Try This Beer: Hair of the Dog Fred

While we're not sure you'd want to drink this heavy Barley Wine from Hair of the Dog (HOTD) right before you drive home, at 10% alcohol it very well may help you feel a little better after last night's bender.

HOTD is a fantastic brewery out of Portland. Founder and head brewer Alan Sprints runs the show and supplies the NW with some very adventurous beers. HOTD is a small operation, 500 barrels + 5,000 cases output annually, and their beers don't reach a very wide audience. But, you will find nothing but quality in their bottles and in your glass.

Fred was created to honor beer writer and historian Fred Eckhardt, who was an inspiration to the founders of Hair of the Dog, as well as many others. This is a big beer. It is made with aromatic and rye malts and includes 10 different hop varieties, which means this isn't for the faint of heart. The beer starts out with a nice, subtle syrupy malt sweetness, which fades as the mixture of hops comes through to dominate. A bitter hop aftertaste lingers a bit. There is a substantial bite to Fred (hahaha! Couldn't help it...), as the alcohol is not very mellow.
You can pick up bottles of Fred at Bottleworks in Wallingford.

Other HOTD beers to try if you see them:

HOTD Doggie Claws - Another very good barley wine.
HOTD Adam - Re-creation of a forgotten Adambier style from Dortmund. Awesome.
HOTD Blue Dot - One of our favorite IPAs. Might have to go to Oregon for this one.
HOTD Rose - Their attempt at an Abbey Tripel. Not our favorite of theirs.
HOTD Ruth - Light and refreshing American Ale