one was flat.

HV

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2010 14:15:12 | More by sholland119

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle split with Oglmcdgl, sent by some trader out west. Review #700. This one goes out to Michael B (my best friend), Michael Jackson (The beer hunter) and Michael Jackson ( My 1st words) Rest In Peace guys. From notes.

No gushing but small rising foam, Michael creates a 50 50 split of a lighter shade of red mixed with bright orange creating a semi pinkish look towards the light. With a nice steady pour just a skinny cap of loose whiteness, barely covering the surface. Nice bubbles when agitated but no stickage on glass.

Not as sweet in the nose like a Belgian flanders and less vinegar, thank god. Tart up front with fruit, sour cherries, berries and a small lemon sourness. Oak barrel is light as is the sherry. A bit of earth, small traces of vinegar, barely though.

Taste is tart cherries up front followed by the other aforementioned fruits plus orange. Lemon comes out a bit more than scent creating another layer. Dark red berries and The oak tannins come through nice while the sherry comes in lighter. A small amount of apple with warmth. A bit of caramel from the pilsner malt, a light sweetness Small vinegar, a bit of grass at the end.

This is slightly acidic with a nice tartness/sourness, but nothing tounge buckling. A spritz of carb rushes down this lighter than medium bodied beer. A fruity flanders red and a unique one.

The after taste is kind of odd and earthy with the berries sticking around a bit. This is quite drinkable, but not my favorite flanders. I drank this kinda quick, so it goes down easy if ya like the sour, for some reason i did not want this to get to warm. An interesting interpretation of the style, this should do something in a year or two in a bottle, Cheers to Allen for tackeling another style.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2010 02:20:57 | More by onix1agr

boatshoes

Colorado

4.38/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Received this as one of several astounding extras in a trade with Pawel awhile back. He really blew my socks off in that one and I owe him still!

Appearance- I have to say, I was not expecting a beer of this style to be a gusher, but as soon as I popped the cap, I had beer gushing out of the 12oz bottle. My luck hasn't been too great with gushers lately and this is the second one I've had it a week. That being said, after it died down (I probably lost three or four ounces unfortunately), it poured a very nice shade of murky chestnut with about a finger of slightly off white head sitting on top. Surprisingly good head retention for a Flanders red and it stuck around for a bit before dying back to a ring around the edge and some patches. A fair amount of beading carbonation as well.

Smell- A lot of barrel comes through on the nose. I get smells of wood and vanilla mixed with some not too tart fruits as well. Maybe some pear and sweet cherries. Barrel is foremost for me here though and it smells quite nice.

Taste- Interesting take on a Flanders. Again, I get the barrel flavors of wood and even some vanilla first. This is followed again by sweeter cherries and pear/apple fruit flavors. Finishes on a very mild lactic note. I actually really liked the way in which the barrel blended with the fruit flavors; however, the tartness was minimal for the style.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability- Mouthfeel is quite substantial and well carbonated for the style but in no way overdone. Drinkability was great on this and I'm really sorry I lost the ounces that I did to the gushing, could have easily polished off a couple of these.

Overall, not the most traditional take on a Flanders red but very well done. Closest I could come to approximating it would probably be to compare it to Reinart Wild Ale, but I much preferred this. Unfortunate that it was a gusher, and I hope to try more of this in the future.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2010 22:08:24 | More by boatshoes