Bob
Hair Of The Dog Brewing Company / Brewery And Tasting Room

Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Hair Of The Dog Brewing Company / Brewery And Tasting Room
 
Oregon, United States
Style:
Wild Ale
ABV:
5%
Score:
96
Avg:
4.52 | pDev: 7.74%
Reviews:
12
Ratings:
22
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Nov 24, 2013
Added:
Dec 04, 2009
Wants:
  19
Gots:
  0
"This Beer is named in memory of Robert Farrell Jr. November 1946 - July 2008, gone but not forgotten. It was aged for over three years in an old American oak barrel, originally used for Fred from the Wood. He has matured with Apricots, Cherries and Raspberries for 15 months. Draft only."
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 4.75 by mantissa from Oregon

Nov 24, 2013
Photo of derftron
Reviewed by derftron from Oregon

4.86/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
20th Anniversary Event

Awesome awesome beer. Why he stopped making this I will never know. I swear I tasted 3 different fruits. Cherries-Raspberries-and Apricots all hit my palate. Not overly sour (which I also enjoy) so this was nothing like some of the Cascade/Russian River beers out there. Had a link sour/funk to it, but mostly was just a supremely well balanced wild ale.

Another from the Event that I really enjoyed. I feel bad for those that didnt get any in time. Alan should seriously release this once a year in the summer. Great great beer
Nov 11, 2013
 
Rated: 4.75 by drummermattie02 from Texas

Nov 11, 2013
 
Rated: 4.75 by Dajtai007 from Texas

Nov 11, 2013
 
Rated: 4.5 by CaptainQ from Washington

Nov 11, 2013
 
Rated: 4.5 by jpbebeau from Washington

Nov 11, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by kscaldef from Oregon

Nov 11, 2013
Photo of black13
Reviewed by black13 from Oregon

4.65/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
On tap at HOTD 20th Anniversary party.

Orange-peach in appearance with minimal bubbles fluffing around the edges. The lighting wasn't the best, but it still had a nice color when held up to a light. The nose was has a fabulous tartness to it, with raspberries being the dominant player here, although it could be tart cherries as well. The apricots were not present to me. Taste is where this one shines through. Just enough tartness mixed in with some funkiness makes this one a delight. It had mild acidity, but not a burner by any means, and finishes with a nice dry tartness. There was minimal carbonation but I felt it was just right for this beer. Mouthfeel was quite full, greeting your palate with a wonderful tarness that was just right. Overall, I think Alan needs to make more of this, one of the best wilds/sours I've had. With it's mild acidity and pleasant tartness, I could drink this all day. Well done!
Nov 10, 2013
Photo of DefenCorps
Reviewed by DefenCorps from Oregon

4.09/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
On tap at the HotD 20th today.

Reddish orange there's a bit of a white head that falls off quickly. The nose has a beautiful raspberry character, fragrant with seedy tannins and a sharp strawberry note. Super yum. The apricots have fallen off here. A little lactic acidity is present, as is honey and a minimal funk note. The palate is sour with the fruit dominating with a clean lactic, yogurty bite. A touch of seedy,raspberry-like solvent character is present. Drying and lactic on the finish with some tannins present, the fruit expression here is just sublime. Yum
Nov 10, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by Phobicsquirrel from Oregon

Nov 10, 2013
 
Rated: 4.75 by Anonymous1 from Illinois

Nov 10, 2013
Photo of Sarlacc83
Reviewed by Sarlacc83 from Oregon

4.47/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
On tap 2-24-12. Reviewed from notes.

A: Deep orange with thin white lacing.

N: Sharp raspberry tartness with the apricots mixed in. I don't get a lot of cherries, though.

T: Delicious. Blood oranges, apricots, tons of raspberries. There's a small amount of acetone here, but it adds to the experience in the way you'd hope for in an American Wild.

M: Effervescent and crisp. Once this hits the tongue, it expands across the palate and the roof of my mouth. Aggressive.

Overall: A great experience, and one that I really appreciated. I missed this every other time it was on tap, so this was my last shot, and I suppose that added a couple points to my review. Still, this beer really works and Alan should make some more.
Mar 04, 2012
 
Rated: 4.5 by twowheelssoar from North Carolina

Feb 27, 2012
 
Rated: 5 by scray24 from Colorado

Nov 28, 2011
Photo of jdense
Reviewed by jdense from Oregon

4.42/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Enjoyed at HOTD Sean Paxton dinner OBF week, 7.30.11, served from firkin, poured into HOTD tasting glasses.

Minimal if any head, thin ring of off-white foam around edge of glass. Cloudy yellow gold body, no visible carbonation, floaties present. Impressive and complex nose, I pick up some peach and/or apricots, a bit of zingy lemon funk, pretty fruity. Taste is fruit forward up front, building to a tart middle and pretty dry finish all the while the fruity sweetness finds a pleasant balance. Mouthfeel is medium, no effervescence whatsoever. I wish the Top Dog would do more American Wilds. I was lucky to be able to try this (especially with Humboldt Fog, one of America's best cheeses). Impressive. I'm glad Alan pulled this out of the vaults for this special occasion.
Aug 05, 2011
Photo of msubulldog25
Reviewed by msubulldog25 from Oregon

4.44/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Embelished upon from notes:
Although it had been tipped off that this would be poured at the "An Evening with Alan and Sean" HotD Dinner held last Thursday (7/28/11), it was still surprising to try this rarity, alongside a hearty portion of pasta, Humboldt Fog cheese and 'head meat' (lamb and pork... I won't go into specifics, but the dish was called 'Tongue & Cheek'; served alongside 'Michael'). Poured to a 4 oz. taster, topped off midway through. I first posted this as 'on-tap' but a re-read of other recent reviews (similar traits) and a general, if hazy, recollection of a metal firkin briefly gawked at as we left led to the 'cask' retagging.

Alan mentioned in his intro that this was only the 3rd time that this beer had been served at a public event.

A: Grungy (a few chunky bits) and almost headless, just a slim bubble ring; skim of gauzy/broken film. A tawny pour with hints of rosiness. Hard to tell if there's much carbonation - it's just so murky, but from what I can tell there's very little bubbliness left.

S: Big, pungent sweet/tart aroma... skewing well toward 'tart'. Its lemon-lime and tart berry funk causes my eyes to squint. Besides pure nose-twitching sourness, there are sweeter moments and woody/barrel/vinous whiffs, too. Complex beyond words.

T: Tangy, earthy. A slightly metallic sweetness, but ever-present (almost dominating) citrus comes in waves, a surprising/tantalizing sugary fruit (sour grape, cherry, apricot). Doughy background, sourdough rather.

M: Surprisingly mellow and exceedingly smooth, very tight carbonation. Creamy almost, despite all its tartness and pucker-inducing qualities. Sort of viscous, light-medium body. Of course that juiciness/tartness kicks the salivary glands into high gear, drool ensues.

O: A remarkable beer; gorgeously tart, a terrific example of 'American Wild' in a concise pour. Balance is spot-on; even my wife (who's just beginning to enjoy sour ales) was a fan at first sip. Not sure if this will be around again, but an absolute joy to try and a must for fans of the style. (By the way, it paired wonderfully with the funky Humboldt Fog cheese and fatty meats it was served with).
Aug 03, 2011
Photo of John_M
Reviewed by John_M from Washington

4.39/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Well this was unexpected. To top off the end of OBF 2011, HOTD put on a firkin of Bob and a keg of Adam from the wood. Sampled on 7/31/11... between this and the Adam, I was starting to reconsider just how badly I needed to catch my morning flight back to Baltimore on 8/1/11.

Bob pours a slightly hazy, glowing golden amber color with red highlights. There is no lacing in this beer, and head retention is pretty much nonexistent. The beer is close to being completely still. The nose, of course, is just mindblowing, with considerable wine, apricots, light cherry, roses and a hint of sour funk. The sour is more noticeable on the palate, and there's an interesting spritziness that I pick up on the finish. The beer otherwise shows some interesting fruit and rose petal flavor that marries quite well with the wine and sour. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, with a complex mix of sweet and sour on the finish. Alcohol level is a meaningless concept in this beer. It could have been anywhere from 5% to 10%, and I doubt I could have told the difference. However, I am glad to see that it is not all that high.

Never thought I'd get to try this beer again, especially on cask. Amazing stuff...
Aug 02, 2011
Photo of grittybrews
Reviewed by grittybrews from Washington

4.5/5  rDev -0.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Enjoyed this batch of 2009 Bob from a cask in July 2011.

Poured a rich orange-amber into a tulip with very little head and lots of dark floaties. "Pretty" isn't the first word that comes to mind but I was eager to start sipping. Mild, tart cherry aroma with some honey and apricot.

Interesting mouthfeel -- it has the low carbonation of a cask beer but it's fairly rich, full, and the carbonation seems to spike with a bonus tingle right as you swallow. The flavors are great -- honey, orange, tangerine, slight funk, and lingering sour cherry on the finish.

Huge flavors for such a "light" beer -- I feel lucky to have tried this one. Wonderful balance of sweet, tart, and funk.
Jul 26, 2011
Photo of vkv822
Reviewed by vkv822 from Oregon

4.07/5  rDev -10%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
cask pour into tulip snifter at the Hair of the Dog Tasting Room/Brewery.

Pours a beautiful dark grapefruit pulp color with no head and a few large floaties. No visible carbonation. The color makes me want to give a higher grade but the total lack of foam/floaties keep from doing so.

The aroma is tart and fruity, with also quite vinous qualities I'm assuming are coming from the barrel aging.

The taste is also tart upfront, with more vinous and fruity notes. The cherries are the most prominant fruit, with the apricot coming in second.

Despite the appearance it has a good level of crisp carbonation and a medium body.

Very nice to try a sour ale from one of my favorite breweries, and though nothing about it is outstanding it was still a very enjoyable sour that I am very glad to have tried.
Jul 24, 2011
Photo of ccrida
Reviewed by ccrida from Oregon

4.94/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Served in a snifter at big wood, Bob is ruby with a small eggshell head.

Smell is oaky, vinous, sweet, leafy and musty, with notes of cedar and tobacco. Wow, very nice, super complex.

Taste is also incredible, a great cherry sweet tart flavor, but tempered with some funky notes of baryard, salt and soap. Killer.

Mouthfeel is slick and light bodied, with tight but fine carbonation.

Drinkability is exceptional. This is the best HOTD I've had by far, which is saying a lot. Then again I love fruit lambics and gueuze, and this is the first time he's really ventured there.
Jan 06, 2010
Bob from Hair Of The Dog Brewing Company / Brewery And Tasting Room
Beer rating: 96 out of 100 with 22 ratings