Fred
Hair of the Dog Brewing Company in Portland, Oregon, United States 🇺🇸
Strong Ale - American Regular Out of Production|
Score
7.64
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Fred was created to honor beer writer and historian Fred Eckhardt. Fred is a big inspiration for me and many other brewers. Fred’s work in all-grain brewing and beer styles helped me become a better brewer. Fred the beer is a deep golden color. It is made with aromatic and rye malts and includes 10 different hop varieties in an effort to incorporate the whole world into this beer. It has 10% alcohol by volume and 65 IBUs. We hope that Fred will inspire you to share your knowledge with others as Fred has with us. (Click on the picture for a larger view.) Wondering about the age of your Fred? Check the Fred vintage guide.
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8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Backlog January 2009. Amber body under a nice off-white head. Aroma has caramel malt, brown sugar spicy yeast and fruity hops with a certain alcohol sting. Taste is sweet and malty with caramel, brown sugar, spicy yeast, fruity hops, nice bitterness and alcohol that actually feels balanced against the sweetness and bitterness. A solid one.
Tried
on 23 Oct 2025
at 16:54
8.1/10
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Appearance 7
Aroma 8
Flavor 8.5
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Rating #4,500! Bottle purchased in Indiana, 2011. Dark brown pour with a short head of ecru foam. Smell has some malt and a bit of brandy. Smell started a little off, but then the taste pulled it through. A thick, sweet hit of Bourbon, in the guide of an Oktoberfest. For a moment, I thought this might have gotten too old, but I'm finding new ways it's held up.
Tried
from Bottle
on 01 Aug 2025
at 03:38
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 9
Bottle at Cafe Volo.
pours a DEEP mahogany/caramel color. Nose is big on malt, and caramel. flavour is much of the same. The alcohol warms my throat as it goes down, just a superb sipping barley wine.
pours a DEEP mahogany/caramel color. Nose is big on malt, and caramel. flavour is much of the same. The alcohol warms my throat as it goes down, just a superb sipping barley wine.
Tried
from Bottle
on 27 Feb 2025
at 09:32
7.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
From tap at Hair of the Dog, Portland. Aroma is sweet malt, dried fruits, bit candied, ripe fruits, caramel, a touch of hops, with spicy notes. Flavour is rather sweet with a little bitterness in the finish and a boozy liquor touch. Body is full. Sweet and heavy, drinks like a royal shot of spicy liquor. Very nice.
Tried
from Draft
on 10 Feb 2025
at 04:46
8.2/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 10
Texture 10
Overall 9
Tap at Borefts 2019: Slightly hazy orange colored brew with an dry bitter taste, hints of caramel, grapefruit, some burning alcohol and some wood. Quite complex beer which is easy to drink.
Tried
from Draft
on 29 Dec 2024
at 11:16
8.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9
Plans were made for a friend and me to go to Portland to hit the high spots in the beer industry there. Then covid hit and the trip came apart. After that I saw the news that Hair of the Dog was closing its doors. Damn. There went the place at the top of my list. Later I did find Halftime offering bottles of Fred. And I bought one. So, I will have my one tasting from Hair of the Dog and that is taking place this evening. My Chimay glass is out for this, something of a salute in my opinion. The pour is an indistinct amber-gold, very little in the way of a head but there is a stupendous carbonation. I smell ripe fruit and cane syrup. The drink finally, I can say it was worth the wait. Grain, figs, hops, malt, hard candy, vanilla and red plums. Sweet and bitter, nicely done. It seems boozy, the 10% abv has its influence. David Bowie is playing in the background, just saying how it is. I sit back and contemplate the finish of the bottle.
Tried
from Bottle
on 27 Jul 2023
at 01:03
7.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
0.355 l bottle from 'Drinks & Gifts', batch #102. A little hazy, amber with a thin, frothy, almost stable, off-white head. Sweetish-malty, gently resiny and a little fruity aroma of pine, sultanas, pear, vanilla, bourbon and some caramel. Fairly sweet, malty, slightly bitter, quite resiny and slightly fruity taste of pine, bourbon, vanilla, sultanas, pear, molasses and some caramel, followed by a medium long, gently bitter, resiny and a little boozy finish. Medium to full body, smooth and slightly effervescent mouthfeel, soft carbonation. Lovely ASA, very malty and resiny, so glad I got the chance to finally try it before it's too late. So sad that such an iconic brewery just disappears from the beer world.
Tried
from Bottle
on 17 Sep 2022
at 18:52
7.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
(Draught at Omnipollos Hatt, Stockholm, 9 March 2022) Brownish amber colour, hazy, with brief tan head. Malty, vinous nose with dried fruit, caramel, brown sugar, figs and dates. Malty, fruity, vinous taste with notes of caramel, dried fruit, prunes, raisins, figs, brown sugar and a finish with a good alcohol bite and a mild, spicy bitterness. Full body, quite sweet. Solid, complex and well made barley wine. Very nice.
Tried
on 17 Jun 2022
at 22:13
8.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 9
A red-brown beer, a head is medium and blond. Aroma has strong maltyness, caramel, dried apricot, some pine. Taste is quite similar, caramel malts, pine, quite strong and balancing bitterness, apricot. Full bodied, velvety palate. Brilliant beer, richness of malts, complex, balanced. Delicious.
Tried
on 06 Apr 2022
at 08:16
6.2/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 5
Aus der Flasche im 2021-12 getrunken. Diese kupferfarbende American Barley Wine erinnert an ein Imperial IPA. In der Nase ist deutlich eine leicht harzige Hopfennote und Getreidearomen deutlich. Am Gaumen hat es genügend alkoholische Süsse um die Hopfenbitterkeit, die ich nicht mag, recht gut auszugleichen. Nicht schlecht gebraut und sogar recht lecker.
Tried
from Can
on 22 Dec 2021
at 00:04