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

 

Had Adam poured from 12-oz. bottle, label printed "Batch 102," gift from my little bro', into snifter.

Pours apparently black but actually deep golden-brown when backlit, with 2-finger, creamy light-tan head, with excellent retention, leaving slim, splotchy rings of lace down the glass. Huge leathery and mild roasted malt aroma off pour, then some grassy hops, displaced by growing chocolate and sharp, dark fruit as warms. Begins malty and smooth but leathery, then some hop and growing alcohol bite, as unsweetened chocolate arrives, and not a little smoke as warms, before a warming, slightly biting, still complexly and overridingly malty, almost chewable finish.

This was a bittersweet pleasure, since Hair of the Dog has closed and I got there (only) once, in summer 2014, when I enjoyed Adam from the Wood. Adam isn't, wasn't, bad sans wood, either. An experience rather like a fine cigar. Cheers, Alan!

Batch 101

Batch 27, 1997 vintage

Alright, let’s throw it way back for a minute. The oldest beer in my box from Hair Of The Dog, a 1997 Adam. The bottle/label itself is surprisingly intact for its age, but I’m wondering if the beer itself has held up. Let’s crack it open and find out

Pours a dark brown with just a ring of dark brown bubbles that leaves no lacing but has a ton of particulate floating about

The nose obviously shows its age, but it’s not in a bad way at all. I’m picking up on aromas of fig, dark bread, tobacco, black cherry, vanilla, sweet caramel, pear skin, oak, and light peat smoke

The age comes through even more in taste, but once again, it’s more of a “mature” age rather than poor aging. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting molasses, brown sugar, raisin, tobacco, toasted coconut, sweet caramel, red apple, dark toast, and light fusel alcohol. The swallow brings notes of fig, sweet plum, smoked oak, tobacco, molasses, brown sugar, toasted pecan, caramel, and light honey

A full body pairs with very gentle carbonation, resulting in a slick and lightly boozy beer. Finishes a tad sticky and boozy but nicely complex

For as old as it is, this is honestly really good. I need to find a fresher one

Mystery beer #3:

This review is written blind. I have no clue as to what it is when writing this. All I know is it was bottled in 2010.

Looks - 4.5
Looking at this beer, it's a dark brown pour with a tan head, that didn't last long. Considering how old it is, I'm surprised there was any at all.The head dissipates into a ring around the edge of the glass. Just based on how it looked, I'm guessing barleywine.

Aroma - 4.25

Lots of dark fruit aromas - figs, raisin, plum. Slight hint of sweetness on the aroma. The nose screams barleywine.

Taste - 4.25

There's a good deal of the dark fruits that I got on the nose. Raisin, plum, figs all come into play here. There's a very slight bitterness that comes in on the backside. I doubt it could still be the hops, but, who knows. Some sweetness comes into play in the mix. I think it might barrel aged, not sure?

Body - 4.25

This beer is boozy, I do get some burn to it that hits way in the back. Fairly good body.

Overall - 4.25

Just guessing at how it poured, and the age of it, I'm guessing barleywine here. I could be wrong, but I don't think so. I also get the flavors of one. Whatever it is, I do like it.

 

Pours a very dark brown with a murkiness to the transparency. The final couple ounces were not poured into the glass, though the beer remains murky when the final ounces are introduced into the glass.. A big foamy head bubbles above the liquid, stacking above three fingers of height after a moderate pour. Frothy rings form around the glass after the lightest of swirls.

Aroma is caramel, fig, toffee, and a hearty hit of smoke. It's not raunchbier levels of smoke, but it's a notable intensity. Roasty, toasty, earthy, and bready malts sit underneath, leaning into toasty and earthy the most. More subtle notes of dark fruits and raisins come out as the beer warms slightly, with smoke still being the central, consistent feature throughout.

Flavor profile is caramel, toffee, fig, leather, and, again, hearty smoke. It's like drinking a smoldering campfire drizzled in caramel and a dash of whiskey. Whiskey notes don't really add heat, but really develop the leather quality. Dark fruits and chocolate start to come through more in the final half once the beer warms a little. Chocolate notes are not milk, bakers, or cocoa, instead coming by way of more raw dark chocolate. This bitter dark chocolate element helps to cut some of the smoke. As the beer warms, the smoke intensity starts to wane, or at least, that's the end result with the rest of the notes occupying a little more area of the flavor profile, putting less emphasis on smoke. This redistribution of notes helps smooth things out. Intensity as a whole is pretty moderate, not leaning into any note too firmly. It carries its 10% ABV well.

Mouth feel has a sand paper grittiness underneath that cuts and tears the otherwise creamy texture. Thickness is medium. This grittiness is the most aggressive part of this beer. Fortunately, the grittiness dissipates as the beer warms. What replaces it is a watery edge to the back of the beer, lacking oomph, but at least not abrasive.

Overall, a surprising amount of smoke in this old ale. It hits its notes, unapologetically while retaining its flowing footwork. The development of this beer from fridge to serving temp only further emphasizes the importance in serving at or near the correct temperature. The smoothness of this beer has only multiplied as it warms.

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

Dark brown body; fairly opaque; thin yet lasting light khaki colored head cascading foam rings encircle the glass. Wood and dark fruit aroma; a bit malty. Rich malt taste; nuts; leather; phenolic alcohol undercurrent. Thick and slick mouthfeel; warm boozy feel

A warm, earthy beer with a slow ass-kick element. A luxurious beer experience.

Pouring temperature: 46 °F; bottling data: Batch № 102

 

 

 

Look: Rich dark brown on the pour and my sloppy one brings on a silky light brown head that is short-lived and finishes as a film, leaving a ring of lacing behind
Aroma: Warm brown bread, dried dark fruit notes, blackstrap molasses, wafts of chocolate, some ethanol, caramel, and slightly burnt toast
Taste: Whoa. Rich bready malt kicks it off as layers of dried dark fruit emerge and seep in – figs, dates, raisins, and prunes all in the mix. Molasses and dark baker’s chocolate spring forth and shine before rejoining the mix before caramel and ethanol guide things to a close
Mouthfeel: Full, very silky and smooth throughout, medium carbonation, and a smooth finish with a little bite from what I assume and feel is from the booze
Overall: This is awesome stuff. This is a ridiculously deep and intricate Old Ale that is bold while being smooth and tasty but also, boldly proclaiming itself as a ‘big’ beer. I can’t believe it’s probably been a decade since I last tried this and I can again see why it has the hype and subsequent high rating that it does. A great evening sipper on this chilly PNW evening. Recommended

 

 

Bottled: 2/16/2010

It pours a dark dried prune brown color. Thin fizzy head forms on the beer and actually sticks around for a while. The aroma is interesting - it reminds me of an old bottle of Bigfoot. You get some dark fruit notes, along with old hop notes. There is a bit of a metallic note in the nose, some brown sugar.

Taste is more of the same - its malty up front with some old/aged hop notes. There are some dark fruits and brown sugar with a lovely warmth on the back end. Notes of leather and bready malts come through as well. Feel is lighter bodied for such a big beer. Mild carbonation. Pretty dry on the finish.

Its a very nice beer and one that has clearly aged incredibly gracefully.

 

 

Cellared bottle for 1 year. Medium brown mostly opaque body with a finger of tan foam, thick bands of lacing are left on the glass. Caramel malts, lightly roasted barley, toffee, tobacco, dried dark fruit, toast and musty yeast in the nose, more subdued than expected. Taste adds cocoa, a touch of licorice, earth and a whisper of crusty bread. Feel is smooth, medium-light bodied, yeast and malt both carry is a gentle way, booze is hidden so well. Really nice old ale that for the style is easy drinking while being nuanced and complex, a classic

Vintage 2020 (batch 101)
Reviewed: Sept 2021

Pours very dark for an Old Ale, essentially black in the glass. Fully opaque and with a large, dense tan head that has great retention. Looks like a stout, very fine looking beer though. Aroma is very roasty, a bit herbaceous, stout like. Unsweetened bakers chocolate, subtle stale coffee, only the faintest burnt sugar. Tastes like a stout, with more prominent bitterness. Huge roasty malt, bitter black coffee, dark high cocoa% chocolate, some hoppy bittnerness. Prominent smoky char. Mouthfeel is full bodied with an appropriate carbonation. It’s a bold beer but remains very drinkable. Overall, this beer confuses me a bit as it’s very much like an imperial stout which utilizes smoked malt (it’s very reminiscent of COAST Blackbeerd for example), or maybe even a smoked porter. It’s labeled as an Old Ale but I get almost no dark fruits, very minimal sweetness, and it doesn’t really resemble anything of the typical Old Ale style. That being said, it’s categorization may be more of a BeerAdvocate issue as the label says “Old World Ale” which I guess doesn’t necessarily mean it’s intended by the brewer to be classified as the Stock Ale variety. Regardless, it’s very good and I’m excited to explore some deep vintages of this as I’m very curious as to how it has aged.

4.75/4.25/4/4.5/4.25

 

Batch 101, bottled 10-24-20. Opened 6-20-21.
1 finger beige head with a tight bead. Good retention and holds fast for a period of time at 1/4".
Darkest brown almost to black with some amber at the base with a light beaming through the beer. Clingy lacing.
Leather, spice, dark fruit, nuts, earth...lots going on here, complex almost wine-like nose.
I feel like I'm smelling some leafy hops at the tail end as well.
More leather in the flavor, earthy and spicy. Bitter cocoa, raisin, prune, fig, etc...layers of flavors.
Medium body and carbonation. A little hot but still creamy in the mouthfeel.
Lengthy malty finish with a touch of sweetness.
Pretty sure I could have opened this in 2025 for a treat...wanted to dig in now - it's a doozy.
Amazing - World Class.

$5 Shelfie at casknflask San Jose.
No bottle date.
A: Very dark brown-black, minimal to moderate light tan head.
S:leather, roasty, vanilla, black liquorice, brown sugar, raisin, smoke.
T: moderately sweet with notes of leather, caramel, dark fruit, raisins, smoky, tobacco. Booze is hidden.
F: Medium-thick, smooth.
Overall: Surprised I hadn’t had this before. It’s apparently HOTD’s first beer. Pretty impressive and so complex.
It’s classified as an old ale or adambier. Either way it’s not a commonly attempted style.

 

355 ml bottle, from Ølkonsortiet, Aalborg. Batch # 71. ABV is 10%. Very dark reddish brown colour, moderate beige head. Vinous aroma, notes of dark dried fruits and oak, also some initial notes of dust. Sweet and vinous flavour, notes of old port, dark dried fruits and oak, hints of chocolate and smoke, decent hops in the finish. Very good.

 

 

 

 

12oz bottle Into a goblet. Batch 98, but since HOTD'S vintage list only goes to 85, no #$÷!$&! help in determining age.

Looks very good in the glass. Deep, deep burgundy body. Small off white head dissipates to a ring and faint covering. Very little in the way of lacing.

Sweet and dark fruit aroma.

On tasting, a lot going on and I will try and do it justice. Warm, dark fruit, a touch tobacco, quite bitter. Collectively a very good taste.

Mouth close to full, finish warm, sweet, with a bitter touch.

Overall, an enjoyable sipper while watching an Eagles team I haven't seen all season.

 

 

 

 

 

Big pillowy tan head, dark fruit and tobacco on the nose. Slight burnt sugar sweetness among the smoke, leather and wood notes. Lovely old ale that I will seek out again and again

 

 

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a Dogfish Head tulip

L: Dark, dark pour... nearly black with massive foamy tannish head. Crazy sticky lacing.

S: Rich, sweet, and malty. Dark sugars and dried fruit.

T/F: Sweet and creamy... brown sugar, toffee, and vanilla. Prune, baked raisin, and dark chocolate. Tobacco and leather. Medium to thick bodied... super creamy carbonation. Warming and a bit boozy.

O: A delicious dessert beer.... and a slow sipper. Really complex flavors and glad I got ahold of this one. Unmarked/undated bottle so no idea what the age is, but it's at least a few years. Good stuff here.

Pours a dark ruby/walnut brown, very still, little to no head other than a thin rim of off white foam and a thin veil of bubbles.
Nose is big and boozy with raisins and prunes front and center, accented by tobacco and oaky woodland leaflitter as well as subtle chocolate and dark rustic black bread.
Taste is deceptively light after the bombastic nose. Somewhat like watered down brandy and prune with some of the lighter floral tobacco notes. The flavors of the aroma are here but taste very watered down, can't figure out the dating but this is batch 95 and it appears it might be from sometime in 2013 or 2014 so that might explain it. But, you don't date your bottles I have to assume it's how you intended it. Very muted taste.
Mouthfeel is also a bit thin for such a 'big' beer.
Overall I'd be really curious to try to find a fresh bottle of this because I see potential, but this is a bit of a dud. Nose is there in spades but the flavor and mouthfeel both seem muted and watery. better luck to me next time