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

Jason

Massachusetts

2.83/5  rDev -20.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Presentation: 12 oz brown short twist off with no freshness date. Quick blurbs about the brewery and the beer on the label. Layer of sediment is very noticeable at the bottom.

Appearance: Fast frothing white head sadly dissipates to a thin ring of lace, even with careful pouring a substantial amount of yeast made it into the glass causing the brew to look very hazed with a pale yellowish golden hue.

Smell: Yeasty with a lemony herbal hop aroma with a touch of honey like malt in the nose as well.

Taste: Carbonation is low leaving a slickly creamy mouth feel. Very yeasty on the palate with a bite towards the back, hints of hop and malt are there but the blanket of yeast is so thick it clouds them. Touch of astringency comes from the malt that same time as the hops hit for a bite the pushes the yeast to the top. Finishes a touch dry with yeasty overtones.

Notes: Give this brew some better flocculating yeast and a bit more carbonation to bring some crispness to the table and you might have a good beer. Unfortunately this brew does not come close to fulfilling my needs and was a chore to drink.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2002 17:42:35 | More by Jason

popery

California

3.95/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a yellowish orange. Quite cloudy. There seems to be a nice layer of sediment at the bottom of the bottle. Medium head, white. Good lacing. Pretty good retention, as well. The aroma is gentle and pleasant. Floral notes with some grapes and peaches. It smells of honeysuckle and light, sweet fruit. Pale malt. Sugary. The taste is moderately dry. It starts with pale malt sweetness and a good amount of that fruity, floral hop flavor. Considering that the aroma is relatively weak, there's a surprising amount of hop flavor in the beer. Things dry out significantly in the finish. Bitterness is light. Mouthfeel is a bit fuller than expected. There's some body to the pale malt and lush hoppiness. Good beer. I'd like more aroma, but it has a very nice flavor. Easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 04:34:45 | More by popery

Stiffler

Oregon

3.5/5  rDev -2%

05-15-2013 02:26:21 | More by Stiffler

leftoverburrito

Oregon

3/5  rDev -16%

05-09-2013 01:00:47 | More by leftoverburrito

mattdbh

California

2.5/5  rDev -30%

05-08-2013 02:53:10 | More by mattdbh

jgluck

California

4/5  rDev +12%

05-07-2013 22:52:21 | More by jgluck

MoistPope

California

3.75/5  rDev +5%

05-07-2013 04:57:29 | More by MoistPope

Archemedies

Massachusetts

3.25/5  rDev -9%

04-25-2013 19:27:45 | More by Archemedies

SoCalBeerIdiot

California

3.25/5  rDev -9%

04-24-2013 00:57:21 | More by SoCalBeerIdiot

Kelp

New Hampshire

3.5/5  rDev -2%

04-23-2013 04:47:01 | More by Kelp

gueuzegossage

California

3.75/5  rDev +5%

04-22-2013 04:38:30 | More by gueuzegossage

Alieniloquium

Florida

3.65/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle poured into a pint glass. Screw top?! What the hell, HotD!

Appearance - Clear orange until the sediment flows in. Then its hazy and chunky. Small white head that only leaves some wisps and nice lacing.

Smell - Not what I expected. Mild hop aroma. Kinda floral. More impressed by the fruit character it has. Like pineapple. Smells kinda like a light tripel.

Taste - Again with the fruits. Banana comes through here. Some clove. A little bit of citrus. A little bit of graininess. Bitterness is pretty strong. Has a slight Belgian character here too.

Mouthfeel - Light and drinkable. Pretty bitter, but I don't mind it. Medium carbonation.

Overall - Interesting take that I rather enjoyed. Nothing like a standard pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 22:41:21 | More by Alieniloquium

slimntubbs

Pennsylvania

4.75/5  rDev +33.1%

04-21-2013 01:13:49 | More by slimntubbs

510a

Washington

3.25/5  rDev -9%

04-20-2013 16:32:22 | More by 510a

tswater

Colorado

4/5  rDev +12%

04-20-2013 02:36:49 | More by tswater

drgonzo2k2

California

3.75/5  rDev +5%

04-17-2013 13:47:00 | More by drgonzo2k2

Nzinger

Washington

3.75/5  rDev +5%

04-09-2013 01:43:12 | More by Nzinger

tobelerone

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -2%

04-08-2013 00:18:20 | More by tobelerone

GilGarp

Colorado

4.2/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Date stamp appears to say 06.12.13.

12 oz bottle served chilled into a tulip glass. Ruth is a hazy pale yellow color. There is a good bit of sediment but I left most of that in the bottle. The head is thin and settles immediately.

Aroma is unusual but really pleasant. It has a peaches and apricot combination but to much in the way of hops.

Flavor is more bitter than expected, given the aroma, but not overly so for an American pale ale. Bitter citrusy fruits and some of the same fruitiness from the aroma come through. A bit of a Belgian yeast character but I'm not sure what yeast was used. Probably their house strain.

It is light in body and nicely carbonated. It's well balanced and enjoyable if not a little unorthodox.

Overall a really nice pale ale. Underrated on this site.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2013 00:21:22 | More by GilGarp

604growler

British Columbia (Canada)

4/5  rDev +12%

03-27-2013 16:03:47 | More by 604growler

Jamison85

Indiana

4/5  rDev +12%

03-27-2013 05:24:13 | More by Jamison85

WDJersey

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +12%

03-17-2013 03:20:26 | More by WDJersey

HappyPappy2X

Oregon

4.34/5  rDev +21.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

App: Orange/gold, hazy (from lack of filtration?) Low head - can stand an aggressive pour.

Smell: Lychee, Slightly earthy, citrusy hops.

Taste: Pale malt slow forward, hops tartness grows with more malt sweetness, culminating in very well balanced mid and finish. Undertones of ripe pome fruit.

Mouthfeel: Highly effervescent feel without too much carbonation.

overall: Very quaffable, some complex aromas and character, but subtle enough that it can be ignored if desired. Cannot believe Bros gave it a 60. Unbelievable. How many times have they tried?

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2013 15:17:45 | More by HappyPappy2X

facundoCNB

New Jersey

3.59/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

first off, a screw off cap from such a highly rated brewery?? i'm confused. i pour this bottle into a tulip and it comes out a mango-like orange in color with tons of sediment floaties and a finger of head. i am not impressed. the smell is very citrusy with some bready malt. nothing interesting. the flavor is a bitter fruit-like flavor, grassy hops, caramel, kind of earthy bitterness. medium in body, low carbonation - i'll give it this much, it was refreshing and crisp.

not honestly all that impressed with my first experience from this brewery.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2013 03:35:10 | More by facundoCNB

gratefulbeerhead

Indiana

4/5  rDev +12%

03-11-2013 21:10:56 | More by gratefulbeerhead