I think 5 Wookie posts in a row is enough for now. I obviously haven't posted in a bit, but I have a good reason. This past weekend I was in Philadelphia with my girlfriend to visit some friends of hers from college and in my spare time, I dragged her along to some beer stores to find things otherwise not available in the state of New York. After spending quite a bit on beer, I vowed not to buy any more beer for home in February, since I've stockpiled quite a bit. The one I'm reviewing tonight is one I've looked for at my local shops, but alas they didn't have this particular one. So I give to you: Hair of the Dog Doggie Claws. Since my USB cable is still MIA, here's some stock footage of the beer in question:
This is a Wookie-style (AKA American) Barleywine, clocking in at 70 IBUs according to the HotD webite (though it's somewhat out of date). I'll be reviewing the 2004 vintage. It weighs in at a very robust 11.5% ABV. It poured a nice copper color with some thin off-white head. The aroma was full of caramel, dark fruits, alcohol, and a bit of hops. The taste was pretty sweet up front, with the dark fruits and some toffee prevailing at first, followed by alcohol, and finishing with subtle hops. The mouthfeel was rather smooth and there wasn't all that much carbonation. I definitely think the age on this bottle has mellowed the hops quite a bit, which is fine by me, though if you're a hophead you'll probably want a more recent version. Despite the alcohol being pretty evident here, I enjoyed this barleywine quite a bit, more than the Old Horizontal anyway, which likely means I should change my rating on that. [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] for Doggie Claws. In the future I'd like to acquire a 2005 and 2006 Doggie Claws so I can do a vertical along with my one other 2004.
Speaking of Hair of the Dog, I realized that I completely forgot to post my review of my favorite beer from them: Adam. More stock footage:
According to the HotD website, this beer is a recreation of a historic beer style known as Adambier, originally made in Dortmund, Germany. Adam is 10% ABV and has 50 IBUs. Pours almost pitch black into the snifter with some thick tan head. Lacing all over the place. Quite a few things going on with the aroma: coffee, chocolate, raisins, and something I can’t put my tastebuds on...maybe pepper or some spice I’m not familiar with. Initially I’m hit with big roasted malt flavor, mostly coffee, and alcohol. Swirling it around, I tease out a little of the raisiny flavor that the aroma suggested. Adam finished mostly of bitter chocolate. Texture was very nice, somewhat slick and had moderate carbonation. I enjoyed this with some pumpkin pie...really good. If I didn't know any better, I'd probably classify this as an imperial stout. I'm always sure to have one of these in the fridge. 4.25 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]