Fred from the Wood
(has 3 batches)

Big woody aroma, smells of freshly cut lumber, either oak or pine. I think maybe some piney hops are contributing to that character. But there’s a nice malt presence here, full bodied, caramelized, bready and warming with a tingle of alcohol in the finish (but otherwise well balanced alcohol presence, esp for a 10% beer). Some resiny hop flavors float around the middle of this one, and a big hopping comes through in the bitter finish. Slightly astringent/husky. Otherwise a nice big barleywine that makes good use of oak aging. Very cloudy amber-brown with a medium foaming head that faded quickly, with minimal lacing.

Batch 64 My first impression of the nose was of a white zinfandel, fading into a caramelly maltwith some spice a dark fruit notes. Red tinged amber color with a few tiny beige bubbles. Flavor shows the caramelly malts with a definte burbon flavor and a hoppy alcohol finish.

Many thanks to jimmack and richlikebeer, both of whom brought some of this to the last HW Open House - wood, wood and more wood - this is a pine forest bitch slap to the senses in a handy 12 oz. bottle - a thick-chewy-maple sap-and-caramel-malt-oozing-down-the-gullet kind of libation - if you like piney, hoppy barleywines, this one is for you!

Thanks to Kinz for sharing this at the 3rd Richmond Gathering. Batch 64. Clear caramel color with a small light brown head. Sweet oak and pine aroma. Strong oak flavor, hints of vanilla, some caramel and pine in the background.

12 Oz bottle, batch 64. pours nicely with a small head of off-white, that coats the glass as it reluctantly subsides (still a thick scum after 20 minutres). Aromatic even when cold, dried fruit and caramel come through at first. It gets bigger and headier as it warms. Full bodied, very full and smooth. Damn pity that only two poor b*stds at BA have gotten to try this. This one will age nicely, don’t rush it. Vanilla and oak is just beginning to show. The regular Fred is an amazing brew and this is just another part of the "Fred Legacy". Great beer by HotD.

Batch 64. Inviting pour — cloudy copper with a creamy, tight-bubbled, off-white head that recedes to the rim. The aroma is full of oak — almost like being in a shed full of freshly split, green oak wood. There are notes of earthiness, leather, orange peel and alcohol. The flavor is dominated by the woodiness. Still, the beer starts sweet — brown sugar and ripe fruit — and quickly turns tart, then bitter. However, the warmer it gets, the more the sweet malts present themselves. The finish is peppery and warm. Throughout is the taste of wood. Medium body with a fairly clean, crisp palate with only a slight stickiness. Moderate to long finish. Looking forward to revisiting this batch in a couple of years. Batch 64 revisited 1-8-2010. The heavy oak aroma and flavor has faded. Aroma is still sweet with brown sugar and fruits along with notes of earthiness and leather. The flavor is heavily sweet and lightly bitter. It finishes moderatley to heavily sweet and moderately bitter. Alcohol warming in the finish behind some lingering woodiness. Nice tartness behind the bitter. Medium body, velvety texture and light to moderate carbonation. Complex and interesting at every turn.