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

2016 vintage. Poured from a 12oz bottle into a snifter. Served at 44F.

Clear crimson liquid; no lacing; thick legs.

Toffee, malt, fruit stones/pits, leather, port, and oak in the nose. Fruity and rich.

Intense palate entry, malt-forward with the cherry balanced between Luxardo and cough syrup. Finishes rather sweet, though the oak and alcohol keep it from being cloying. Low bitterness, mild esters, faint spice (cloves, orange peel) and hints of Irish whisky.

Medium bodied, slightly oily, very low carbonation. Quite warming.

Such a singular creation - though perhaps easier to appreciate than enjoy.

Pours a dark brown with a burgundy tint and a mild fog to the transparency. Once the final ounces of the bottle are poured into the glass, the translucency drops to murky. No head formation. Aroma is heavy dark fruits, raisins, molasses, candy sugar, and oak. Oak really helps cut down on some of the sweetness from lingering, although it is still sugary sweet all the way through. As it warms, mild cherry finds its way into the aroma. Flavor profile brings the same sweetness forward, pushing notes of dark fruits, cherries, raisins, fig, molasses, candy sugar, and toffee across the palate. Oak is mild in taste, but does help dry the finish up slightly. Alcohol, despite being north of 10%, doesn't cut or gash the sweetness or fullness in the flavor profile. Mouth feel has a mild silt to the, but is otherwise soft and creamy. Thickness is medium-thick. Overall, pretty remarkably smooth, which could also be enhanced by the age of this bottle (~6 years at this point). Regardless, it's easy drinking, even at this ABV, and still plenty potent in aroma and flavor.

Served in a 15.5oz Spiegelau tulip from a 12oz bottle. 2016 date.

Murky brownish-orange body; carbonation percolates up through the top of the beer; patchy, wispy head. Orange and cherry notes in the nose; red licorice; raisins; light touch of caramel in the background. Spicy, malty taste; cinnamon and coriander; figs and dates; sweet; moderate boozy presence; a trace hint of vanilla as the beer opens. Heavy body; a bit coarse on the palate; moderate alcohol warmth; some pulpy, sugary bits, like fruit pulp.

Another strong ale winner from Hair of The Dog. It has the standard weak head expected from their bottle conditioning while the aroma and taste are just heavenly for a high ABV beer. The few bits of pulpy sediment were interesting (no, I didn't pour the bottle gently to leave the sediment in the bottom). It really did taste and look a bit like fruit pulp. One for the history books...

Pouring temperature: 39.9 ℉; bottling data: 2016

Pours murky to the point of being opaque. Mahogany color, small fizzy off white head dissipates quickly and no lacing. Aroma is huge caramel and toffee, a bit of green apple, subtle cocoa, moderate oak, subtle smokiness, a scotch like peat character; quite complex and very nice. Taste is a combination of huge caramel, fruits, and scotch-like peat. Definitely reminiscent of a wee heavy, but more complex. It’s incredibly smooth, lots of fruit flavors including some old ale/ English barleywine-esque dark fruits, but also some less frequently encountered fruit characters like peach and apricot th at somehow work wonderfully. Nice oaky finish. Mouthfeel is silky smooth, remarkably so, and there’s zero hint of what is apparently a huge 13% ABV. This is absurdly drinkable. Overall, wow I am impressed. Truthfully I tend to find HotD a bit hit or miss, as their staple unique kind of smokiness isnt always my cup of tea, but man this one is a home run.

3.75/4.25/4.75/5/4.5

 

2016 Vintage, so 5+ years old

Pours a cloudy muddy brown color, with some small chunks of fruity pulp floating. Very thin head that quickly fades to nothing. Big fruity aroma that leans red wine. Boozy black cherry, apricot, touch of vanilla and oak. Fairly sweet. Mouthfeel is a little slick, with very low carbonation.

Pours a dark brown color with a slight head and lacing
Aroma has intense vanilla, peaches, cherries and Oak hints
The taste follows the nose with very well balanced and complex vanilla, peaches, cherries and Oak flavors
A medium bodied decently carbonated beer
A very well balanced great Strong Ale

Aged 5 years. Solid opaque brown pour with no head at all. Smell is typical HoD with defined and complex yeast, caramel, dark fruit galore, barrel and toasty earth. Taste is essentially the nose plus a holiday like flair with the peach and cherry meeting the booze, elements of fred with the malt are strong in the finish. Feel is warm, chewy, medium bodied, and finishes boozy. A delicious spin on a great strong ale, thought the fruit elevated and made the sip a touch more delicate

2016 12-oz bottle. Murky, violet brown, with a thin quarter-finger of head from an aggressive pour. Signs of oxidation on the nose, with hints of black tea and musty paper towels underneath plum, yeast roll, and leather. The stone fruits still shine through on the palate, though, like a bourbon barrel-aged jam. Lightly carbonated.

2016 vintage. Opened 9-13-21.
Barely any head and only the remnants of a ring last longer than a minute.
Orange-amber color with limited clarity.
Wet wood, initial old malt notes and leather but some brighter fruit (cherry) behind it all in the aroma.
Vanilla and brown sugar as it warms.
Initial flavor is wood and some of the "old" flavor but then I get a surprisingly bright and lingering red cherry that takes over. Continues to be some weird flavors underneath as the beer warms but the goods here are the fruit flavors that continue to shine through after 5 years - bright red cherry and syrupy sweet peach.
Full body, slick mouthfeel, and light carbonation. Long sweet-ish finish with some mellow heat.
Very Good.

2016 Vintage

Pours a very murky, plum-brown color with a pencil thin cap of near-white head that quickly dissipates into a just-as-thin crown.

Interesting mix of aromas, including peach, plum, cherry, baseball mitt, vanilla, oak and gym socks, but also pine, juniper and licorice — evoking some sort of Scandinavian Christmas liquor.

What’s intriguing in the nose is challenging at first in the taste. Again, there’s strong rotten fruit and vanilla up front, joined quickly by an equally strong blast of north forest elements (pine, spruce tips, juniper, wood) and a good smack of alcohol.

On the light side of medium bodied, with a nice slickness to the feel, and a burst of lively carbonation upon swallowing.

Totally unique and highly enjoyable. 2016 vintage.

Bottled 2016.

Pours a dark plum-ish amber with a short cap of off white head that fades quickly. The aroma is rich - cherries, vanilla, oak, candy sugar, peaches. Sugary sweet with notes of peach preserves, cherries, candy sugar, vanilla, and oak. Tremendous! Full bodied with very light carbonation.

2016 purchased from HOTD online recently.

I opened this a week after it was delivered so most of the sediment settled, leaving me a slightly hazy golden amber colored liquid in the glass. No visible floaties or particulate. I got a smallish head that quickly faded to a ring.

Aromas of mellow, ripe peaches and cherries. Faint barrel as well, leather and muted bourbon. This really opens up the more I sip. The fruits are there, a bit more cherry than peach, soaked in bourbon with a hint of vanilla. I'm also getting graham cracker and a really satisfying honey note. Lots more going on here that I can't describe. The body is a little thin.

2016 vintage; consumed on 5/7/21

Pours a relatively clear, pale ruby red hue before the latter half of the bottle drops a heavy dose of chunky sediment to muddle the body; a soft half-finger of ultra-pale, off-white foam appears for a moment before quickly fading to a substantial, frothy collar, minimal cap, and no lacing holding to the walls of the glass.

Aroma opens with bittersweet bakers chocolate sporting cherry ester accents into a stone fruit brightness tying in peach and apricot; a tinge of black currant over the middle, while cherry takes a unique turn toward the medicinal, taking on tones of brandy and embracing intermittent vanillins for supplementary sweetness.

Taste offers initial impressions of stewed stone fruits steadily pulling back a layer of medicinal peach sporting a hint of moss, with dried oak and moist whiskey barrel coming to fruition from the background over the mid-palate and soft bakers chocolate and baked pear marking the back end of the profile.

Mouthfeel has a medium body with subtle, moderate carbonation guiding towards a pillowy peak of boozy heat and oily pseudo-resins over the mid-palate and into back end; a sly, level texture belying the beer's weight and evidence of beneficial time in the bottle is coaxed into the finish, while light char and a mild-moderate warmth sneaks through past the swallow.

While 5 years in the bottle has undoubtedly toned this one down, it maintains a core character with consistency and subtle waves of HotD's signature offbeat strong ale composition; fruity esters (extra fruity this time), a medicinal twang, and warming barrel tucked neatly in the background to ease the beer to the character of a more traditional, calm sipper.

 

Thanks to John_M for this one. 2013 vintage. 12oz bottle poured into 14oz teku. Poured a dark brown with a slight reddish light, and had just a thin cap of head that immediately dissipated and left no lacing

As soon as I cracked the cap, a nice fruit scent burst from the bottle. Upon further olfactory perusal, cherry seemed dominant, with some peach and wood notes as well.

Very similar on the tongue, just expanded and fuller, with just a touch of alcohol heat.

The body was just a touch less than full, smooth, had low carbonation (but, wasn't completely still), and had a semi-sweet finish.

Drinkability was awesome, not a quaffer, a sipper for sure.

Overall, another great job from HotD. A must-try if you can.

 

 

12oz Bottle

2013 Vintage

Big thank you to Phil for sending this one along. He knows my weakness for HotD.

Otto from the Wood is the darkest of red beverages. It's the color of blood and even has a purpleish cast to it in certain lights. A dirty white foam grows to a finger on the pour and rather quickly falls to a whispy coating and thicker ring. This beer is murky and mysterious. There are a good amount of chunks surfacing on this beer which I removed with a spoon as best I could. That dings the looks a bit.

The nose on this guy is incredibly rich. Quality bourbon soaked oak gets it moving. Dense, rich brandy soaked cherries are certainly at play. Bread pudding, toffee, and a heavy drizzle of caramel add a ton of depth. The wood seems to open even more as this guy breathes and bring brings a well roundedness.

There it is. The flavor profile brings out even more of the fruitiness. Canned peaches in syrup gets it going before being met by the brandy soaked bing cherries. The malt base itself is flat out deep. Bread pudding and caramel play the middle while the toffee and soda bread bring up more of the backend. It's oaky in the softest of ways, a subtle embrace. This stuff is fantastic.

The body is thick and chewy but a rather active carbonation, especially for HotD keeps this one from ever being sticky. As a matter of fact all the barrel tannins dry the finish of this one up rather quickly. It's a sipper for sure, and a heavy hitter, but I find it hard to put the glass down.

TOtto from the Wood is another fantastic beer from Hair of the Dog. The amount of depth and flavor those guys can jam into a beer is otherworldly. This one is big on fruit and and rich malt characteristics while a sturdy, complimentary oak surrounds the whole. Thanks again, Phil. Quality, Quality, Quality.

 

 

 

Otto From The Wood. Wow. From a 12 oz. bottle circa 2013…

Otto is a gorgeous cranberry red beer. Crystal clear with highlights of plum purple and auburn hug the sides as light stiles the glass. The thinnest of rings kiss the coast, white bubbles tinted pink by the body below.

The aroma is ridiculous. Divine. The sweet and syrupy notes of Fred, Belgian candied sugar and toffee, are met with black cherries, apricot, peach and wood. Warmth brings out a subtle vanilla touch. I'm too reserved to even take a sip. I could just sit here with this under my nose the rest of the day and be content.

But I do take a sip and I'm glad I did. Again, the influences of Fred are obvious. Caramel, golden raisins, dark candi sugar. Peaches and cherries. What a perfect addition. Soft and sweet with the cherries being the clear winner, the orchard fruit playing wing man. Damp wood lends that drop of vanilla, and there is a cinnamon spice finish. The bitter classic hop profile associated with original Fred is nowhere to be found, which works exceptionally well for Otto.

Like a lot of Hair of the Dog's offerings, Otto is mostly flat. And once again, appropriate. They get it. Carbonation would distract from these amazing flavors. It's syrupy, sweet, but balanced by the barrels stripping qualities and tannic influence. It coats every nook and cranny of the mouth. Otto demands small sips with plenty of time between.

Otto is phenomenal. This bottle is around 5 years old and I'm not sure if that helped or hindered, and frankly I don't care. This is one damn fine beer and an amazing tribute to Fred “Otto” Eckhardt.

Cheers!

 

 

Bottle from Stephen

 

 

 

2016 Vintage cellared bottle. Not to impressive looking but damn does it taste great. Extremely complex and full bodied. Everything I expected it to be. World class.

 

 

 

A - Cloudy raisin color, thick and sticky on the sides of the glass.

S - Cherries, oak, brown sugar, some mild spiciness.

T - Cherries, bourbon, oak, brown sugar, some vanilla, roasted caramel, lingering cherry and bourbon finish.

M - Full bodied, slick, viscous, lip smacking sticky.

O - Recommended. (Underrated.)

2016

 

 

There's good beer, there's great beer, and then there's beer as pure art, where audacious experimentation succeeds to create somethIng unique and perfect. For me this beer falls in the latter category, with a blend of bold flavors - a strong ale backbone with a slight alcohol heat, the perfect amount of barrel, fruit and malt sweetness with a hint of tart and sour - that I haven't experienced together in one glass anywhere else. The cloudy reddish-brown color is a marvel to behold, too. Highly recommend for lovers of strong, unique beers.

2016 Otto

From one of the most bizarre gentlemen in the brewing industry comes a beer that feels like a relic of the past yet tastes like something of the future. Drinking this beer is an adventure through the mind of a mad genius that could care less if you like his beer but is eternally satisfied by knowing that you do. Whether you like the lip-smackingly dense flavor or not, its an experience in a bottle worth the price of admission.

With that said, the beer is intensely sweet but in a pleasant way. It chocked full of pear, apple, cherry and peach fruitiness. The malt is just a minor character in the show but it sets the stage for a symphony of fruit flavor and oak reminiscent of an apple brandy. It is a beautiful beer. If you can find it and afford its generally steep price tag, the beer is worth every sip.