Cherry Adam From The Wood
Hair Of The Dog Brewing Company / Brewery And Tasting Room

2019 vintage. Poured from a 12oz bottle into a snifter. Serving temp ~60F.

Clear rosewood body with amaranth highlights and an active collar of misty rose/beige foam. Fine bands of lacing recedes down thin waves of shimmering legs. Decent retention for the style and ABV.

Rich, potent malt aroma accompanied by a lower layer of barrel notes and a lower layer of cherry which blends seamlessly into the stewed fruit and esters at the bottom of perception. Pipe tobacco, treacle, toffee, bread pudding, etc. Just short of amazing.

Rich dark cherry flavor right at the front of the palate. As soon as you get a note of cherry pit, this is joined by dried apricot, leather, baker's chocolate, and notes of fine sherry/port from the oxidation. Mild bitterness melds with the flavors from alcohol. Long, smooth, yet dense/chewy medium finish. Superb.

Medium-low carbonation, faintly oily/slick mouth-feel - gentle tannins and even heat.

An immensely enjoyable sipper worthy of contemplation.

 

Pours a murky purple-tinted dark amber color with a thin tan head that quickly dissipates into a lasting wisp and crown. Spotty lacing.

Cherry, leather and wood in the nose.

Cherry, vinegar and sherry dominate the taste. There’s some leather, burnt ends, clay and wood behind. Complemented by some alcohol burn.

Slick, oily feel with soft carbonation.

They didn’t skimp on the cherry. 2021 bottle.

Pours a dirty brown-burgundy with a murky transparency. Head is a finger of khaki foam. Aroma is cherry, which is tart, plump, and forward. Toasty, caramelly, and mildly nutty malts come in behind, bringing with them dry oak. The tartness of the cherries starts to fade as the beer warms a touch. Flavor profile is cherry, which is less tart, but more plump than the aroma. Caramel, toast, toffee, and oak build and elevate the remainder of the flavor profile. Dark fruits tack onto the back, but are mild. Mouth feel is medium-thick with a slightly fuzzy texture. Overall, this really develops well as it warms. Cherry notes, are as would be implied by the name of the beer, abundant. Does not feel hot or heavy, as the ABV would suggest.

Served in a 15.5oz Spegeialu tulip from a 12oz bottle. 2021 version. Consumed / noted July 2022. 13.5% ABV.

Revisited: October 13th, 2022

Burnt umber color, opaque in the stemless tulip glass; thin yet lasting ring of foam circling the glass circumference, slippery legs of foam slide down the glass with every sip. Prominent raw oak aroma; lesser presence of raisins, leather, and tobacco; a hint of old cherry. Slightly sour taste; cherry; figs and raisins; woody phenols; brandy-like. Heavy body; light velvety quality to the mouthfeel; alcohol warmth.

I like this edition of the beer, but was more impressed with the 2020 version I had a few months ago. This latest edition seems a bit thinner in flavor and mouthfeel. Perhaps a couple of years of further aging more develop more complex flavors. I have one bottle left (may get a few more), so the empirical method certainly will come into play in the future.

Pouring temperature: 45 °F; bottling info: 2022

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Original July 13th, 2022 review of 2020 vintage: 3.75 3.75 4.5 4.5 4.25; overall: 4.23; rDev: -2.1%

Muddy, brown body with a thin, wispy ring of foam and thin patches of head riding atop the beer. Faint aroma; pleasant cherry sweetness backed with a faint, musty wood note. Sweet cherry flavor interspersed with sharp bourbon flavors; very mild fruit tartness; raw white oak; rye. Heavy body; fairly smooth overall; a bit acidic.

Few beers are like Hair of The Dog beers, and that makes them unique and enjoyable. This edition of Cherry Adam is quite enjoyable in the taste department. It is somewhat like a boozy black cherry pie. As the beer warms, a lasting yet thin head does form across the top of the beer plus a little stronger smell develops, more malty in character. A nice and different beer.

Pouring temperature: 41 °F; bottling year: 2020

 

This beer has been in my ~45°F beer refrigerator for several weeks, so I let the beer warm at room temperature for 20-30 minutes after removing it.

A faint hiss as I pop the cap. The pour was not gentle and I made no attempt to decant. Even so, there was no head formation at all save a small ring and a few islets of bubbles on an otherwise still surface. The color is a nearly opaque dark brown, with lighter brown revealed around the edges with a back light. No carbonation visible.

The aroma is not strong. Tart cherries with acidity as from a Berliner. Wood, leather, and dark bread are in the aroma as well, but I have to tease them out from behind the tart cherries.

The initial taste is of leather and dark bread, but this is quickly socked by the tart cherry and acidity. The tart cherries dominate from the onset through to the finish and into the aftertaste, with the tartness becoming more astringent in the finish. There is a definite woody character underlying everything, perhaps accounting for the astringency. The finish and aftertaste are, as promised on the bottle label, sweet-tart. The alcohol is obvious in the flavor, the sharpness, and in the warming.

The body is on the thin side of moderate, with a sharp feel due to the acidity.

Overall, a very nice beer. Style-wise, it presents more in line with the Berliner style than Old Ale, IMO. However, I’ve allowed it to seek its own uniqueness, and on that scale, it is very good.

2021 Vintage

Sampling a cellar temp 12 oz bottle poured into my snifter. Another bottle that was part of my cellar order last fall.
The beer pours a dark mahogany color with some garnet highlights as it falls into my glass. Does appear to have some cherry juice/coloring as it pours. I decant and leave the sediment in the bottle and get a thin densely packed edge layering of beige foam. This foam leaves just a hint of scattered lattice on the glass when I swirl or take a sip.
The aroma on this beer is sort of what I expect, but also kind of unique. I get some brown sugar and dark fruit, like plums, and definitely some cherry notes. The cherry aroma is sort of a tart cherry note. I dont get any hops but do get just a bit of spicy booze note. the booze isnt surprising for 13.5%. Jeebus! these beers are high octane!
First sip reveals a medium body with a bit of a slick mouthfeel and very fine and tingly carbonation. While the carb is physically present, there isnt a lot of it.
Flavor is some brown sugar and toffee and then this rolls to some sweet cherry briefly and then more tart cherry notes take over. I dont get any hop flavor either. the cherry notes linger well after the swallow and the warming booze only hits after the beer gets to my belly. The delayed warmth is impressive in my opinion, for a big ABV brew.
Glad to have tried this one, and sad that the brewery is closing down. Definitely an innovative player in the craft brewing world for many decades!

2021 vintage. Opened 6-24-22.
Dark brown (opaque) with some red-brown highlights at the bottom and edges. Thin beige head that hangs around longer than expected and retains as a ring. Getting some pleasant fresh cherry aroma along with wet wood and brown sugar. Tart red cherry flavor, a soft spice, and young bitterness. Slick/smooth mouthfeel, low carbonation, some heat and only a touch of sweetness in a long finish. Very drinkable at 13.5%. Unique. Outstanding.

2022 vintage.

So right off the bat I was taken aback as this beer kind of gushed out on me when I opened it, Got all of it in the glass, but was not expecting that much carbonation in this beer.

In terms of appearance, it pours a lovely reddish brown color. Opaque, but not overly hefty in appearance. Huge billowy tan head initially forms, but quickly dissipates leaving a thin layer of foam along the top of the beer. That thin layer then just sticks around for the longest time. Aroma has notes of oak, leather, bready malts with a light roastiness to them, cherry, smoke and some dark fruits.

Taste follows the nose with notes of bready malts with some moderate smokiness and a light roastiness. There are notes of dried hops with some light to moderate bitterness. The cherries come through with just a hint of sweetness. They end up providing more tartness to the beer than sweetness. As I drink the beer there is a slight spicy note to the finish that rounds into view as it warms up. Feel is smooth, medium bodied, with very minimal carbonation. Drier on the finish.

If I move past the idiosyncratic carbonation that seems to be the hallmark of all of these HotD beers, this is incredible. The smokiness, the cherries and the underlying beer just work so well together providing this unique, rich flavor. It almost gives off this umami quality for me. I'm definitely savoring this beer.

2021 vintage, drank at the taproom in Portland in 2022

Cellar temp bottle. pours a very dark brown, almost black. Tart cherry, oak, and smokey malt in the aroma. Similar flavor, a little boozy. Medium bodied.

 

2021 vintage, a pretty lightly carbonated one at this time. I love the subtlety and balance of HotD's approach, where even sour cherry variants are highly complex.

A: Very dark brown, essentially black. Small fizzy tan head dissipates quickly and leaves no lacing. 4.25

S: Smoky char, molasses, earthy, ripe red fruits. Pretty big oak, herbaceous, cherry is moderately strong. 4.5

T: Taste is an almost tart cherry up front, followed by the typical dark charry roast characters of HotD. Pretty big raw oak. Fig and dates, subtle caramel round it out. 4.25

M/D: Full bodied, low carbonation, ABV well masked with average drinkability. 4.25

O: Overall, very good but not mind blowing, which seems to be where I settle with most HotD beers. Certainly worthy of a drink, a cellaring, and a revisit but an all time BA top 5 Old Ale? Not at that level for me personally. 4.25

Pours a dark cherry color with a slight head and lacing
Aroma has intense cherry and Oak barrel hints
The taste follows the nose with very well balanced cherry and woody oak flavors
A medium bodied decently carbonated beer
A very well balanced Old Ale

A 12 fl. oz. bottle, 2015 vintage, poured into a snifter glass.

Appearance: A dark brown colour with slight purple notes and pretty much no head except for a few bubbles and no lacing.

Aroma: Tarty cherry, mixed berries, roasty malts, chocolate, vanilla, with notes of oak and bourbon.

Taste: Tart and sweet cherry, dark fruit, plum, prunes, honey, bourbon, oak, booze, and a light hint of chocolate and vanilla.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with no carbonation (as stated on the bottle).

Overall: It’s a sipper, but maybe on the verge of being too sweet for my palate.

Cellared bottle for 1 year. Black edges on a dark brown body with a brown cap. Wood leads the nose, cherry right behind, with the sherry trumping the bourbon as they integrate with the dark fruit, toffee, and dark cocoa. Taste is impressive by how much nuance it gets out of the wood, tastes like it is right down to the grain. Caramel, toffee, cherry, light vanillins, elevate with dark cocoa, licorice and leather in the finish. Feel is classic HotD, dry, velvet smooth, warm and in this case has a large wood presence that is so pleasing.

2021 bottle.

Pours a deep, viscous purple with no head to speak of. The nose has a huge cherry aroma with some candy sugar and dark fruit. Big cherry flavor up front with just a slight sourness from the fruit. Some underlying candy sugar, plum, and dates to round it out. The alcohol is present but no burn; almost like a rum. The mouthfeel is velvety and viscous.

This is a damn nice beer. I am very glad to have tried, and I wish it was easier to procure.

2018

This is a beauty. A lot of these aged beers from Hair of the Dog have a wonderful honey note that I've come to love. This has a plethora of it. Leathery oak, smooth chocolate, faint toffee and vanilla...just so much going on here beyond my ability to describe. And of course cherry! Nicely balanced between tart and sweet. Low carbonation and a thick body. This is just outstanding.

2015 bottle opened in March 2022 is a different animal altogether. The honey, chocolate, and vanilla are replaced by musty leather and mild umami. The tart cherry is still there. Enjoyable enough but falls far short of my previous experience.

12oz bottle into a goblet. 2018 vintage.

Looks interesting in the glass. Body is almost a glossy black, with some reddish hints here and there. Head quickly shrinks to a thick ring, no lacing. Ring completely disappears halfway down.

Aromas of booze, vanilla, cherry. Faintly musty, smells "old", like grandfathers leather chair in the library with a cigar and brandy snifter.

On tasting, this was kept at room temperature. Warming from the barrel, still luscious cherry with a tart finish. A little vanilla here and there. Lightly sweet.

Mouth just above medium, finish a warming tart but smooth cherry.

Overall, an excellent slow sipper. I say slow, but it's one of those drinks where you are reaching for the next sip pretty quickly. Rolls around the tongue beautifully.

 

 

 

(12 oz bottle, 2018 vintage, 13.5% 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, poured by my brother... review copied from written notes taken in AHA Tasting Journal)

(head) no lasting head, minimal collar; (refresh pour) foam med-dark, mocha brown... (appearance) chestnut-brown liquid, mild (chill?) haze... (aroma) leather, dark cocoa; slight ethanol; cakey baked-ness... (initial) slightly-smoky, roasted grain, washed out by dry(ness), dried fruit, malt nectar... (second) maybe a subtle cherry liqueur in the center; mostly a subdued version of Adam's bold (nuanced, dynamic) roast; soft choco-caramel note... (finish) smoke lingers; mildly doppelbock(-like), complex, caramelly film lingering; mellow medicinal alcohol... (notes) deceptively smooth; arguably too dry; but the earthy hops and almost dark-rum-like malts show well enough... (my own extra notes on its feel) subtly silky body, but perhaps too ghostly in texture; cut w/ booze, dry... compared to the Maja, the pour on this was more careful; still, I'd prefer to try a bottle procured in the Portland area (1692)

 

Dark brown and slightly hazy with no visible carbonation, and a finger of beige head. There’s a slightly amber tinge.

It smells of cherry, black licorice, Carmel, Oakwood, brown sugar and dates.

The taste follows the nose.

Moderate carbonation.

I got this in Portland Oregon and I’m drinking it in Redding California February 17, 2020. This is the 2018 version.

Pours a deep mahogany, very little head, slight fizz. Aroma is wet bourbon oak, some mild caramel malt biscuit, no real cherry notes. Black cherry juice upfront, lots of caramelt malt / toffee flavor to follow up, backend has drier oak tannin / leather and dashes of bourbon. Just a little cherry pit on the back as well. Marries different tones & flavors well, interesting without being gimmicky but lots of depth to explore.

 

Bottle of 2019:
Comes from the bottle like a dark black cherry soda, but nears black in the bowl of the glass. A deep ruby brown I’ll go with, with a matching red shading to the tan head. Each top of my glass leaves a sheet on the other side, but as a sipping beer, I don’t take enough liquid to avoid the body from reclaiming each bubble.

Nose is a tad deeper than regular Matt, even ignoring the specific additions that enhance the overall experience. Leather, tobacco, vanilla, cherry, and a bit of burnt toast char. Regular Matt is more earthy, while this has a variety of scents to wrap around.

In taste, where regular Matt has a toffee note with its earthy, peaty notes, this Adam has a bit more acidity and fruity notes from the cherry. A little bit of that cherry cola up front, with a bit of the peat sneaking through. Barrel joins the cherry, but the fruit itself remains the star. A little leather note in the end comes after the moderately prickly carbonation subsides.

Adam is transformed to a fairly different beast with the cherries. Different but equally enjoyable.

 

 

2019 vintage (I couldn't wait). Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark reddish mahogany brown, nearly opaque in the glass with a thin, fizzy head that dissipates quickly, but with a thick ring around the glass and light lacing. Aroma of lightly toasted and biscuit malt, cherry, light cardboard oxidation, bourbon mild dates and raisins. Flavor is biscuit malt, cherry, raisins, bourbon, hints of cocoa and oaky vanilla, oxidation and sherry notes in the finish. Medium bodied with sharp carbonation. As I popped this open, I wondered whether I should hold it for a year (regular Adam is quite nice with a year or two on it). While retrieving the glass, the bottle started to slowly bubble over with quite fizzy action and was a bit fizzy in the glass with active carbonation. I'm now glad I drank this right away; this amount of carbonation rarely turns out well with time, in my experience. And right now, it is exactly what I'd expect from the name, a cherry and bourbon barrel forward version of Adam, although the malt takes second fiddle to the brighter fruit flavors. There is a lot going on, with English barleywine style dark fruit, strong cherry, good oaky bourbon notes. I like this quite a bit, but old ales are one of my favorite styles and the malt here is completely subsumed into the cherry and barrel character. The old ale malt is detectable and actually does a decent job of supporting the brighter flavors, but I do miss the biscuity old ale malt of the base beer. I've been wanting to try this Adam variant for a very long time and glad I had the opportunity. The depth of flavor covers the ABV quite nicely. I'm on the fence, but I think I prefer this slightly over-carbonated HOTD than the sometimes still variations that often happen. Interesting and flavorful, as expected.

 

 

 

$ 21.19 (including tax) for one 12 oz bottle ($ 1.77/oz) from Shangy’s, Emmaus, PA. Reviewed 4/27/19.
“YEAR 2018 MADE” on front label. Stored at 42 degrees and served at 55 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. Final temperature 58 degrees F.
Appearance – 4.
Body – Jet black and opaque, constant weak effervescence.
Head – Small (Maximum one cm, aggressive center pour), brown, low density and fizzy, gone within five seconds of completion of pour.
Lacing – None.
First pour – Dark brown, nearly clear.
Aroma – 3 – Weak “dark fruit”.
Flavor – 4.25 - Begins tart with raisins and weak tawny port, some subdued oakiness. No ethanol (13.5 % ABV) taste, no hops, no dimethylsulfide, no diacetyl.
Palate – 4 – Medium, oily, lively carbonation.
Impression and interpretation – 4.25 - Despite the lack of head and lacing, appearance of this black, seemingly viscous, pool of liquid is captivating. The aroma is mild – I must put my nose on the rim and really horn it in order to detect the “dark fruit”, although, at the 58-degree end, the odor intensifies – oh the difference a couple of degrees make! After the first slow swallow, napalm hits my stomach. Subsequent bombs are not even noticed: nothing is left to burn. The absence of cherry is disappointing – cherry is one of my favorite flavors – but this is still an excellent brew. I’m glad I finally found a bottle, but at the cost/oz I won’t be buying a second.

 

2009 edition. A ten year old bottle on a random Friday night....

The pitch black mass with the faintest suggestion of deep, dark, beet red cherry juice was exactly what I had imagined from this elusive edition of good ol' Adam. The magnificent stillness, equally predictable and in the most odd of ways, exciting.

Oxidized? Yes, but still glorious. All the quintessential Adam traits... leather, stone fruits, tobacco, molasses, booze. Then the faint oak and still obvious cherry influence is simply mouthwatering.

With one sip, I wish I hadn't opened it. It's too magnificent to enjoy on such a mediocre night. But maybe that's the point. Every night is worth celebrating. Flavor overload, yet so simple to describe. Smoked figs wrapped in sopping, juicy tobacco leaves. Charred oak and brown sugar, worn leather, and finally, the literal cherry reduction drizzled on top.

The still, smooth, and rich body is exactly what this beer needs. Simplicity once again goes against the grain, and is still masterfully appropriate. No distractions. Just a smooth, booze, syrupy, sweet and smokey mass, undisturbed by bubbles and balance.

Sometimes, you just need to have something special. Sometimes, for no apparent reason at all. This bottle scared the shit out of me. I knew what to expect, and absolutely had no idea what to expect at the same time. Ten years later, this bottle still managed to blow me away.

Cheers.

Opened a 2014 in 2019. Totally flat. Way disappointing. Soy sauce. Unfortunately a drain pour. Really bummed. Would probably be ok with carbonation, but this is undrinkable