Hair of the Dog Fred
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Tasting Notes
Fred pours with a complex bouquet of dried fruit, caramel malt, and a faint earthiness from the aged hops — this is a beer built around the malt bill, not the bittering charge. On the palate there's a layered richness: dark fruit, toffee, a hint of oak, and something almost wine-like that comes from bottle conditioning over time. The body is full without being syrupy, and the finish is long and warming with just enough residual sweetness to balance the alcohol. At 10%, the heat is present but integrated rather than aggressive.
About the Brewery
Hair of the Dog is a small Portland, Oregon brewery that has operated since the early 1990s and occupies a singular place in American craft brewing history. They were among the first domestic breweries to revive historic styles like Adambier and barleywine-adjacent strong ales, and they built their reputation on high-gravity, bottle-conditioned beers meant for aging. Their lineup — Fred, Adam, Matt, and a handful of others — reads like a short canon of influential American strong ales.
Food Pairings
The beer's dark fruit and caramel depth make it a natural match for braised short ribs, where the malt richness echoes the meat's rendered fat and fond. Aged cheddar or a firm Gouda work well because their crystalline, nutty character holds up against the beer's weight without being overwhelmed. A slice of pecan pie or a dark chocolate brownie finds common ground with the toffee and dried fruit notes. Blue cheese is another strong candidate — the funk cuts through the sweetness and creates a back-and-forth tension that keeps both elements interesting.
Style Guide
American Strong Ale is a loosely defined catch-all for high-gravity ales that don't fit neatly into barleywine or imperial stout categories — they're typically malt-forward, warming, and built for slow drinking rather than session pacing. ABVs generally run from around 8% to 12%, and the flavor profile can range from rich caramel and dark fruit to more herbal or resinous hop character depending on the brewer's intent. The style has no strict Old World origin; it emerged largely through American craft brewers experimenting with pushing traditional ale recipes in new directions during the 1980s and 1990s. What separates it from an American barleywine is mainly a matter of balance — strong ales tend to be less hop-dominant and more open-ended in their malt character.