What beer are you drinking now? #4606

Good aft...err, morning (still), BAs! It's Friday!


King Machine


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...got to make room in my various beer repositories for a high box-count shipment from @snaotheus...

Hair Of The Dog Brewing Company / Brewery And Tasting Room -- Side By Side
American strong ale collaboration (Shiga Kogen, Brouwerij de Molen and Hair of the Dog)
ABV: 11.5%; pouring temperature: 54.0 °F; bottling info: 2017, bottle conditioned
Source: direct from brewery online purchase



4.23/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Revisited May 30th, 2025

In essence, this beer seems much like it did to me three years ago, yet I find the flavor and mouthfeel to both be a tad better, thus a slight bump in the overall score as well. Also, regarding style, I'm inclined to think this is basically and imperial stout more so than a strong ale, however, nothing on the bottle nor the HoTD web site elaborates on what particular style this may be.

ABV: 11.5%; pouring temperature: 54.0 °F; bottling info: 2017
Source: direct from brewery online

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Original May 17th, 2022 ratings, scores, and review:

4.25 3.75 4.25 4.0 4.0; BA weighted overall score: 4.06; rDev: -4.2%

Very dark mahogany brown body, opaque when held up to the light; thick, rich head, dense and creamy texture, light tan hue; decent foam sheeting inside the glass. Woody, malty nose; even blend of caramel and cocoa notes. Big malt taste infused with a faintly astringent wood-like flavor; boozy; dark fruit character; tobacco. Heavy body overall; velvety; intense alcohol warmth.

I am pleasantly surprised at the head quality with this beer. It's rich and long lasting, The smell is good although a bit subdued, perhaps due to its relative age. The taste is big, bold, brassy, and ultimately enjoyable. The mouthfeel is soft yet full overall. The beer packs maybe a touch too much boozy quality, sacrificing some needed residual sugar body that may have added some more rounded character, yet it still is satisfying overall.

Pouring temperature: 44.1 °F; bottling info: YEAR MADE 2017