A while back, I became a little bit hooked on dark ales from local microbreweries, of which there are a great many in the Pacific Northwest, and did some research for what might be worth checking out. At the top of a great many lists was the Portland, Or based Hair of the Dog and their 'Adam' was supposed to be the best, maxing out scores whenever reviewed.
It took some searching, but I eventually found a small number of purple-labeled bottles of Adam from batch number 66 at the Bottleworks in Seattle. At $4.50 a bottle, I only grabbed a couple of bottles, one for myself and another for a friend I had promised one to for a recent favor. While this seems pretty spendy for a 12 oz bottle of beer, it is 10% alcohol by volume and figuring that one factor alone makes it equal in price to the cheap, big label brands.
Hair of the Dog Adam is a bit of an unusual brew compared to most that's out there. It is based on a rather old Germanic beer known as Adambier that fell out of favor a few centuries ago and is made by almost noone these days for the number of ingredients needed and the complexity of the brew. As such, it can only be made in relatively small amounts compared to regular ales and the flavor changes from batch to batch. Of a more unusual characteristic, as with all Hair of the Dog beers, it is bottle conditioned. So, while aged normally in barrels, it continues to age in the bottle like wine with a deepening of the flavors.
Upon first sight, Adam is an unusually dark beer being nearly black with a deep garnet coloring when held up to the light. The head is barely there and carbonation is minimal at best. Unlike other darker brews, the scent is a bit subdued with hints of smoke compared to the burnt grain smell of Guinness.
As an average individual, I waited for my friend to take a -*test*-('") swig of his bottle before I took a chance with it. As he is someone who prefers Rolling Rock, Weinhard's Private Reserve, and other equally minimal flavor pale ales, to my amusement, he nearly choked on the Adam. When I took my first shot at my own bottle, it was immediately evident why. This beer is very intense in flavor, I cannot stress this enough. The Obsidian Stout I had brought along as well that we were enjoying shortly before seemed as a pale ale in comparison. This is definitely a beer for lovers of dark ales and connoisseurs who are looking for progressively more flavor.
So, on to the important thing, what does Adam taste like? Being an amateur, I don't like to let my beer breathe for the requisite 10 minutes the pros recommend before the first taste. So, the initial flavor was mellow and smooth with chocolaty overtones. One the beer had a few minutes to breathe and begin the oxidation process, just as with wines, to increase the flavor, my palette was assaulted with the full flavor. I would call the taste to be that of fresh leather with what seems to be a hint of hickory smoke and, surprisingly, berries or at least sweet figs. It is very complex and non-beer lovers might not like it for the tannin taste. (Seriously, it reminded me of an encounter with tanning solution when a young child.) Some might say that it does have a hint of chocolate to it, like with the first taste.
As the drinking progresses, the flavor runs a wide gamut due to the oxidation releasing flavors being more evident with normal beers. It's almost an exploration with each swig to taste what's coming next, but it remains good and intense the whole time and does gradually mellow a bit towards the end. Unlike other dark beers, Adam has surprisingly little aftertaste and is not the least bit bitter.
Still, I found the tannin taste to be a bit too much for me and while I had only one bottle on hand, that one was sufficient for the time. Being a fairly new batch when I purchased mine, I would not be at all surprised if the taste improves with time as it ages more in the bottle. I can readily see a fan purchasing a few examples from different batches over time to take advantage of the slight differences between them and the change brought about by the ability of this beer to 'bottle condition.'
Hair of the Dog's sparse webpage calls Adam a "dessert beer" and I wholly agree. It is not for chugging or beer pong, neither for the price nor the flavor. This is one that should be enjoyed after a fine meal in a study with a cigar while enjoying good literature or the company of friends. Do not put this out for a superbowl party with chips and dip.
Just for some more information, something to watch for is loose caps. The capper Hair of the Dog uses doesn't make for all that great of a crimp and there are stories of entire cases being lost due to barely on there caps.
Hair of the Dog
Hair of the Dog - Adam
- JP
It took some searching, but I eventually found a small number of purple-labeled bottles of Adam from batch number 66 at the Bottleworks in Seattle. At $4.50 a bottle, I only grabbed a couple of bottles, one for myself and another for a friend I had promised one to for a recent favor. While this seems pretty spendy for a 12 oz bottle of beer, it is 10% alcohol by volume and figuring that one factor alone makes it equal in price to the cheap, big label brands.
Hair of the Dog Adam is a bit of an unusual brew compared to most that's out there. It is based on a rather old Germanic beer known as Adambier that fell out of favor a few centuries ago and is made by almost noone these days for the number of ingredients needed and the complexity of the brew. As such, it can only be made in relatively small amounts compared to regular ales and the flavor changes from batch to batch. Of a more unusual characteristic, as with all Hair of the Dog beers, it is bottle conditioned. So, while aged normally in barrels, it continues to age in the bottle like wine with a deepening of the flavors.
Upon first sight, Adam is an unusually dark beer being nearly black with a deep garnet coloring when held up to the light. The head is barely there and carbonation is minimal at best. Unlike other darker brews, the scent is a bit subdued with hints of smoke compared to the burnt grain smell of Guinness.
As an average individual, I waited for my friend to take a -*test*-('") swig of his bottle before I took a chance with it. As he is someone who prefers Rolling Rock, Weinhard's Private Reserve, and other equally minimal flavor pale ales, to my amusement, he nearly choked on the Adam. When I took my first shot at my own bottle, it was immediately evident why. This beer is very intense in flavor, I cannot stress this enough. The Obsidian Stout I had brought along as well that we were enjoying shortly before seemed as a pale ale in comparison. This is definitely a beer for lovers of dark ales and connoisseurs who are looking for progressively more flavor.
So, on to the important thing, what does Adam taste like? Being an amateur, I don't like to let my beer breathe for the requisite 10 minutes the pros recommend before the first taste. So, the initial flavor was mellow and smooth with chocolaty overtones. One the beer had a few minutes to breathe and begin the oxidation process, just as with wines, to increase the flavor, my palette was assaulted with the full flavor. I would call the taste to be that of fresh leather with what seems to be a hint of hickory smoke and, surprisingly, berries or at least sweet figs. It is very complex and non-beer lovers might not like it for the tannin taste. (Seriously, it reminded me of an encounter with tanning solution when a young child.) Some might say that it does have a hint of chocolate to it, like with the first taste.
As the drinking progresses, the flavor runs a wide gamut due to the oxidation releasing flavors being more evident with normal beers. It's almost an exploration with each swig to taste what's coming next, but it remains good and intense the whole time and does gradually mellow a bit towards the end. Unlike other dark beers, Adam has surprisingly little aftertaste and is not the least bit bitter.
Still, I found the tannin taste to be a bit too much for me and while I had only one bottle on hand, that one was sufficient for the time. Being a fairly new batch when I purchased mine, I would not be at all surprised if the taste improves with time as it ages more in the bottle. I can readily see a fan purchasing a few examples from different batches over time to take advantage of the slight differences between them and the change brought about by the ability of this beer to 'bottle condition.'
Hair of the Dog's sparse webpage calls Adam a "dessert beer" and I wholly agree. It is not for chugging or beer pong, neither for the price nor the flavor. This is one that should be enjoyed after a fine meal in a study with a cigar while enjoying good literature or the company of friends. Do not put this out for a superbowl party with chips and dip.
Just for some more information, something to watch for is loose caps. The capper Hair of the Dog uses doesn't make for all that great of a crimp and there are stories of entire cases being lost due to barely on there caps.
Hair of the Dog
Hair of the Dog - Adam
- JP