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

Had on tap. Orange body with a white cap with sporadic lacing. Aromas of hibiscus, belgian yeast, honey, candi sugar, and then the pink peppercorns final come out to play. Taste has more banana and yeast leading with honey, flower petals, hibiscus, coriander, and lemon mixed in, not the most defined. Light yeast shapes the body, airy, yet finishes flat. Solid but more interesting than good

On tap at the brewery tasting room today.

The beer pours an orange amber color with good head retention and lacing all around. The nose is intriguing, as I pick up sandalwood, light honey and maybe some coriander. The flavor profile is even better, with the honey flavor front and center. Otherwise, the flavor profile replicates the nose pretty closely. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, with some surprising dryness and light bitterness on the finish. There's something of a light rosewater component on the finish that is intriguing. Alcohol is very well integrated into the flavor profile, and so drinkability is pretty damn good. In fact, this beer is so delicious and easy drinking, I'm tempted to order another glass (even though no good could come of that).

The low review scores on BA make no sense to me (but of course, each to their own). At least fresh and on tap at the brewery tasting room, this is terrific stuff. Impressive.

One caveat... At least based on what I tried in the tasting room, this is not a beer I would expect to age well. As always, YMMV.

Hazy amber-orange with a persistent white blanket leaving creamy arms of lace on the glass.

Rose has a really woody smell, of the dried variety, with some bready banana funk and hibiscus.

The strange breadiness, sort of like corn bread, comes through in flavor too, with a rosy funk. Slightly tart, but also a little hot and phenolic, with a light black pepper accent, all via a frothy soft body and a dry finish.

On tap at Beavertown Extravaganza. Aroma is malty with dark fruits, mostly berries and some yeast funk. Taste has bitter damp wood, quite bland and watery.

 

 

December 2016 Rose is a farmhouse Alex with hibiscuses ans peppercorn.
Pours a pinkish amber color with ligh head ring.
Lots of floral notes - hibiscus, cherry, fruity.
Sweet and slightly tart. Floral and fruity smell carries over. Lightly hopped.
Malty fruity finish. Very nice.
Medium carbonation, smooth.

 

 

Brought on a darker than expected color, pretty much amber. Good thick 3/4" white head. Aroma hit some alcoholic citrus notes. The beer at this point might has well have been an ipa in my mind.

Hot alcohol on the taste, pepper, spice rack, coriander, lots of yeasty impact. A lot going on, pale honey malts, light sweetness, lots of yeast in the mouthfeel, and through and through, plenty of hot alcohol not hidden.

The 2016 version. On tap at the brewery

A: A clear pink/plum color with very little head or lacing.

S: Belgian yest, candied sugar, honey. Floral and fruity.

T: Comes on sweet, strong and Belgian tasty. A floral/fruitiness featuring honey, caramel and Belgian yeast. Yummy.

M: Low to medium with medium carbonation.

O: I love this 2016 version. Highly drinkable.

 

 

 

 

like everyone else - batch 34. Over 12 years old.

I swear this beer tastes like watered down Adam. Leathery, smokey, malty.

But it's not.

I cannot taste any Belgium Triple like charactor in this but it's still tasty.

I am just writing this so people can ignore the label on this brew. It tastes nothing like a triple.

 

 

 

 

Batch 34.

Pours a barleywine copper with a minimal head and quite a bit of yeast sediment.

Smell is huge caramel and toffee, slight bit of alcohol and creme brule.

Taste is creamy and sweet, sugar, caramel, a bit of fruit and Belgium yeast.

A bit bready on the finish. Fantastic, I don’t think it’s past prime at all.

 

 

 

Shared by BucketBoy. Thanks Joe.

Golden Rose
Batch 12

The beer is murky, rust orange with no head. The aroma brings some oxidation, well water, earth, mineral. Smooth feel. Very low carbonation. Earthy, mineral water, basement funk. This beer tastes old. Watery mouthfeel. Fun to try, but this is past its prime.

 

Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. A properly cellared bottle of Batch 34 from 2002. Pours a dark hazy orange amber with a half finger off-white head with good retention and lacing. Aroma of caramel malt, dark dried fruit, light oxidation. Flavor is rich caramel, caramel malt, dark and dried fruit; sweet and noticeably oxidized, but very mellow and pleasant to drink. Sherry like flavors and an odd woody element that is certainly not from barrel aging. Excellent medium body with nice creaminess, great mouth feel. I have been put off by some of the oxidation flavors in other aged beers, but in this one it fit perfectly. I'm blown away that a 7.5% beer has stood up for over 10 years. I'm delighted I found this and was able to taste this fine aged beer.

 

 

 

 

 

12oz bottle poured into a HotD Tulip. Batch 34.

A - Pours a dark cloudy orange with a few floaters. A fluffy light tan head with good retention.

S - Booze, dark cherry, ripe fruit, molasses, maybe candy sugars.

T - Fruity, almost Sherry like, lots of ripe cherry. Some alcohol. I don't really get much oxidization for a beer that is this old (10 years).

D - Good carbonation! and a heavier to medium body.

O - Wow! Fruity, sweet candy, and somehow soothing. I want more!

12oz bottle (batch 34, believed to be at least 10 years old) into a tulip. Cap pops off with a vigorous pfft! - a welcome departure from a couple recent HotD beers I've had. A good start.

Pours a clear amber w/ a 1-finger white head that settles gradually. Wisps of sediment and chunks from the final 5% of the bottle slowly settle to the bottom of the glass.

Aroma is sweet and fruity. Candi sugar, dried apricots, fermented sugary fruits, and a hint of rum. Booze more prominent as it warms.

Taste is surprisingly less sweet than the nose. Crystal & caramel malts, candi sugar, fermented fruits. Has almost a grapelike quality, semi-dry. Possibly a bit oxidized, to be expected.

Mouthfeel is coating and smooth, dry. Vanishes off the tongue.

Overall an interesting take on a tripel. Not sure what this would have been like fresh or how time has altered it - but I'm glad I had a chance to try it.

Batch 24. Pours a lightly hazy rose with a small white ring. Nose is hugely malty with caramel, leafy oxidation. Flavor is pretty much an elegantly oxidized malty American barley wine. Feel is watery with light carbonation. Some nice malty toffee and raisin richness here flavor is actually good, but the feel is so watery with such light carbonation that it's difficult to enjoy.

 

12oz bottle, batch 2. Poured into Narke tulip.

A - Pours a reddish/brown color, cream-colored head, thin collar.

S - Dark fruits, oxidation, sweet malty notes, slight caramel. Smells pretty good for being such an old beer, but there is some of the oxidation and watery notes that come with a bottle this old.

T - Similar to the nose, but a little less impressive. Mostly, dark fruits, light caramel, and oxidation. Some muddled tobacco notes in there as well.

M - Light body, good carbonation, creamy finish.

O - Well, it was actually better then I was expecting. Fun to try a beer with this age, but it's well past its prime at this point. Glad I could try something this old, but don't go crazy trying to track the older vintages down.

Batch 2, shared by Sean. The label calls this Golden Rose, but I'm assured it is the same beer.

A - Suprisingly nice carbonation for a beer that is nearly 15 years old. Light tan foam sizzles to some wisps, a thick collar, and a few spots of lace. Murky orange-brown body that's appropriate for the style.

S - This has some significant oxidation, and faint notes of dishwater and savory sauces. That being said, it still has some nice fruity and spicy Belgian yeast and sweet malty notes to it. There's thankfully little in the way of cardboard.

T - Again, the tripel character has held up remarkably well, with nice honey malts, floral spices, and Belgian yeast character. Finish is somewhat hollow and oxidized unfortunately, but there aren't any off-flavors.

M - Medium body, lower carbonation, and no carbonation. A tad heavy for the style and ABV, but not major problems here.

D - Unfortunately there's a bit too much 'old beer' flavor for this to be an aging success. That being said, I'd have confidence that some of Hair of the Dog's higher ABV offerings from this era are still enjoyable, as well as mid-2000s vintages of Rose. A fun beer to try, but I'd recommend saving yo' money.

This poured out as a cloudy looking brew with a yellowish color and a white head on top. The smell of the beer had some Belgian aromas to it along with some floral and herbal notes as well. The taste of the beer was a little fruity with a semi-sweet bitterness in the finish. The mouthfeel of this beer was easy to drink, it went down smooth. Overall it wasn't my favorite from HotD but I'm happy that I got to try it before it had become a retired brew.