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

djbreezy

Washington

4.38/5  rDev +22.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at the brewery and tasting room. Served in an hotd stemmed taster glass.

appearance - light golden, not much head or lacing, cloudy

smell - light citrus hop notes

taste - the malt was forward for me on initial sip but once the beer warmed to room temperature the flavorful citrus hops came to fruition

mouthfeel - medium carbonation, light body, just about right

drinkability - very drinkable, good session beer, happy to see this on draft as the hotd beers are usually slow sippers

Serving type: on-tap

09-19-2010 18:30:17 | More by djbreezy

msubulldog25

Oregon

4.18/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

An occasional release at the HotD Tasting Room, available on a mid-July afternoon in a lovely tulip glass (12 oz. for a paltry $2.50). I've seen it listed at both 3.5% and 4.0% abv.

A: Almost clear, a light straw/golden. Not much carbonation, what little is there rises sleepily, crawling up the contours of the glass. Very nice head, a finger+ of frothy white suds with sturdy clinging lace in dappled patterns and broken ribbons.

S: Dry crusty bread and raw grassy/spicy hops. Hay/straw, notably musty. Moments of malty wort and sweeter honey, biscuits.

T: Remarkably robust flavor, some sticky pine and a pithy/zesty citrus rind. Sturdy malty backbone, but a draping bitterness (that approaches a threshold it never quite crosses) provides plenty of depth. Fluttering fruitiness and sprinkles of spice, this one may be a bit simpler than than bigger beer from which it was 'born', but not by much...

M: Surprising medium feel (again, one could easily be fooled into believing this to be a much heartier APA, for instance). Good carbonation and refreshing crispness, despite lacking some in the appearance. Minor demerits for some gumminess and tongue stickiness in the finish, but so be it.

O: So damn drinkable! Truly a sessionable beer, low alcohol and bold flavors (and cheap draft price, too!) would keep me returning to this again and again. As a 'small beer', this may not be to everyone's liking, but I'm fascinated by it and will continue to enjoy it as long as Alan and crew keep brewing Fred, Doggie Claws, Adam, etc.

Serving type: on-tap

07-14-2011 15:46:52 | More by msubulldog25

dragonWhale

New York

4.1/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

Very cool to see this beer on tap. I remembered when we asked Alan what he thought "the next big thing in brewing" would be and he said "session ales" and now here I was, seeing the fruits. Had to give it a try.
Very light looking body, yellow and clear with a deft creamed cap of foam. Big hop presence, pine and grapefruits and apricots with some bread. Super thin, very thin and quickly dissipating mouf on it, the only flaw here really. I'd like just a little more body in the pup.
Session ale for sure, I could definitely sit around drinking these all night.

Serving type: on-tap

11-23-2010 05:00:39 | More by dragonWhale

boMD

Oregon

3.98/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Gotta love a great sessionable beer by HotD. This small beer from the second runnings of a Doggie Claws batch poured vibrant, hazy golden/yellow with a white head. Floral hops on the nose with a biscuity grain character. Cascade hops maybe? Very floral, earthy, aromatic, piney. Cracker-like, toasted grains. Smooth drinking, great hop presence.

Serving type: on-tap

11-09-2010 21:26:50 | More by boMD

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Tried at the taproom in Portland.

This beer appears a cloudy, very pale straw hue, with two fingers of foamy white head, which leaves some nice layered painted lace around the glass as it settles. It smells of white cracker grain, lemon, and grassy hops. The taste is quite in line with the nose - crisp grainy malt, zippy lemon, and earthy, grassy hops. The carbonation is moderate, the body light, but nowhere near thin, and nicely smooth. It finishes hoppy and edgy.

Seems more like a veritable Continental pils, and a good one at that. The lower booze (to no apparent detriment) provides a nice offset to the other higher octane offerings from this brewery.

Serving type: on-tap

07-13-2011 06:31:22 | More by biboergosum

Bouleboubier

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

I'm afraid I can't pinpoint which batch this Little Dog was the second runnings of (best guess Fred, if any) - it was advertised as simply "Little Dog" on the HOTD tap room menu, an "English mild ale, tasty and drinkable, 3.2%"

A: light-golden bread crust, fairly clear, nice glow.... not much foam or lace to speak of

S: mellow-moderate sugar-sweet cereal aromas.... very mild mineral quality and woody/grassy hops

T: they called it "moderately hopped" and I wouldn't disagree - hoppy-bitter more than I'd expected.... soft, almost doughy, biscuity, cereal-malty, bold-toasty malt constitutes its backbone... hardly mild in flavor... one could tell the alcohol is lacking though, extremely mild fruity ester in the background, great balance though for what it is

M: noticeably round up front but immediately washing out clean and quite light.... fortified, minerally spring water?... crisp and smooth

O: what a score, whatever batch they washed this off of.... follows the "trend" of local "milds" I had out there - soft-bready foundation with a punch of bold toasted grain and earthy hop dancing upon it

Serving type: on-tap

05-15-2013 21:28:47 | More by Bouleboubier

grittybrews

Washington

3.85/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured a bright straw yellow into a tulip with two fingers of vivid white head. Mild aroma of cracker and grassy lemon.

Lowish carbonation and a very light mouthfeel. Grainy lemon pilsner quality with hints of honey and pine.

A nice contrast with HOTD's heavier offerings; a good way to start my time at their bar.

Serving type: on-tap

07-26-2011 02:52:04 | More by grittybrews

oregone

Oregon

3.83/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 5

Clarification; These are not the Doggie Claws runnings. Sampled two different Little Dogs: Adam and Fred. Little Dog is a catch-all for whatever batch Alan is brewing and they carry the original brew name after. I.E: Little Dog Adam.
Reviews here are averaged and the two beers are very distinctly different. Adam has the smoked malt playing lead while Fred actually shows some upfront hop character (no bitterness) to run with the malt. Both, however different, were excellent brews.
Sessionable to the extreme, but great beers to boot.

Serving type: on-tap

02-23-2011 08:05:52 | More by oregone

dgilks

Australia

3.8/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Very cloudy with an amber colour. Foamy off white head. Some lacing. Fair head retention.

Bready, biscuity and quite resinous. Unique aroma. I like it.

That is hoppy as anything with a big resinous, piney, tea like character. Some bread crust and a hint of roast come through. Very interesting.

Light body with moderate carbonation. Good.

This is a very intriguing ale. The small beer concept is executed here with some serious panache and I like the result. Very good.

Serving type: on-tap

07-17-2011 05:04:29 | More by dgilks

KDawg

Illinois

3.8/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

had at the tap room. Poured from tap into a pint glass. Pours a great amber color with a real good head.

Well balanced and classic bitter notes of toffee, caramel, malts and some biscuits. Very nice depth considering the abv.

Very good feel, but lacking some depth on the flavors of malts, toffee, and caramel.

It's shocking how much flavor is brought at 3.2%. Seriously, it's a massive achievement and this is just a real good beer on the whole. This is a picture perfect session brew.

Serving type: on-tap

06-27-2012 19:04:55 | More by KDawg

smakawhat

Maryland

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

A borderline see-through to opaque gold yellow color, with a white head. Bouquet consisted of an almost ashy smoke characteristic, with hints very faintly of apricot.

Kind of a weak taste in the palate but a surprisingly chewy mouthfeel for such weakness.

Little Dog in many ways has similar characteristics (I felt) to Greg in that is seems to have a crispness like a white wine.

Serving type: on-tap

10-10-2010 05:11:35 | More by smakawhat

Hojaminbag

Colorado

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

Little Dog has a yellow body and white head. Retention and lacing are both ok.

The aroma is quite hoppy, with lemon, pine and then some more citrus doing the heavy lifting. Notes of grain come through also.

Little Dog is definitely hop-focused. Lemon is there, but it is not as powerful as more bitter citrus flavors, and everything takes a back seat the resinous pine flavors. The malt backbone adds a little bit of grain, but it is subdued.

Light body, highly carbonated.

After working my way through and Adam from the wood and needing to stay upright for many more hours, I decided to give Little Dog a taste. It was interesting, and it certainly manages to pack a lot of flavor into a low-ABV beer.

Serving type: on-tap

08-25-2011 13:03:48 | More by Hojaminbag

Fatehunter

Oregon

3.63/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served in a tulip glass. Half finger of head on a cloudy, medium straw colored body.
It smells like wet grain and hay, in the best possible way.
The taste is nice: wet grain and mild bitterness.
Fizzy texture with moderate carbonation and medium body.
Pretty good flavor and drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

12-29-2012 22:28:17 | More by Fatehunter

HopHead84

California

3.4/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12/17/2010

On tap at Hair of the Dog in a nifty little tasting glass that beckons for me to purchase it. Sorry little fellow, your tulip shaped friend is only a dollar more and is much more practical.

A: Prominent smoke character brings to mind smoked apple wood bacon and beach wood. Some citrus hops shine through, as does a little bready malt.

F: Flavor is an interesting combination of smoke and citrus hops. They coexist nicely. Lightly bitter, with a touch of bready malt. Finish is a combination of bitterness and smoke that lingers.

M: Upper light body, moderate carbonation. Mouthful is a tad thin.

Overall: An interesting and well crafted beer, but not one I desire to drink again.

Serving type: on-tap

12-18-2010 00:47:43 | More by HopHead84

cbarrett4

Oregon

3.38/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into pint glass during Portland Mighty Mites small beer festival~

Seems the other reviewers had growler sealing problems... Poured with the same hazy gold hue but with decent head that quickly dissipates leaving a nice bit of lacing. Very pilsner-like aromatics. Focus is on the yeast and malts, very light and fresh aroma. Palate is clean and simple. More emphasis on the lager-like flavors. Finish is short and simple.

Overall a very good session beer and one that I enjoyed. It's not the greatest beer in this style, but it's a nice effort.

(Also posted this review under Little Dog - Fred since many people here are reviewing the Fred and Adam Little Dog under this umbrella)

Serving type: on-tap

08-28-2011 20:33:03 | More by cbarrett4

vkv822

Oregon

2.95/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

12oz. tulip snifter on tap at the tasting room.
from notes.

Arrives in a HotD snifter, burnt orange body with lighter orange edges, slightly hazy and a quite thin white head that dissipates quickly.

The aroma is of light citric hops and a biscuity malt backing.

The taste is a lot more balanced then the nose, but follows the same profile.

Fairly low carbonation, near flat. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, but the low carbonation gives the impression of a more watery body.

A decent beer, but in my opinion not quite as enjoyable as the other Little Dog offerings I have tried.

Serving type: on-tap

11-27-2011 05:39:13 | More by vkv822

barleywinefiend

Washington

2.68/5  rDev -24.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A: Poured a light gold color with good carbonation leaving a nice white cap

S: Weak citrus, sordove musty and bitter

T: Pretty much citrus, and pretty one dimensional. Lots of off putting hop bite on the end.

M: Light body, carbonation was to much for this lighter bodied beer.

O: Average. Second runnings of Doggie or Fred may be good for some but not this guy. Not a fan and I prefer the first runnings and I dont see how this could be classified as an APA either.

Serving type: on-tap

05-31-2011 00:40:29 | More by barleywinefiend