10 Years in a Barrel
Hair Of The Dog Brewing Company

On tap at the source. A symphony in a glass.

This was insane. Dense legs, rich barrel, a lovely expression of what barrel aging can do, and how a beer can evolve. Starting tannic when cold, opening up to rich barrel character, earth, wood with a lightly smoky character, and once it breathes, it really gets going. Gaining a savory component with umami, dried mushroom, a lovely marmite character but without autolysis off-notes. Closing out gracefully with a really rich blend of barrel, wood, smoke, malt, this was insane.

Sampled at Belmont Station in November 2024, and at Brujos Brewing in May 2025.

This is a batch of Adam that was aged for 10 years (!) in an Elijah Craig bourbon barrel.

Look:
November 2024: Hard to get much detail in this agreeably dim room on a rainy afternoon. I backlit the beer with my phone and got some nice burnt umber highlights in an inky black-brown body. Not much foam, but I didn't expect any from a beer that spent a decade in a bourbon barrel.
May 2025: A second look this afternoon, on the patio at Brujos Brewing, doesn't reveal any beauty that was hidden last November. Amazing legs, though.

Smell:
Deep, deep malt. Toasted multigrain bread, Grape Nuts, warm toffee. Candied fruit brightened by tart plums. Fragrant pipe tobacco. Luscious bourbon. A surly ember of ethanol.

Taste:
November 2024: Bourbon-soaked fruitcake. Dates and tart plums. A dusting of unsweetened cocoa. Toffee. A drop of molasses. As it warms, a mellow note of cranberry provides a gentle bite of astringency. Cherry pie filling. A gorgeous breath of smoke at the back of the throat. A bit of soy for umami. So rich, but structured and never cloying.
May 2025: The pour I enjoyed today had a bit more alcohol heat, and a touch more astringency, but still showed surprising drinkability for a 12% ABV beer that spent a decade in a bourbon barrel. The tart plum character was a bit more forward, and there were undertones of red apples, leather, and old books (!) that I didn't note 6 months ago.

Feel:
Exquisite. Chewy. Full-bodied and velvety. Warming, but displays a surprising lack of burn considering that this beer spent a decade in a bourbon barrel. Carbonation is soft and cozy.

Overall:
This is frankly amazing. Adam has held up beautifully. A decade in a bourbon barrel would have obliterated a lesser beer.