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

 

Pours a gorgeous ruby color with a slight head and lacing
Aroma has cherry and fruity hints
The taste follows the nose with a nice cherry and fruity flavor
A light bodied well carbonated beer
A nice Flanders red

 

 

 

Poured from fridge temp into a Hair of the Dog glass. No sound when cracking the cap - not a surprise given the brewery. Almost no head. Pours a gorgeous dark reddish/brown. The nose is incredible. Sour/tart cherries is dominant. Some funk, and a bit of leather is mixed in. Also picking up peaches, red grape skin, and wood. This is just a beer that I could sniff for an hour before taking a sip. The taste is not 100% what I was expecting from the nose, but equally awesome. Smooth, with a good amount of raisin, cherries, wood chips, leather, tree sap, and maybe a slight hint of tobacco. The complete lack of carbonation actually fits really nicely with the flavors. The aftertaste is slight bitter, but nice and fruity. The mouthfeel is slightly dry, but a really nice refreshing flavor coats the mouth. Overall, this is one of the more unique beers that I have tried, which isn't surprising since this is from HotD. Definitely an awesome experience.

12 oz bottle from 2012. Wow, do I feel lucky.

Michael is a gorgeous beer. Somewhat still, like many of the knockouts from Hair of the Dog, he is burnt orange in color with perfect clarity. The auburn and maple syrup highlights are stunning and proud, and Michael knows this. The thinnest ring of white foam acts as a gasket around just the perimeter of the glass.

The smell is devine. Tart yet sweet Rainier Cherries come to mind, along with a slap of aged oak and a smooth touch of caramel.

Cherries once again are front and center. More fruit comes into play with fig and plum, and lightly tart red apples. Plenty of oak, even drabs of leather and vanilla like many of the pounds offerings.

The only knock comes right here. This is a bit watery. Flat, as expected, but manages a slick feel in the end. Surprisingly not oxidized, and still very well balanced with an elevated perception of alcohol warmth that soothes the chest.

Beautiful. Intoxicating. Delicious. This lacks some tartness and soft but lively bubbly character, but I believe this would please the late Beer Hunter quite well. And even if that weren't the case, it sure pleases the shit out of me.

Cheers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2009 bottle drank at the brewery on 6/30/16.

poured from a 12oz bottle into a tulip glass. brewed in 2012, in honor of fellow Brit Michael Jackson, the Beer Hunter.

pours a murky reddish brown with a small white head which dissipates to a small ring. no lacing.

aroma is slightly vinegary, with a strong smell of plums/figs.

really enjoying the taste of this one. the fruits are the dominant flavor, slight vinegary tartness, with a creamy vanilla taste at the end.

mouth is between medium and full. the fruit hangs around for quite some time. although the abv is only 6.2, there is a slight booziness as well.

overall, although this bottle almost broke the bank at 24 bucks, I'm glad I got to try it. Unlikely I'll get to try another one.

 

 

 

 

2012 Bottle-> 6.2% ABV: pours dark red with pink hues like a glass of ruby red grapefruit juice with rum poured in it that had a small tan head which faded quickly and left little to no lacing. There was sediment floating around the brew and random carbonation bubbles.

Smells of dark rum, sour cherries, oak barrels, red wine vinegar, maple syrup, fermented red grapes, metallic yeast and a mashed up mix of sour fruit. It is sweet, sour and boozy, with rotting pear and green apple showing through with what seems like tea leaf or some dry leafy spices. Wet cardboard smell almost makes it seem like it's skunky, but that's the souring effect.

Tastes tart and sour to start with a lot of fruit that's a mix of sour cherries, rotting pear, plum, sour red grapes, old fruit juice and green apple; the next wave is boozy like rum or spent grains/mash, sherry and oak notes which then turn phenol and acidic with metallic yeast, herbs, aspirin, peat moss, tree bark and a caramel or syrupy sweetness. The sour bite is very sharp but the alcohol is not a factor as it blends in well with the rest of the complex brew. There is so much going on that the yeast must be alive and in their glory making all these sour and tart changes. It gets better as it warms.

Mouthfeel was slick and thin across the tongue, with very mild carbonation, a light to medium body, and an overall sourness that was not to bad with some tart aspects which allowed the fruit and yeast to come through. No sign of hops, but the barrel notes are present throughout.

Overall I liked this, but didn't love it. It was tasty and complex, but just seemed a little stale to me. Maybe 3 years of aging was too long, so I'd try it again.

Cheers to Michael Jackson, a pillar in the craft beer revolution, not the freak who bleached his skin until his nose fell off. This was brewed in his honor and I salute him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well this is officially the worst Flanders Red that I have ever sampled. Not malty like a Flanders Red should be. Not sour... heck, not even much of a light tartness. Tasting alot of oak barrel. Mouthfeel is watery and overall impression is bland and unwhelming. Sad that this beer is a tribute to such an awesome historical beer figure as Michael Jackson. Were you trying to insult the poor guy by brewing this beer? It was not much of a tribute. That is for sure.