Hair of the Dog Doggie Claws

Tasting Notes

Doggie Claws leads with a rich, layered aroma of dried stone fruit, toffee, and a resinous hop presence that signals its West Coast roots. On the palate, dense caramel malt and dark sugar sit alongside assertive but integrated bitterness, with notes of fig, orange peel, and a touch of alcohol warmth that reads as boozy without being hot. The body is full and chewy, coating the mouth in a way that rewards slow sipping. The finish lingers with hop resin and a pleasant, almost port-like sweetness that fades gradually.

About the Brewery

Hair of the Dog is a small Portland, Oregon brewery founded by Alan Sprints in 1993, and it occupies a genuinely singular place in American craft brewing history. The brewery built its reputation on high-gravity, bottle-conditioned ales that drew inspiration from Belgian and German traditions — styles that were deeply unusual for the American market at the time. Beers like Adam, Fred, and Blue Dot demonstrated that domestic brewers could produce complex, cellarable ales, and the brewery's influence on the broader American craft movement is hard to overstate.

Food Pairings

A barleywine of this weight and sweetness handles rich, fatty foods well — braised short ribs work because the malt sweetness mirrors the meat's rendered depth while the hop bitterness cuts through the fat. Aged cheddar or a sharp clothbound cheese finds common ground with the toffee and resinous notes. Blue cheese is a classic match because the salt and funk contrast the sweetness without fighting the bitterness. Pecan pie or a walnut tart echoes the dark sugar and dried fruit character without overwhelming it. Roasted walnuts on their own, with a small pour, are an understated but effective match.

Style Guide

American barleywine is a high-gravity ale, typically ranging from roughly 8 to 12 percent ABV, built on a substantial base of pale and crystal malts that produce deep caramel, toffee, and dried fruit flavors. It draws from the English barleywine tradition but diverges sharply in its hop character — American versions lean on domestic or Pacific Northwest hops for aggressive bitterness and resinous, citrusy aroma that the English style generally avoids. The style sits close to Imperial IPAs on the hop-forward end, but the malt presence in a barleywine is more prominent and the sweetness more dominant, making it a heavier, slower-drinking beer meant for contemplation rather than volume.