Hair Of The Dog Adam

Tonight’s selection is another beer that I never thought I’d get to try, but was sitting in the cold case in California and it was the last bottle. Again, apologies on the glass, but living out of a hotel is rough.

ABV: 10%

Style: Old Ale

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “Adam is a recreation of a historic beerstyle. Originally made in Dortmunder, Germany, it was the first beer I produced when I opened Hair of the Dog. Rich in flavor, Adam is best served as a dessert beer. It is great with chocolate or cigars, or just a warm fire and good company. It has 10% alcohol by volume and 50 IBUs.”

Random: This is the 15th Old Ale I’ve reviewed.

This beer poured with a thick, two finger, tan head that dissipated slowly. It left lots of lacing on the glass and a crown as well. The body was slightly hazy with visible detritus and was a brilliant mahogany color with red notes. There was light carbonation visible. The nose was smoky with leather, ash, tobacco, dark chocolate and toasted hazelnuts. This was complex for sure. The taste was intense. It started with figs and leather and quickly went into the smoke note with ash. There was also tobacco and peat with cocoa powder. The body was thick with almost no carbonation on it. It had a lengthy, warm finish with chocolate and peat. A bottle of this was expensive at $9.99 ($.83 per ounce). This beer was really interesting and had a lot of different flavors working in concert. I would have this again, no doubt.

Untappd Rating: 4.5/5.0

Hair Of The Dog Fred

While I was in California, there was a small beer store that I found that had a bunch of hidden gems in the cold case. When I saw this beer, I knew it was coming back to the room with me, since I never thought I’d get a chance to try it.

ABV: 10%

Style: American Strong Ale

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “Fred was created to honor beer writer and historian Fred Eckhardt. Fred is a big inspiration for me and many other brewers. Fred’s work in all-grain brewing and beer styles helped me become a better brewer. Fred the beer is a deep golden color. It is made with aromatic and rye malts and includes 10 different hop varieties in an effort to incorporate the whole world into this beer. It has 10% alcohol by volume and 65 IBUs. We hope that Fred will inspire you to share your knowledge with others as Fred has with us.”

Random: I know the beer is not meant to be consumed out of this glass, but it was either this or a plastic cup. The joys of traveling.

The brew poured with no head on top of a cloudy, golden-yellow body. There wasn’t any visible carbonation but lots of sediment floating throughout the body. The nose was boozy with a lot of heat. There was also a syrupy sweetness from a ton of candi sugar. The taste was also very boozy. It had a medicinal note that reminded me of a yellow cold medicine I took as a child and had to be bribed with chocolate to consume. It had the same thick, cloying sugar note. The body reminded me of an aged spirit. It was thick and syrupy with no carbonation and a significant burn on the throat. The finish was insanely long with the same medicinal sugar note. A bottle of this was expensive at $11.99 ($1 per ounce). Don’t get me wrong, I was glad to say that I tried this, but it just wasn’t my thing. I don’t know if it needed more age or it was a bad bottle, but I didn’t enjoy it.

Untappd Rating: 3.0/5.0