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

 

2017 vintage

Hair Of The Dog and Omnipollo seems like a very odd collaboration. You have a super traditional brewery brewing (okay, brewed) old world styles and another that makes thick and heavily adjuncted beers. I, for one, welcome this chaos in the form of a vanilla maple Barleywine. Let’s see what it’s all about

Pours a ruddy burnt orange with a finger of creamy off white head that fades to a thin cap and leaves minimal lacing

The adjuncts are definitely present in the nose, but it runs over a traditional Barleywine base. I’m picking up on aromas of fig, sweet caramel, maple syrup, black cherry, biscuity malt, orange marmalade, vanilla, light molasses, and marzipan

This has a strange evolution in taste. It starts balanced before a wave of cloying sweetness comes in, eventually settling out to something nicer. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting toffee, black cherry, raisin, sweet caramel, vanilla, and light brown sugar. The swallow brings notes of sticky maple, fusel alcohol, marshmallow, fig, vanilla, sweet caramel, black cherry, and brandy

A medium body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a thin and sugary beer. Finishes sweet and a bit sticky but dries over time

This one is certainly odd. It’s definitely the worst I’ve had from HotD, but I don’t necessarily hate it. Just a strange execution that didn’t age well

2017 vintage - poured from a 12oz bottle into a snifter.

Clear fulvous liquid with a fizzy whisper of foam that is quickly silenced. Nearly still, no lacing, though the tears leave a viscous even sheen along the sides.

Maple sugar, with a wave of stewed fruit and faint tobacco in the nose. Focused and potent yet fugitive/fleeting.

Unctuous, chewy, spirit-heavy, woody palate entry - burnt sugar, fudge, and peppercorn unfurl into the lumbering dry finish. Vanilla and maple are present, but there is a medicinal savory edge to everything with leather, dandelion greens, and brandy notes. Very distinctive and unusual.

Medium bodied, warming, a bit sticky.

Singular, befuddling, and lingering.

really neat beer, huge thanks to my buddy for sharing, i didnt know this was a collaboration with omnipollo, cool! 2017 vintage here, obviously their beers age with the best of them, this still seems sort of fresh and young to me. its way more blonde than anticipated, and close to still looking, honey toned, muted, a touch hazy. the aroma is insane, almost overdone, cant believe its already been mellowing in the bottle for five years. huge maple notes right away, and with all the vanilla it takes on a very candied sweet desserty vibe, whiskey is forward too, accentuated by the vanilla as well, nutty grain underneath, caramelized engligh type malts, a bit of newer oak, honey, hot alcohol. the flavor is intense, and this is immediately a slow sipper, dripping maple top to bottom, intense, over the top, especially with all the vanilla in here, its sugary and sort of diabetic to me, more flavor than grain character, and the whiskey makes it strong, boozy, and adds some nice oak to the mix. subtle smoke, golden raisin, poached pear, sauternes, and apple rings. lighter body for a barleywine, mellow carbonation. the flavors are objectively good, and i have no doubt this is authentic maple syrup and vanilla beans, but its also dosed to the point that i think we lose some of the base barleywine, which is why we were into this one in the first place. i am a huge maple nut, so i expected to love this, and was surprised at myself for actually wishing that element was more restrained. stays on my teeth awhile, super sugary, they could have fermented this down to like 13% abv or something and it would be improved in my opinion. i reckon it will keep mellowing in the cellar indefinitely, i wish i had another bottle to test that theory on. we had an awesome hair of the dog lineup the other night, and while this was fun to share, it was not one of my favorites. i think the omnipollo flavor influence takes over a bit too much...

Apple cider color with no head. Very sweet at the nose, hints of maple and molasses. Taste is very sweet as well, brown sugar, maple, dark fruits, some apple with cinnamon spice, and trace bourbon. Indeed some notes of pineapple as described by HotD. Some alcohol warmth at the back end. Very smooth body, just little carbonation. A great beer overall! I absolutely love the complexity of this beer.

 

Maja 2017 from Hair of the Dog Brewing. Purchased on-line from the brewer. Stored at 37 degrees at home. Reviewed 17/08/22. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Bottle appears with only “2017” on the label, otherwise undated. Price for 12 oz bottle $ 21.81 (Including shipping) = $ 1.82/oz. Served at 56.1 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King Snifter. Final temperature 60.9 degrees.
Appearance – 3.5.
First pour – Pale Gold (SRM 4), slight haze (Bottle conditioned).
Body – Caramel, opaque. Under direct light, precipitate shows up on the inside of the glass. When rear-lite, translucent, still caramel. Some sediment sloshes about the bottom of the empty bottle and slides down the inside of the glass.
Head – Small (Maximum 1.5 cm, aggressive center pour), floral white, medium density, average retention. Diminishing to one to four mm bubble ring and an irregular thin island.
Lacing – None.
Aroma – 4 – Begins with a burst of sweet caramel apple when the cap is popped; this remains. No hops, no yeast.
Flavor – 4.25 – Follows the nose – caramel apple! No hops, no yeast. No ethanol (10.8 % ABV as marked on label) aroma or taste. Weak lower gastric warming. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl.
Palate – 3.5 – Medium, almost creamy, soft but lively carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 4 Five years old and still decent! Good flavor and nose. At the upper temperature level, the alcohol finally becomes noticeable enough to produce some esophageal discomfort.

12oz bottle (vintage 2019) into a tulip. Pours a dirty brownish dishwater color with almost no head. Not flat (always my greatest fear with HOTD) but maybe not highly carbonated either.

Aroma is a wonderful blend of maple, vanilla, candi sugar, stone fruit, alcohol, and bready malt.

Taste is likewise sweet and syrupy, fruity. Maple and vanilla prominent, a hint of spice. Smoky bourbon. Nice warming from the booze.

Mouthfeel is sticky and syrupy, chewy. About right for a barley wine.

Overall a tasty, complex beer.

2019 vintage. Poured into a Fremont small snifter. 2019 vintage. Pours a lightly hazy, medium brownish orange with a thin white head that dissipates to patches with slight lacing. Aroma of dry caramel malt, oak, vanilla, light bourbon and maple. Flavor is dry caramel and candi malt, vanilla, maple, raisins, dates and a touch of dried light stone fruit. Raisins, dry toffee and vanilla in the finish. Medium bodied with light creaminess. Medium bodied with light creaminess. A nice, fruity barleywine with both dark and light stone fruit character. I seem to be on an unusual streak of barleywines with some peach/apricot flavors and this is another, although this has more of the traditional dark dried fruit than the last few. The combination is winning. The maple and vanilla adjunct flavors are laid back, with vanilla the more dominant, and the both add interest to the flavor. The imminent demise of Hair of the Dog has had the bittersweet silver lining of a few quite uncommon bears coming out to the market and this was a welcome one. Sorry to see this brewery end its run. Although they had an odd reputation for erratic carbonation, they were great with these big styles like barleywines and old ales. My first introduction to these great styles were Fred and Adam. They will be missed. Super glad I could try Maja.

Cloudy brown with a tall slightly off-white airy head with short retention and no lacing (some strings of lacing as I tip the glass, but it slides quickly down into the beer). Well carbonated, lots of visible bubbles rising. By the time I’ve settled down to take a sip, the head has become a ring with mostly a still surface.

Very rich aroma; leather, vanilla, whiskey, and maple. It’s all there, and the aromas play nicely off each other.

The taste reflects the flavors from the aroma, with the vanilla being a bit more to the fore. Alcohol warming hits right away; in fact, it is anticipated as the aroma hits the roof of my mouth as I breath in just prior to taking a sip, reminiscent of a fine bourbon. The maple is subdued in the flavor. The barley wine leather is there. In general, it tends toward a sweet evening sipping whiskey … err… beer. Just a touch of bitterness in the middle and finish. The aftertaste is sweet-ish, with the pleasant mixing of the flavors lingering.

The mouth feel is dominated by the alcohol, but is otherwise smooth with a body on the thick side of moderate.

As an aside, I don’t want you to misunderstand. I do keep mentioning the alcohol, but that is in the flavors and aroma with a slight warming. This is not a “hot” beer by any means.

Overall, an excellent barley wine and a sipping pleasure.

2017 Vintage
12oz bottle poured into a snifter

A- pours a clear golden amber with a one-finger foamy white head that reduces to a ring

S- initial aroma produces a fruity perfume-like quality; peaches, musk and some floral qualities. Undertones of caramel, leather, tobacco, cherries, brown sugar, maple and vanilla

T- initial malty sweetness gives notes of caramel, toffee, honey and brown sugar. Mid-palate gives notes of fig and raisin, as well as some floral notes popping through. The finish gives notes of coconut, maple, creamy vanilla and oaky bourbon, which sticks around on the linger

M- medium body with low carbonation leads to a foamy mouthfeel that continues into a warming finish

O- a solid barleywine, farewell HotD, thanks for the quality beers over the years

Sampling a 2019 vintage 12 oz bottle at cellar temperature. The beer is part of the package I had sent to me from HOTD in a package a few months ago. Seemed no better time to open this one and several of brews from the package.

Pouring into my snifter. The beer pours much lighter in color and depth than I anticipated. This is a bright clear amber color. A fizzy eggshell white head of slightly more than a surface covering foams up, and is nothing more than a thin edge layer and a wispy circle in the center of the glass. Many active streams of carbonation rise to the surface but do not replenish the foam. I do get some dense scattered lattice on each sip.

Aroma is some toffee and brown sugar mixing together. I do get a little maple syrup and some light boozy notes and sweet bourbon as well. No real hop character to speak of on the scent. Seems spot on for an English Barleywine.
First sip reveals a lightish body and some very fine tingly carbonation. Texture is thinner than anticipated and drinks very easy. Beer doesnt have any of the sticky texture that I anticipated based on the style.

Flavor is on the sweeter side and similar to the nose. I get some toffee and brown sugar again, but here there is also some lighter fruit notes. Honestly maybe melon or peach, did not expect those flavors. I get a little peppery booze and some warmth on the swallow. This is the only point where the booze shows up on this beer.

I enjoy this beer and the flavor and aroma are solid to great, I do think the body is a little thin for my liking in the style. But still glad to have tried this one

 

Doubling down on the malty sweet focus of British Barleywine, Hair of the Dog teams up with Omnipollo for a vanilla, maple and bourbon soaked malt bomb of a beer.

Maja leaps right out with a rich mahogany hue, lightly foggy and deep with crimson depths. As a dense and tarnish head layers on top, the rich and rife malt aromas of toffy, molasses, caramel, vanilla and maple create a decadent perfume. As sweet as advertised, the early flavor impressions are dense with syrupy malts, coffee cake, honey and toasted coconut.

Full bodied, sweet and squarely dedicated to malt dominance, the rich and cakey malts are met with fruitiness of plum, date, fig and raisin for a condensed sweetness redolent of port wine and floral honey. As a light bitterness pulls from the finish, a broad and woodsy offset to the sweetness emerges for a spicy, robust and nearly coffee-like balance.

Lavishly malted, heavy and rounded with creamy nougat, the beer finishes long and decadent with hints of vanilla, maple and bourbon adding a soothing roundness to the boozy spices and the barrel tannins.

Mostly hazy, honey amber colored body with a thin yet persistent head. Honey, oats and other cereal grains dominate the aroma; rich and sweet. The taste follows along the lines of the smell; vanilla and maple; boozy; notes of overripe peach and apricot in the background. Heavy body; thick and sticky; mild alcohol warmth.

The vanilla and maple syrup used to brew this beer certainly comes through in the nose and flavor. The beer is rich and decadent with a fine boozy kick but not obnoxiously overpowering.

Pouring temperature: 40 °F; bottling info: 2019

 

 

Pours an orange-bronze, fairly clear, with fast-disappearing head. Vanilla, caramel, peach gumdrops, black tea, maple chews candy. Moderately carbonated, with some added root beer notes on the palate. Vanilla through and through, with everything else just an accident. Chewy.

Pours a muddy brown with a hint of burgundy to the color. Head is a finger of khaki fizzy foam. Aroma is maple and vanilla bean at the onset. Resiny, herbaly hops weave between toffee, molasses, fig, and dark fruits. Malts of toasty, bready, and caramely round out the nose. It leans into sugary, but is balanced out by the sticky hops. Whiskey is present, but locked to the background. It's a soft, subtle note. Flavor profile is maple syrup, molasses, toffee, fig, raisins, and vanilla bean - which lingers throughout the entire flavor profile. Sticky herbal and faint resiny hops add some contrast to the sweet malty profile. Bready, caramel, and toasty malts round out the depth. Whiskey isn't really prevalent, at least not in any major capacity. It adds a small curl of heat to the end, but really it just adds spice. Vanilla bean is the steady thread that holds through the entire sip, with vanilla bean and resiny hops lingering long after the rest of the flavor profile fades. Mouth feel is medium-thick with a still effervescence. It has a thin layer of velvet over the top, but otherwise still in texture. Overall, a sticky barleywine that threads vanilla beans and maple syrup together for a sugary drink.

Served in a 15.5oz Speigalau tulip from a 12oz bottle. 2019 version.

 

Pours a hazy amber color with a slight head and lacing
Aroma has intense vanilla, maple and Bourbon hints
The taste follows the nose with very well balanced and complex vanilla, maple and Bourbon flavors
A medium bodied decently carbonated beer
A very well balanced great Barleywine

2019 vintage. Opened 11-6-21.
Decent hiss upon opening, thin head fades to a ring quickly. No lacing.
Murky, opaque orange-amber color against the light.
Wood, caramel, and apple at first whiff. Brown sugar, maple, and bourbon later.
Bourbon, brown sugar, apple, and wood early. Rich maple and softer vanilla come in later.
Full body and low carbonation. Smooth mouthfeel with some heat. Lengthy, rich, and sweet finish.
Outstanding.

2019 vintage

12 oz bottle that was chilled then alllowed to warm a bit then drank over the course of an hour to really open up.

Rusty copper in color, with a decent head that faded. Lovely aroma of bourbon soaked peaches laying on vanilla ice cream. Taste doesnt really have as much of the fruitness, but nice deep caramel, creme brulee, and maple flavors without a ton of the sweetness. Full bodied, slick feel, soft carbonation.

Pours a very pale amber with two fat fingers of rocky, tan-tinted head that quickly settle into a cap that leaves just a few spots of lacing.

Vanilla, maple, leather, orange and a hint of mushy apple with some Christmas spices in the nose.

The taste has that same interesting mix of strong orange, some clove and leather that evokes Christmas to me, along with some restrained, but clear vanilla and maple, plus some light earthy hop bitterness, black pepper and a kiss of alcohol burn.

Slick, slightly creamy feel with soft, light carbonation.

This is very much an old world meets new world barleywine in terms of flavors, and I can see how some expecting one or the other could find it off-putting, but I’m digging the mix, even if the balance isn’t exactly perfect.

Working my way through the HoD box I order and this is another winner, even with a few years of age on it. Orangey brown body, thin white ring. Maple, deep caramel, and barley meld with the vanilla, molasses and bourbon in the nose. Taste is a journey through an oak and bourbon foundation serving the barley, molasses, maple, and caramel lush depths with an elevating finish with cool vanilla. Feel somehow doesn't feel stupid sweet or heavy, not even sticky, rather dry, barley and barrel focused without being boozy, this mouthfeel is what makes it all work, really impressive.

 

2019 vintage. There is an abundance of sweet elements at work here. The bourbon barrel, maple, and vanilla are most prominent, harmonious and balanced. To a lesser extent honey, caramel, and fruit notes of apple and peach play a role. The sweetness is layered and delicate, quite decadent actually. This isn't sticky or cloying in the least. The carbonation was medium, giving this a thick, creamy body. Highly recommended.

 

12oz bottle poured into HotD Tulip. Vintage 2019.

Appearance: Never seen a beer that was this color before. Light brown bodied beer that is opaque. Thin full finger of head that quickly recedes to a ring around the glass.

Smell: Smells sweet. You definitely smell the vanilla, maple, bourbon, caramel, and dry oak barrel.

Taste: Very sweet and dessert like BW. Getting all the adjuncts and barrel: vanilla, maple, bourbon, and oak. Lots of caramel, brown sugar, and honey coming from the base Barleywine too. In the middle you taste a rather light hint of fruity flavors including pineapple, apples, and light hint of cherry flesh. At a point between the fruity flavors and the finish you taste pineapple upside down cake. A Lightly bitter and slightly astringent white / green tea blend that lingers for quite a while. Bourbon sweetness and drying oak note also found late in the finish.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied beer with low almost reaches a moderate carbonation levels. The carbonation is light and prickly. Lightly boozy and not obtrusive. A surprise that this beer drinks much lighter than you would think for a traditionally sweet beer style aged in bourbon barrels with a few sweet adjuncts.

Overall: Definitely a dessert Barelywine which is exactly what Hair of the Dog and Omnipollo were going for in this collaboration beer. I think the nice surprise was the complexity and balance of the beer as well as the texture not being heavy or syrupy or cloying. I did not expect to taste the fruit flavors or the tea flavors in this beer. These flavors actually worked really well and kept the beer interesting and from becoming overly cloyingly sweet like a bourbon barrel aged Barleywine with maple and vanilla would have a lot of potential to do.

 

 

Appearance: Pours a clear burnt orange with a thin cap that fades to a ringlet and archipelago; a few dots of lacing dribble

Smell: Caramel and maple join with Bourbon and are underpinned by oak and vanilla tones

Taste: Fruit cake drizzled with maple syrup and vanilla forward with the Bourbon, vanilla and oak filling in, after the swallow; the finish is fruity with a stong vanilla and maple syrup aspect

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with low to moderate carbonation; some warmth in the gullet

Overall: An interesting take on the English barleywine style, bringing maple syrup and vanilla tones to push the sweetness; really enjoyed it

Thanks, The_Gingerbeard_man, for the opportunity

 

 

A huge thanks to Jeff for this one from a truly legacy brewery.

12oz. capped bottle into a Brooklyn Brewery snifter.

Nose is pineapple cake, bourbon barrels, vanilla, cream, brown sugar, and copius amounts of maple syrup. Very aromatic, dense, and delicious. Beer opens oak, vanilla, brown sugar, and molasses. In the middle I get subtle fruit notes like pineapple, green apple, and a mellow citrus tartness. More brown sugar, bourbon barrels, and sweet cream at the end with a long, lingering, almost hot and zesty aftertaste. Body is medium to full with moderate to low carbonation. Smooth and slightly hot on the palate and goes down hot with a long, lingering, filmy aftertaste.

I'm not sure that the fruit notes detectable througout are for me but nevertheless, this is a classic interpretation of a classic style. Nice.

 

(12 oz bottle, 2017 vintage, 10.8% abv; sampled on 19 Sep 2020, shared w/ my brother, who purchased this off shelf at Shangy's... split between two Victory Golden Monkey glasses... review copied from written notes taken in AHA Tasting Journal; note: bro's a sediment dumper)

(head) only a little thin collar... (appearance) cloudy; tawny, caramel color... (aroma) underlying malt/hops apparent; fruity, leathery, tobacco; bold (caramel) flan overtone; little-to-no booze... (initial) dried fruit, very earthy-fruity; fruit nectar (tropical; papaya?)... (second) maple seems to flare in the end, slow to develop, gives way to bitterness, doughy malt; bourbon is fairly apparent... (finish) vanilla, bourbon (char, spirit) prominent; maple not clear; wood (sanded; tannic?) bitterness; hint of cherry eau de vie; subtle peppery tingle... (notes) sediment was poured in; carbonation was lacking; lightly-lusicous, resinous body, but relatively light (overall); soft heat (1691)

 

Pours a translucent brown. Aroma of caramel, bourbon and some vanilla. Taste is the aroma (caramel, vanilla & bourbon) and throw in maple. Incredible taste. Traditional barleywine feel. Outstanding Barleywine.

Pours like powdered iced tea, with a head that dissipates very quickly. Aroma is classic barleywine, with a ton of caramel and toffee, with a twinge of maple. Initially drank way above the 10.8% ABV, but it really settled down as it warmed and opened up.