Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9

Dark barleywine brewed by this influential early craft brewer since 2003, glad I finally got a chance to taste this celebrity. Loose, immediately completely open 'head' of yellowish-beige bubbles that quickly dissolve into nothing; initially clear, deep mahogany brown robe with ochre-brown edges, misty with sediment. Intense bouquet of hard caramel, old sweet sherry, raisins soaked in brown rum, figs, madera, chocolate sauce, walnut liqueur, almond, strong vanilla-scenting oak wood, solventy notes (varnish). Sweet onset, candied figs and yellow raisins, bit sticky even; soft carbonation, but full, oily and vinous mouthfeel. Very hazelnutty and hard-caramelly core with a thin chocolatey edge, a very vague background touch of smokiness and an equally light and faint toasty-bitter note; sweet, boozy, vinous finish, lots of heating rum-like alcohol mingling with the residual malt and sugar sweetness, but quite complex with additional aspects of vanila and sherry. Rich and boozy sipper, a tad too boozy and sweet for me personally perhaps, but certainly an impressive Hair of the Dog classic, powerful and desserty at the same time.

Smoke and pure love

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9

On tap at Fakin, Zagreb. Dark brown, beige head. Chocolate, dark fruit, cocoa, sweet, whiskey, some apple. Medium sweetness. Warming. Oily.Medium to full bodied.

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

2016 vintage @ Brouwer’s Cafe. 12 oz bottle. Pours a dark brown with little head. Aromas of bourbon, molasses and slick roasted malts. Flavors follow same with additional salty umami, soy sauce, vanilla and oily roasted malts. Very good. Aging well. Expensive.

Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Bottle thanks to daawi. Pours muddy greasy brown with a small brown bubbly head. Without a doubt one of the ugliest beers I’ve ever seen hahaha. Aromas of peat, smoke, caramel, vanilla, dark chocolate, dust, sweet dark fruits, toffee, apples, tannins. Taste is sweet, caramel, vanilla, gunpowder, smoke, tannins, malt, sweet prunes, dates, raisins, apple liqour. Bit of a letdown honestly.

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Keg at borefts. Pours deep ruby, nose is funk, berries, caramel, toffee, taste is similar, sweet, juicy fruit. 8/4/9/4/16

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9.5

At Borefts 2019. Aroma of bourbon vanilla, caramel fudge, raisin, malt, cherry and smoke. Rich flavors of lots of bourbon, caramel fudge, vanilla, dates, raisin, malt, oak and an insanely long finish. Amazing, typical Hair of the Dog greatness.

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8.5

Borefts 2019 - Black with no head. Aroma and flavour are woody, musty, sweet, syrupy, sugary, boozy and rich.

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 9

Tap. Dark hazy brown color with no head. Aroma is huge Bourbon, vanilla, caramel, very nutty too. Taste is caramel, nutty, vanilla, sweet, but enough oxidative nuttiness to balance it out. Very thick oily mouthfeel with low carbonation. Amazing stuff.

Ssstrong :)