Bourbon Fred From the Stone
Hair Of The Dog Brewing Company

2019 vintage - poured from a 12oz bottle into a snifter.

Murky auburn body with fawn highlights. Fine beige collar rings a faint surface slick. Sandy lacing; fast legs; good retention.

Toffee, caramel, barley, figs, plums, and faint tobacco in the nose. Vanilla and alcohol grow more prominent as the ale warms.

Potent malt forward palate entry with a secondary wave of bourbon and a hint of oak/acidity. Baking chocolate, molasses, and loam with a low earthy bitterness. Dry, woodsy finish with some residual/returning sweetness. Vague fruity esters perhaps from the yeast?

Smooth, medium-bodied mouthfeel - faintly oily and quite warming.

Well balanced, potent, monolithic - one of the last remnants of a vanished era.

 

2019 vintage, so 3-4 years old. 12 oz bottle

Pours a clear, very dark amber color, thin head that fades. Aroma is boozy - oaky whiskey, spiced apple, a little vanilla. Similar flavors in the taste. It's warming, it shows it's 12% abv. Mouthfeel is a little syrupy, gentle carbonation.

Had this on 2023-01-20 and 2024-12-25 from 2019 12oz bottles with my son-in-law.

Absolutely killer aroma and taste. Raisin, fig, dried plum, rich malt. Smooth feel. Alcohol is well disguised. Thoroughly enjoyed this.

Pours brown with a hint of burgundy to the color. Transparency is murky. Head is a finger of khaki foam, which bubbles away rather quickly. Aroma is bourbon with layers of raisins, fig, toffee, caramel, and toasty malts smashed around bourbon. It does not smell hot, though the barrel is forward. Flavor profile follows along the same path as the aroma, hitting toasty, roasty, and caramely malts with dark fruits, fig, toffee, and bourbon. It brings forward a little bourbon and barrel, but isn't heavy or hot. Mouth feel is creamy with a thin, watery undertone. A little flat. Overall, bourbon is a fine addition to this. It hits some quality notes, but lacks the depth of other options.

Served in a 15.5oz Spiegelau tulip from a 12oz bottle.

Re-visited November 30th, 2025

Initial clear, dark copper pour; sediment clouds things; thin head, wispy yet lasting; fine, fat sheets and fingers of foam clinging to the glass after every sip. Rather weak nose; musty malt with caramel tones; pome fruit esters. Much like the scent, a bit malty, some over-ripe pome fruit notes on the palate; a touch of phenol notes on the bitterness side, a tad brash. Heavy body; a bit sharp and biting.

Well, perhaps there is a magical tipping point for aging beers. This particular example spent at least two years in the crawlspace 'beer cellar', but, for whatever reason, this example doesn't thrill me as much as, say, my 2022 sample of the same vintage (and stored under the same conditions). So, glad to have consumed this one (this is not necessarily a 'Project Cellar Clean' effort, but still need to make room for the new kids in the cellar).

ABV: 12%; pouring temperature: 43.8 °F; bottling info: 2019
Source: direct from brewery online order

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Re-visited June 25th, 2022

3.75 4.25 4.5 4.25 4.25; BA weighted overall score: 4.32; rDev: +4.32

Dirty, tawny orange body; cloudy; thin, creamy head, thin rings of foam encircle the glass. Candied orange aroma; sweet cherry. Sweet, rye-like flavor; caramel; red licorice; orange zest. Heavy body; thick and sticky; some alcohol warmth.

This beer has a really unique and interesting flavor. It makes the beer pretty memorable. Much better from my first experience from almost a month ago.

Pouring temperature: 57 °F; bottling data: 2019

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Original May 22nd, 2022 ratings and score: 3.75 3.75 4.0 4.5 4.0 (overall 3.98; rDev -3.4%)

Dirty, cloudy appearance; brownish-orange color; thin yet lasting head, off-white color, some sticky rings and fingers of foam encircle the inner glass. Heavy caramel smell with over-ripe stone fruit tones; trace of bourbon and oak. Big earthy sweetness with a heavy caramel note; whiskey; phenol bitterness. Smooth, velvety mouthfeel; heavy with residual sugars coating the palate; lots of alcohol heat and dryness; sticky.

A decadent beer, rich and boozy in nature.

Pouring temperature: 55 °F; bottling info: 2019; bottle conditioned

On tap at the source.

A deeper, more copper color pour than the Fred that this is going against. The nose is immediately rich and warming with bourbon, vanilla, coconut and barrel oxidation on top of the base beer. The rye has taken on an oxidation note, turning slightly sherry like, working nicely. The palate opens rich and full with warming bourbon, rich vanilla and a little coconut. A touch of minerality is present, amplified by the higher carbonation. Rich sherry on the finish. Medium full in body with a warming finish. Excellent, but my preference tonight is for the regular Fred this is up against.

12oz bottle - 2019 vintage. Opened 4-10-22.
1/4" beige head with short retention, falls to a sparse cap quickly. Amber-brown and opaque body. Spotty, wispy lacing. Nose is toffee, brown sugar, vanilla, fruit and wood spice. Full body, low carbonation, smooth mouthfeel and some lingering heat. Long, rich and sweet finish. Nice as a dessert beer, end of the evening, digestif. Outstanding.

 

Pours a murky, ruddy brown with a short-lived, half finger of light tan head that quickly settles into a wisp and messy crown that leaves messy lacing.

Vanilla and toffee jump out in the nose, coupled with leather, faint apple and alcohol.

The taste is fairly similar — vanilla, toffee, leather, warming alcohol. Added to the mix is some pretty strong almond extract and bitter, woody tannins in the aftertaste.

Full bodied and slick feeling with tight, soften carbonation.

Another fun, complex sipper.

 

 

 

2019 vintage, 12oz bottle. Dark coppery color with lightly audible carbonation that leads to a thin layer of long-lasting bubbles that skim the surface of the liquid. Strawberry, white peach, leather goods, green tea, and mineral notes on the nose. Some bourbon heat on the palate with some resinous hops, tobacco, ginger, and floral impressions. A very interesting mélange of flavors. A fairly smooth sipper, and an accessible level of carbonation for most drinkers, compared to HotD's many offerings bottled still or practically so.

 

2019 bottle poured from fridge temp into a Hair of the Dog glass. Pours a murky orange/light brown with a little bit of carbonation. The cap actually released a hiss when popped. Nose is intense toffee, bourbon, marmalade, honey, bread, oak, vanilla, mango, raisins, and a slight sherry note. The taste is next level. Toffee, figs, tobacco, honey, marmalade, maple, vanilla, oak, leather, a touch of citrus peel, and a bit of brown sugar. So complex and intense. One of my favorite beers from Hair of the Dog. Mouthfeel is medium-bodied and just wonderful on the aftertaste.

12oz bottle poured into Hair of the Dog Tulip.

Vintage 2019; the only vintage of this beer that I am aware of.

Appearance: Muddled and mucky crimson or mahogany brown body. A small cap of bone white head results from a hard pour into the glass. Head eventually settles into a ring around the inside of the entire glass. Scant lacing scatters on the side of the glass. Booze legs present after each sip.

Smell: Huge vanilla cake with almond frosting and fruity pear nose. The likes of which I have never smells from a beer before... Nuances of caramel and toffee; not a big as the vanilla, almond, pear notes... perhaps moderate or slightly lesser than moderate. Hints of dark fruits as well.

Taste: The beer opens up with a spicy quality that is black pepper and bourbon as well as general botanical and floral notes. Dry earthy oak and dry leathery qualities. Astringent bitterness mixing with evident minerality too. These flavors seem to dominate. Watery brown sugar, lighter yet toffee, light dark fruits, and light vanilla. You can taste the booze in the bourbon "esk" finish.

Mouthfeel: medium full body with low carbonation levels. Carbonation is adequate. Carbonation is more than you can usually expect from most Hair of the Dog beers with the extended aging time. Lightly creamy textured body, but not thick like syrup. Slightly more boozy than I would prefer for my personal tastes.

Overall: Wish the beer tasted like it smelled and that is my biggest take away. The nose / smell is really glorious and complex in this beer. It just falls a little short of my usual Hair of the Dog expectations because it is lacking the rich sweetness that I was anticipating from the smell of this beer. Regardless of what I said about this beer overall it is still a really complex and flavorful beer; just not in the way I was expecting & hoping it to be. I will add that you always get a really memorable and unique drinking experience from almost all Hair of the Dog beers that I try. This is my first "from the stone" beer from Hair of the Dog.

Sampling this cellar temp 12 oz bottle poured into my snifter. 2019 vintage.
The beer pours a murky copper to amber color, I tried to decant and not pour sludge but a little does get into my glass. A dense creamy eggshell white head of about 2 cm. This foam fades slowly to a strong surface layer and tight clingy lattice on each sip or swirl.
The aroma is rich and malty with bourbon notes strong up front, some brown sugar, and I get some candied orange note which I wasnt expecting. Also light vanilla, but no booziness or fusol notes. Impressive for a 12% ABV brew.
First sip reveals a medium to thick body and absolutely creamy soft texture. Carbonation is fine and only slightly fizzy, very gentle even after swishing in my mouth.
The flavor is what I would expect from the nose. I get rich malt notes of brown sugar and toffee mixing with a bit of bourbon and light vanilla, and then pow! boozy bite, black peppery and heat. it doesnt linger but does catch me with each sip. Slows down my rate of consumption with each mouthful which is probably okay for a big beer.
Very nice nose and solid flavor, the creamy feel is great. I enjoy this aged beer and look forward to the other treasures I picked up in my mix box.

 

2019

Clear golden color with hints of amber. Pours with a medium sized bright white head.

Wonderful aromas of soft bourbon, vanilla, gentle, floral warmth, cooked pears, and...more.

Taste falls a bit short but is enjoyable. The barrel notes are great, rich bourbon and mellow vanilla. I also like the boozy pear and brown sugar. There is an oaky bite that and a hint of mineral that don't jibe for me. Interesting.