Otto From The Wood
Hair Of The Dog Brewing Company / Brewery And Tasting Room

Otto From The WoodOtto From The Wood
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From:
Hair Of The Dog Brewing Company / Brewery And Tasting Room
 
Oregon, United States
Style:
American Strong Ale
ABV:
13%
Score:
94
Avg:
4.23 | pDev: 8.75%
Reviews:
57
Ratings:
263
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Mar 05, 2023
Added:
Jul 29, 2012
Wants:
  77
Gots:
  62
Otto is soothing and deep, with flavors of red and black fruits, vanilla and oak. Otto blends peaches and cherries with our distinguished beer, Fred. It is then aged in oak barrels for at least 18 months. Brewed with love and respect for my brewery’s strongest influence, Fred Eckhardt, and bears his name at birth.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by zaphodchak:
Photo of zaphodchak
Reviewed by zaphodchak from Virginia

4.2/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Deep amber body with minimal head.

Deep boozy nose, with a hint of fruit.

Peachy taste with a bit of cherry aftertaste. Neither taste is overbearing, and impressive in spite of being difficult flavors.

Fine carbonation, relatively pronounced.

Pretty good, but the coriander is fighting with the fruit.
Feb 08, 2014
More User Ratings:
Photo of augustgarage
Reviewed by augustgarage from California

3.87/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
2016 vintage. Poured from a 12oz bottle into a snifter. Served at 44F.

Clear crimson liquid; no lacing; thick legs.

Toffee, malt, fruit stones/pits, leather, port, and oak in the nose. Fruity and rich.

Intense palate entry, malt-forward with the cherry balanced between Luxardo and cough syrup. Finishes rather sweet, though the oak and alcohol keep it from being cloying. Low bitterness, mild esters, faint spice (cloves, orange peel) and hints of Irish whisky.

Medium bodied, slightly oily, very low carbonation. Quite warming.

Such a singular creation - though perhaps easier to appreciate than enjoy.
Mar 05, 2023
Photo of Harrison8
Reviewed by Harrison8 from Missouri

4.24/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pours a dark brown with a burgundy tint and a mild fog to the transparency. Once the final ounces of the bottle are poured into the glass, the translucency drops to murky. No head formation. Aroma is heavy dark fruits, raisins, molasses, candy sugar, and oak. Oak really helps cut down on some of the sweetness from lingering, although it is still sugary sweet all the way through. As it warms, mild cherry finds its way into the aroma. Flavor profile brings the same sweetness forward, pushing notes of dark fruits, cherries, raisins, fig, molasses, candy sugar, and toffee across the palate. Oak is mild in taste, but does help dry the finish up slightly. Alcohol, despite being north of 10%, doesn't cut or gash the sweetness or fullness in the flavor profile. Mouth feel has a mild silt to the, but is otherwise soft and creamy. Thickness is medium-thick. Overall, pretty remarkably smooth, which could also be enhanced by the age of this bottle (~6 years at this point). Regardless, it's easy drinking, even at this ABV, and still plenty potent in aroma and flavor.

Served in a 15.5oz Spiegelau tulip from a 12oz bottle. 2016 date.
Oct 28, 2022
Photo of beergoot
Reviewed by beergoot from Colorado

4.22/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Revisited March 15th, 2024

Orange and brown body, lightly cloudy; decent initial carbonation that fizzed away to nothing in short order. Heavy wood nose with earthy, fruity sweetness; blackberry with a minuscule touch of orange and cherry. leather and tobacco notes. Big, boozy and sweet taste; primarily dense flavors of dried and candied fruits; cherries and orange; figs and anise. Heavy, syrupy body; dense residual sugars; comforting alcohol warmth permeates the beer; lightly sticky.

Compared to the 2016 version, this one gets dinged a bit in the looks and smell departments, but it otherwise rises to the fine taste and mouthfeel of the newer version. Another example of nicely aged / cellared Hair of The Dog beer.

ABV: 13%; pouring temperature: 52 °F; bottling info: 2013
Source: online purchase from the brewery

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Original January 26th, 2022 ratings and scores: 3.75 4.25 4.5 4.0 4.25; BA weighted overall score: 4.3; rDev: +1.7%

Murky brownish-orange body; carbonation percolates up through the top of the beer; patchy, wispy head. Orange and cherry notes in the nose; red licorice; raisins; light touch of caramel in the background. Spicy, malty taste; cinnamon and coriander; figs and dates; sweet; moderate boozy presence; a trace hint of vanilla as the beer opens. Heavy body; a bit coarse on the palate; moderate alcohol warmth; some pulpy, sugary bits, like fruit pulp.

Another strong ale winner from Hair of The Dog. It has the standard weak head expected from their bottle conditioning while the aroma and taste are just heavenly for a high ABV beer. The few bits of pulpy sediment were interesting (no, I didn't pour the bottle gently to leave the sediment in the bottom). It really did taste and look a bit like fruit pulp. One for the history books...

Pouring temperature: 39.9 ℉; bottling data: 2016
Jun 26, 2022
Photo of zac16125
Reviewed by zac16125 from South Carolina

4.55/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
Pours murky to the point of being opaque. Mahogany color, small fizzy off white head dissipates quickly and no lacing. Aroma is huge caramel and toffee, a bit of green apple, subtle cocoa, moderate oak, subtle smokiness, a scotch like peat character; quite complex and very nice. Taste is a combination of huge caramel, fruits, and scotch-like peat. Definitely reminiscent of a wee heavy, but more complex. It’s incredibly smooth, lots of fruit flavors including some old ale/ English barleywine-esque dark fruits, but also some less frequently encountered fruit characters like peach and apricot th at somehow work wonderfully. Nice oaky finish. Mouthfeel is silky smooth, remarkably so, and there’s zero hint of what is apparently a huge 13% ABV. This is absurdly drinkable. Overall, wow I am impressed. Truthfully I tend to find HotD a bit hit or miss, as their staple unique kind of smokiness isnt always my cup of tea, but man this one is a home run.

3.75/4.25/4.75/5/4.5
Apr 14, 2022
 
Rated: 4.31 by alexsergio from New York

Apr 12, 2022
Photo of jmdrpi
Reviewed by jmdrpi from Pennsylvania

4.06/5  rDev -4%
look: 2.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
2016 Vintage, so 5+ years old

Pours a cloudy muddy brown color, with some small chunks of fruity pulp floating. Very thin head that quickly fades to nothing. Big fruity aroma that leans red wine. Boozy black cherry, apricot, touch of vanilla and oak. Fairly sweet. Mouthfeel is a little slick, with very low carbonation.
Dec 30, 2021
Photo of VABA
Reviewed by VABA from Virginia

4.65/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Pours a dark brown color with a slight head and lacing
Aroma has intense vanilla, peaches, cherries and Oak hints
The taste follows the nose with very well balanced and complex vanilla, peaches, cherries and Oak flavors
A medium bodied decently carbonated beer
A very well balanced great Strong Ale
Dec 22, 2021
Photo of REVZEB
Reviewed by REVZEB from Illinois

4.46/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Aged 5 years. Solid opaque brown pour with no head at all. Smell is typical HoD with defined and complex yeast, caramel, dark fruit galore, barrel and toasty earth. Taste is essentially the nose plus a holiday like flair with the peach and cherry meeting the booze, elements of fred with the malt are strong in the finish. Feel is warm, chewy, medium bodied, and finishes boozy. A delicious spin on a great strong ale, thought the fruit elevated and made the sip a touch more delicate
Dec 13, 2021
Photo of darktronica
Reviewed by darktronica from Indiana

4/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
2016 12-oz bottle. Murky, violet brown, with a thin quarter-finger of head from an aggressive pour. Signs of oxidation on the nose, with hints of black tea and musty paper towels underneath plum, yeast roll, and leather. The stone fruits still shine through on the palate, though, like a bourbon barrel-aged jam. Lightly carbonated.
Nov 28, 2021
Photo of mushroomcloud
Reviewed by mushroomcloud from Texas

3.99/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
2016 vintage. Opened 9-13-21.
Barely any head and only the remnants of a ring last longer than a minute.
Orange-amber color with limited clarity.
Wet wood, initial old malt notes and leather but some brighter fruit (cherry) behind it all in the aroma.
Vanilla and brown sugar as it warms.
Initial flavor is wood and some of the "old" flavor but then I get a surprisingly bright and lingering red cherry that takes over. Continues to be some weird flavors underneath as the beer warms but the goods here are the fruit flavors that continue to shine through after 5 years - bright red cherry and syrupy sweet peach.
Full body, slick mouthfeel, and light carbonation. Long sweet-ish finish with some mellow heat.
Very Good.
Sep 14, 2021
Photo of BMBCLT
Rated by BMBCLT from South Carolina

4.68/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
2016 Vintage
Sep 01, 2021
Photo of thebeers
Reviewed by thebeers from Pennsylvania

4.26/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Pours a very murky, plum-brown color with a pencil thin cap of near-white head that quickly dissipates into a just-as-thin crown.

Interesting mix of aromas, including peach, plum, cherry, baseball mitt, vanilla, oak and gym socks, but also pine, juniper and licorice — evoking some sort of Scandinavian Christmas liquor.

What’s intriguing in the nose is challenging at first in the taste. Again, there’s strong rotten fruit and vanilla up front, joined quickly by an equally strong blast of north forest elements (pine, spruce tips, juniper, wood) and a good smack of alcohol.

On the light side of medium bodied, with a nice slickness to the feel, and a burst of lively carbonation upon swallowing.

Totally unique and highly enjoyable. 2016 vintage.
Aug 14, 2021
Photo of tdm168
Reviewed by tdm168 from Pennsylvania

4.37/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Bottled 2016.

Pours a dark plum-ish amber with a short cap of off white head that fades quickly. The aroma is rich - cherries, vanilla, oak, candy sugar, peaches. Sugary sweet with notes of peach preserves, cherries, candy sugar, vanilla, and oak. Tremendous! Full bodied with very light carbonation.
Aug 06, 2021
Photo of DIM
Reviewed by DIM from Pennsylvania

4.26/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25
2016 purchased from HOTD online recently.

I opened this a week after it was delivered so most of the sediment settled, leaving me a slightly hazy golden amber colored liquid in the glass. No visible floaties or particulate. I got a smallish head that quickly faded to a ring.

Aromas of mellow, ripe peaches and cherries. Faint barrel as well, leather and muted bourbon. This really opens up the more I sip. The fruits are there, a bit more cherry than peach, soaked in bourbon with a hint of vanilla. I'm also getting graham cracker and a really satisfying honey note. Lots more going on here that I can't describe. The body is a little thin.
Jul 07, 2021
Photo of jrc1093
Reviewed by jrc1093 from Connecticut

3.78/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
2016 vintage; consumed on 5/7/21

Pours a relatively clear, pale ruby red hue before the latter half of the bottle drops a heavy dose of chunky sediment to muddle the body; a soft half-finger of ultra-pale, off-white foam appears for a moment before quickly fading to a substantial, frothy collar, minimal cap, and no lacing holding to the walls of the glass.

Aroma opens with bittersweet bakers chocolate sporting cherry ester accents into a stone fruit brightness tying in peach and apricot; a tinge of black currant over the middle, while cherry takes a unique turn toward the medicinal, taking on tones of brandy and embracing intermittent vanillins for supplementary sweetness.

Taste offers initial impressions of stewed stone fruits steadily pulling back a layer of medicinal peach sporting a hint of moss, with dried oak and moist whiskey barrel coming to fruition from the background over the mid-palate and soft bakers chocolate and baked pear marking the back end of the profile.

Mouthfeel has a medium body with subtle, moderate carbonation guiding towards a pillowy peak of boozy heat and oily pseudo-resins over the mid-palate and into back end; a sly, level texture belying the beer's weight and evidence of beneficial time in the bottle is coaxed into the finish, while light char and a mild-moderate warmth sneaks through past the swallow.

While 5 years in the bottle has undoubtedly toned this one down, it maintains a core character with consistency and subtle waves of HotD's signature offbeat strong ale composition; fruity esters (extra fruity this time), a medicinal twang, and warming barrel tucked neatly in the background to ease the beer to the character of a more traditional, calm sipper.
May 08, 2021
 
Rated: 4.34 by snowmageddon from Massachusetts

Apr 26, 2021
Photo of BBThunderbolt
Reviewed by BBThunderbolt from Kiribati

4.15/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.5
Thanks to John_M for this one. 2013 vintage. 12oz bottle poured into 14oz teku. Poured a dark brown with a slight reddish light, and had just a thin cap of head that immediately dissipated and left no lacing

As soon as I cracked the cap, a nice fruit scent burst from the bottle. Upon further olfactory perusal, cherry seemed dominant, with some peach and wood notes as well.

Very similar on the tongue, just expanded and fuller, with just a touch of alcohol heat.

The body was just a touch less than full, smooth, had low carbonation (but, wasn't completely still), and had a semi-sweet finish.

Drinkability was awesome, not a quaffer, a sipper for sure.

Overall, another great job from HotD. A must-try if you can.
Nov 02, 2020
 
Rated: 4.29 by jason_nwx from Oregon

Sep 27, 2020
 
Rated: 3.89 by rab53 from Washington

May 11, 2019
Otto From The Wood from Hair Of The Dog Brewing Company / Brewery And Tasting Room
Beer rating: 94 out of 100 with 263 ratings