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

Bourbon Fred From The WoodBourbon Fred From The Wood
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Hair Of The Dog Brewing Company / Brewery And Tasting Room
 
Oregon, United States
Style:
American Strong Ale
ABV:
12%
Score:
91
Avg:
4.09 | pDev: 12.71%
Reviews:
136
Ratings:
473
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Apr 24, 2023
Added:
Jul 25, 2009
Wants:
  232
Gots:
  132
Bottles (12 oz) released November 2011
Batch 2 bottles (12oz) released July 2012.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Cynic-ale:
Photo of Cynic-ale
Rated by Cynic-ale from Texas

3.75/5  rDev -8.3%

Oct 14, 2013
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.87 by vfgccp from New York

Apr 24, 2023
 
Rated: 4.25 by paulish from New York

Apr 23, 2023
 
Rated: 4.59 by QuakeAttack from California

Jun 22, 2022
Photo of DIM
Reviewed by DIM from Pennsylvania

4.65/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
2012 purchased recently from HotD.

This was a bright, clear golden tinted Amber colored and poured with a short, but long lasting head. Great looking beer!

So much going on here, it's layered, complex, and subtle. It's softly sweet overall, orange, toffee, marshmallow, bourbon, and more. The finish adds a gentle oaky tingle.

It's amazing how good this is after 10 years, glad I got to try this.
May 17, 2022
Photo of REVZEB
Reviewed by REVZEB from Illinois

4.41/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Cellared bottle. Orangey brown murky pour, no head. Bourbon, oak, soft caramel, apricot, and oxidized must, with soggy brown bread and flowers in the nose, light and airy all together. Taste takes all of that and adds candied orange peel, tootsie roll, and toffee. Everything is so artfully layered into a great complexity. Lighter and oh so smooth body, though languid and moderately warm, it makes you sip given the complexity. Refreshing to have a strong ale that isn't just booze to the face. The wife loved it
Jun 05, 2021
Photo of StonedTrippin
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

3.76/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
2011 vintage, i think someone left this at my house a long time ago, but since i couldnt remember exactly and its been around a real long time, i thought it was high time to drink this, especially on a freezing windy rainy cold fall night, this certainly warmed me up. i know a lot of the hair of the dog beers are built for extended ageing, some even intentionally uncarbonated, i assume this is one of those. is hazy pale amber color from the little bottle and near still, just some thin patchy lace at the edges, some sediment towards the bottom, quite viscous, but lighter in color overall than i think i was expecting. with all the hype around this, i think i was hoping for me, but this didnt do for me what it clearly has done for others. enjoyable as a sort of pale barleywine type, but maybe its older than is ideal, even without any real oxidation to it, surprising for being almost ten years old. in the aroma and flavor i get a ton of caramel, butterscotch, raisin, and sweet bourbon, still lots of residual sugar here despite the age. there is an appreciable yeast element too, bready and cooked and loosely english. strong vanilla to finish, somewhat mellowed alcohol but still obviously enormous. this just overall tastes like old strong ale without being particularly distinctive or special to me, good sure, but not unique at this point in its evolution, and while i enjoyed it, especially in the context of this weather, it really didnt wow me like i expected based on the stoke levels other people seem to have for it. a little more in a single bottle than i needed too, but it was a cool experience to have this legendary brew finally, it was just a bit lost on me unfortunately...
Nov 16, 2020
 
Rated: 4.75 by NickThePyro from Washington

May 09, 2019
 
Rated: 4.16 by PhineasMcClintock from Massachusetts

May 07, 2019
 
Rated: 3.82 by Dactrius from Netherlands Antilles

Feb 09, 2019
Photo of npolachek
Reviewed by npolachek from New York

4.12/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Solid red color. Tastes of bourbon as well as rye. Almost like a bourbon in a beer. Tastes are complex with some earthiness and raisins. Mouthfeel is smooth.
Jan 06, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by grapeshops from California

Dec 22, 2018
 
Rated: 4.1 by shelby415 from Oregon

Sep 29, 2018
Photo of Radcpa
Reviewed by Radcpa from Washington

4.31/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Reddish amber appearance with little head. Aroma is a very strong bourbon with a slight fruit. Taste is also a strong bourbon with the smooth taste of alcohol. I recommend aging for a year or so.
Apr 18, 2018
 
Rated: 4.4 by Docrock from Illinois

Apr 15, 2018
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

3.46/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
Bottle from Jeremy, side by side with Fred from the Wood.. Medium Amber, flat pour. Woody, boozy aroma. Taste too is dried dark fruit, raisins, tobacco. Not as big as expected, and no comparison to FFTW.
Apr 01, 2018
Photo of joe1510
Reviewed by joe1510 from Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
12oz Bottle

2017 Bottling

Huge thanks to Phil for the bottle! Bourbon Fred from the Wood isn't the prettiest of beers. It's a muddied rusty red with some orange highlights, opaque. It looks a lot like unfiltered apple cider. It's also still, which is a little concerning. Not a bubble to be found.

Whew. That's some rich, potent smelling, complex smellin' beer. Let's start with the bourbon aspect. It's well integrated. Plush notes of caramel, marshmallow, oak, and a whisper of coconut. Golden raisins, toffee, butterscotch, and brown suger make up the nearly neverending malt profile. This stuff smells like a rich dessert.

Holy shit, this beer is good. Complex and delicious. Toffee and golden raisins get it movin'. They got an incredible amount of expression from the bourbon barrels; huge caramel, damp oak, toasted coconut, cotton candy, and a healthy dose of pecan. Brandy macerated cherries pop up here, butterscotch pops up there along with a rich sugar quality, sorghum. This beer almost borders on liquid stollen. There's sweetness present but the tannic barrel and booziness cleans it up.

If ever there was a beer that possibly does better still than not, it's Bourbon Fred from the Wood. As a matter of fact, it fits so well that I forgot it was still until I got to this here mouthfeel portion. The weight sits between full and moderate. A little sweetness hits upfront before being sucked dry by barrel tannins and a clean booziness. A barely noticeable numbness gathers on the tongue after a few drinks, I can't tell if it's alcohol related or hop related, probably alcohol. This beer is a sipper for sure, based on the size and ample barrel presence.

Hair of the Dog makes some great beer. This one is no exception. I'm assuming they failed on the carbonation aspect but it's not a noticeable flaw, actually it works. This beer is hugely complex and hugely delicious. What a great combination of flavors. Bourbon Fred from the Wood is a perfect example of why Hair of the Dog has always so fascinated me. It's unique, but old school. Powerful, yet nuanced. Really great stuff. Thanks again, Phil!
Mar 18, 2018
Photo of Lingenbrau
Reviewed by Lingenbrau from Oregon

4.32/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
2017, from the bottle.

I'm a bit nervous as Bourbon Fred From the Wood's cap is popped. Nothing. The most vigorous pour, and still completely flat. It's opaque rust colored body reminds me of dark tea saturated with honey. As one would expect, no head, no lacing.

My fear tightens a bit with the first whiff. Though enjoyable, the bourbon smells of peated scotch and slightly acidic...sour. A caramel sugary presence lays underneath, but not much else.

My fear suddenly subsides. The bourbon is absolutely the dominant variable, but wonderful notes of nutty toffee, golden raisins, oak, and a light smoke blend turn skepticism into absolute joy. And to top it off, delicious bursts of wildflower honey and ginger bring this to euphoric.

Yes, there is no carbonation, but it works. The smooth and slightly syrupy body are exactly what that flavor needs as a platform to take away all other distractions. It is sweet, but comes close to balanced thanks to a touch of smoke and a soft hop spice.

Proof that you should never judge a book by its cover, nor a dog by its jowls, Bourbon Fred From the Wood is just phenomenal. I'm not gonna lie, if I ever get this again, that lack of pressure relief will scare the shit out of me. But I'll trust it, just like I have trusted everything else from Hair of the Dog. Cheers!
Feb 21, 2018
 
Rated: 4.28 by MaximumYuks from Oregon

Nov 07, 2017
Photo of grover37
Rated by grover37 from District of Columbia

3.81/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
A bit better in July 2019


3.52 in Oct 2017
Oct 04, 2017
Bourbon Fred From The Wood from Hair Of The Dog Brewing Company / Brewery And Tasting Room
Beer rating: 91 out of 100 with 473 ratings