Hair Of The Dog Adam From The Wood 2011

When you take the original Adam Old Ale and age it in oak bourbon barrels for at least 3 years you end up with Hair of the Dog Adam From The Wood. Huge thanks to my friend, and HOTD brewer, Denver for sending me this 2011 vintage bottle. Denver’s advice on aging this was “hold on to it as long as you can”, I finally gave up!

Looks like it was a good thing my will finally broke, this had just the slightest amount of carbonation left. It made this already sweet and boozy beer a bit syrupy, making it just a tad less enjoyable than the original for me. All of the flavors I got in Adam are there: old leather, tobacco, chocolate, dark fruits and a hint of cherries. The smokiness I got in the original is replaced by a dry oak and mild bourbon flavor (which has probably mellowed a good bit in the 3 years since it left it’s 3 year bourbon barrel time-out). The alcohol is very evident on this, but that isn’t a problem. You go into this with the expectation of sipping slowly, mostly because you don’t want it to end!