|
|
Hair of the Dog- ADAM batch 40&41Mar 25 '02 Write an essay on this topic.
Popular Products in Refrigerators
The Bottom Line If you are new to a malted-up ale, please transition yourself for this one. It is master of its domain.
I want to start off by saying I owe this review to Tom (4-1-1) for his fish hook words, and tasty description of this amazing brew. Additionally, his encouragement for helping me write my own first true beer review. I also posted this review to illustrate the differences people may have when it comes to the tastebuds, and personal preferences... I live in Baltimore, and most of the excellent beer here is usually found in local brewpubs or in the form of fine German imports. Don't get me wrong, you can find wonderful domestic beers here, but the selection for true micro crafts is somewhat challenged. I have found what has become my favorite little gourmet liquor shop just down the street from my house. I have passed up their dust covered bottles of Hair of the Dog many-a-time to get to my 'regular' buys. After reading Tom's review of ADAM, I had to try it. Singing the east coast blues, I purchased a bottle of batch number 40 for a staggering $2.80 for 12 fluid ounces. (this better be good!) Hair of the Dog is located in lovely, rainy Portland Oregon where the honorable pastime is brewing high caliber beers that comfortably compete with all others in its class. This particular brewery seeks to do things different ,and its first offering of ADAM in 1994 (a tribute to the all but forgotten German adambier style) has set the tone for the brewery since. My good friend lives in Portland and has invited me to the next Oregon Brewer's Festival, where I can sample Hair's offerings first-hand. I can't wait! Despite all of this, I stuck ADAM in the basement for a few days until the temptuous cries could no longer be ignored, and at about midnight- I lumbered my way downstairs and sat down at the card table and gave in to this fermented nector with a game of solitaire. I opened it for enjoyment at about 55+ degrees or so... LOOKS- The bottle is typical brown, and the labels look like something Junior ran off on his inkjet printer. In the past, I have found that brews with a modest marketing campaign can often stand well behind what's inside. This only made the anticipation higher! ADAM poured to a sinfully darkened crimson that at first glance is almost pure black. The color was beautiful, and I (for one) really appreciate the aesthetically pleasing tones certain beers have. It looked like an ebonized cherry wood veneer; or maybe a reddish dark walnut. The head was very thin, and not really worth mentioning, but it stayed well laced. The beer stayed clinged to the glass, and as with bottle conditioned ales- yeast sediment is abundant on the bottom. You may seek to avoid letting it escape into your glass. Drinking it is no problem, but it may mask some of the subtleties the beer might offer.. NOSE- WOW! Whatta nose! Chocolate galore! Not milk chocolate, but rather semi-sweet. Like chocolate chips for baking or a toffee candy bar with a semi-sweet chocolate wrap. My mouth was watering to great excess by this point. The only brew (I have yet tried) that has a chocolate nose like that is Corsendonk's Abbey Brown Ale. There is also an untamed malty presence that sort of smacks you in the face., but I tried to dodge that in favor of the chocolate delights. I can also detect what smells like current and raisin whiffs are strong. Like wine, I eventually detected the oak in the bouquet. And, like wine, I usually ask myself if it is English, French or American Oak? There is a distinct difference to these varieties of trees, and the flavor they impart is also just as distinct. But ADAM begs to differ. This oak is laced with the bouquet of whiskey or scotch oak barrels. (technically, ADAM is stored in bourbon barrels for 2 years with the exception of batch 29- son of ADAM, which is stored an additional year.) Add to this curious sensation a very noticeable alcohol presence (a whopping 10%), and your nose may tell your brain to brace itself for a shot of hard liquor!! An entire review could be written just on the nose alone; it's that interesting! THE TASTE Ok, I must admit: I almost spit it out at first taste. My nose had totally tricked me! I was not at ALL prepared for the malted powerhouse that is ADAM! It reminded me of a skunked keg my friends and I got once, only to return it with scoured faces. I made that same face, again. All I could taste was the malt. Having gone from one extreme type of brew (I'm a hop-head..Barleywine freak) to the other, I was quite confused. I just looked at the bottle as I forced the nasty high octane alcohol burn down my reluctant throat (which lasted all the way to my stomach). What happned? Why did I find it so repulsive? After everyone said how great it was...why can't I too enjoy it? I was expecting to enjoy all the wonderful notes I found in the bouquet, only to be choked by the overpowering maltiness. A very brief moment later, something magical happened...it was divine intervention. Ok, so G-d didn't exactly speak to me, but I swear, an orchestrated sound not unlike the very soundtrack to the pearly gates sounded in my ear and gave me a WHOLE new perspective on ADAM (maybe that's why the good Lord named ADAM after such a fine brew...) After the heavenly haze cleared, I could see it in the distance- the finish!! A pleasant bitter that had virtually been buried by the malt revealed itself to me, and begged me to drink again. And so I did, again and again. I kept noticing something better each time. There are numerous (east Indian)spices that control the speed of the finish, and the hops hit almost dead last. I have seen others rate this beer as being low on the complexity meter, but I think they just can't detect the subtle spices. It is the SPICES that make this beer so deeply interesting. The range of sensations lasts longer in this beer than in any other beer I have tried thusfar. Halfway through my glass, the chocolate married with the malt, and this beer began tasting more like dessert than beer!! The fruit flavors did a dance in my mouth and I opted to let each sip linger there until I could taste the burned sugars and highly dampened oakness. If you have ever enjoyed a fine dessert wine, (where grapes are left on the vine to ripen to an almost raisin-like state, and natural residual sugars begin to skyrocket) than ADAM will serve as the closest example to beer's version of that. But, the slight bitterness keep it all in wonderful perspective; reminding you that this is still BEER! This story ends with me rushing back to empty the shelves of this dusted over delicacy. At one visit I purchased all of the ADAM (and FRED..review on him later) the store offered me. (27 bottles total). [I had batches from 39-42 and have had the luxury of contrasting batches of ADAM only to discover they are nearly identical, except for the balance. What's more, the clerk said, "Don't worry, the owner has plenty more where that came from". YEAH! As it turns out, the owner is quite the 'dog fan, and has an ample supply for sale. He is also a big Victory Brewing fan! I will be making many more loyal trips here in the future. I now keep ADAM bottles in my basement next to my best wines, and will cherish them (at special occasions) just as much. PAIRS WITH- I have found I enjoy this with cheesecake best. If you asked me a year ago what I like with my favorite beer, I would say a well marbled rib-eye on the grill. But, I recently had an ADAM with a home made rasberry marbled cheesecake, and I almost flipped my lid when I discovered how well they complemented each other. Final Thoughts- I should have transitioned myself for this malted hot-rod. If I had enjoyed this type of beer earlier, It might have been love at first sip. But, it was a new style of beer to me, and it took a while for the love connection. But now, that love is very strong, and ADAM has won me over. OK, enough homo-erotic confessions... This beer pushes the envelope, but does it in a way that I have found to be (ultimately) very enjoyable. If you have a preconceived idea of what beer should taste like, you may be initially offended. But, keep an open mind, and you will HAVE to give in to its world class persuasion. It is for the avant-garde, and subtle complexities, that I give it two big thumbs up. If you are looking for a 'something new' brew, you just gotta try at least one bottle (if you can find it..)!  |
| Read all comments (5)|Write your own comment |
|
Ads by Google
|
