Adambier (Batch 46), Hair of the Dog, Portland
May 19 '01
The Bottom Line Predominantly malty offset by tart bitterness and light smokiness. Flavorful, complex and full of character. A unique style and one of the best beers available.
This is a beer that had been in my collection since Christmas, and I have passed it over several times. Having read a few comments about it, I was reading through another beer website again last night when I noticed it happened to be the featured beer. What other excuse did I need to crack it open? Before you do the same you should be warned that this is a strong beer. I poured mine as a nightcap at 1.30 intending to go to bed at 2. It took me until 2.45 to finish it.
Hair of the Dog
When you think of Hair of the Dog, you’re probably thinking about the day after the night before and a cheap cold Budweiser or a Bloody Mary. I have to say that while amusing, the name does not do the brewery justice, as you will discover in this review.
Founded in 1993, Hair of the Dog is a small brewery based in Portland, Oregon. This is not your typical craft brewer. If you buy craft beers you’ll probably notice how most companies are offering up the same styles: pale ale, amber, Hefeweizen, stout, or porter. Hair of the Dog has however decided to carve out its own niche as an alternative within the alternatives. Instead of offering the same traditional styles, they are committed to “providing the beer lover with new and unusual beer styles”. As an almost forgotten style, Adambier, the brewery’s first product, is a classic example of this.
What is Adambier?
Adambier is a style by itself, an extinct Dortmunder style beer now referred to simply as Adam. It’s a variation on the altbier style (literally German for old beer), but higher in alcohol content and aged for 10 years. I also noticed that Michael Jackson classifies this beer as a smoked beer, with similar characteristics to a Scotch whiskey. What I can tell you with a little more certainty is that Adam is a top fermented ale, and bottle conditioned, hence the yeast sediment. Also if you do the math (brewery opened in 1993), you’ll realize this beer is not 10 years old, they actually age it for 18 to 24 months. The recipe is consistent, but produced in small quantities each batch will have varying results, much as a wine vintage. The bottle conditioning means that depending upon aging and storage (you could hold this for 10 to 20 years), no two will be exactly the same. The label informed me mine was batch 46.
You Should be tempted to try this already
Everything about this beer is nothing short of impressive, from flipping off the cap to the long lingering aftertaste. I poured mine a little quickly at first, as there seemed to be only a little foam formation. However, having left half an inch empty at the top of the glass the beer suddenly came to life and would have spilled over had I not got my mouth over it quicker. This was truly a second lease of life in the pour. As you’re drinking the foam seems thick, almost like drinking a milk shake. The body is essentially black, although the light does reflect a reddish-brown. The brewers themselves describe it as garnet, but I think it’s darker than that.
The aroma on this beer is sensational. I don’t think I’ve experienced a deeper more complex nose, so much so I was making new notes all the time I was drinking. It’s a deep chocolate maltiness at heart accompanied by a tart fruitiness maybe a mixture of grapes, blackcurrant and raisins. There are also more subtle notes of vanilla, a little woodiness as well as signs of yeast. Part of the mix in the aroma reminds me of a Bailey’s & Coffee.
At the tip of the tongue it’s very sweet, a fruity raisin-maltiness. There’s so much at tip of the tongue, had I been able I would have just held it there. Once you release it the palate is smooth and foamy, certainly heavy in body, coating the mouth as you drink. In the middle there’s something of a mellower, well-rounded burnt caramel with a little chocolate. There are definite signs of hop in the finish adding a nice tart bitterness to an aftertaste that is long and exceptional. The tartness is slight compared to the rest of the flavor, mellowing as it spreads out mixing with the creamy malt. I was left chewing on this for a while. Brief hints of smokiness in the aroma and the flavor reminded me of something I’d only noticed before in the Adelscotts I used to drink in France. I learnt later that both these beers use Scottish peated malt, which I think is also used in whisky.
Final Thoughts
I have to say that the malt seems to be the dominating flavor, however the light smokiness and tart bitter finish do an excellent job of balancing this beer out. If you like your beers strong, flavorful, and full of character there surely can’t be too many better than this. There’s so much in the flavor that I feel a 12oz bottle was too little to pick them all out. All I can say is that if you’re the adventurous type you should pick up a bottle or more whenever you get the chance. Sorry to those on the east coast, brewing capacity and distribution are so small that it only even reaches California in very limited quantities.
So what is Adambier?
Smoked beer with fuller body?
Barley wine with sweeter flavor?
Altbier with more alcohol?
Imperial Stout with more character?
I think it’s all of these and more. Pick up a bottle and draw your own conclusions. In the meantime I’m on the lookout for anything else form Hair of the Dog.
Recommended: Absolutely
Rating: 5+ Stars
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