Hair Of The Dog Putin
Hair Of The Dog Putin is a Russian Imperial Stout, 14% ABV. This review is for the 2015 vintage of this beer. According to the bottle Brouwerij de Molen was instrumental in the creation of this beer. Thanks to my old friend, and Hair Of The Dog head brewer, Denver for sending this my way to review.
Uh-oh… the cap comes off the bottle without any sound at all. Yeah, confirmed by the pour, this beer is about as flat as they come. The color is nice for the style though, it is about as black as a beer can get. Wow, this is one intense smelling beer. I’m getting notes of sweet caramel, ripe dark fruit, fudgy chocolate, a little roasted nuts, some toasted marshmallows, and… bourbon? I’m not seeing any indication it was, but based on the aroma I’d swear this bourbon barrel aged. Big, sweet, alcohol soaked dark fruits is the first thing to come out in the taste. A nice amount of caramel, vanilla, rich chocolate, and a huge amount of alcohol burn round out the flavor profile. Without any carbonation this is syrupy and a touch cloying, clearly some bubbles would have improved the overall drinking experience. To me this is drinking much more like a big Bourbon Barrel Aged Barleywine than a Russian Imperial Stout.
As much as I want to ding this beer for it’s lack of carbonation and RIS qualities… I just can’t. As one untappd reviewer put it, “Still flat as (expletive), but who cares!” I have to agree, the overall quality and and taste of this beer trumps it’s technical flaws.
