Hair of the Dog Fred

10 different hops! 10 Percent ABV! Wow! This is just a giant beer that you'll have to try for yourself. It's listed as a Special Golden Ale, but it's a barleywine. Though lighter bodied than most barleywines I've tried, it is enjoyable.

From Hair of the Dog: Fred was created to honor beer writer and historian Fred Eckhardt. Fred is a big inspiration for me and many other brewers. Fred's work in all-grain brewing and beer styles helped me become a better brewer. Fred the beer is a deep golden color. It is made with aromatic and rye malts and includes 10 different hop varieties in an effort to incorporate the whole world into this beer. It has 10% alcohol by volume and 65 IBUs. We hope that Fred will inspire you to share your knowledge with others as Fred has with us.

Oskar Blues Gordon

What they say(oskarblues.com): Gordon is a hybrid version of strong ale, somewhere between an Imperial Red and a Double IPA. We make it with six different malts and three types of hops, then dry-hop it with a mutha lode of Amarillo hops. It is 8.7% alcohol by volume, and has 85 International Bittering Units.

It features a gooey, resiny aroma and a luscious mouthfeel. Gordon is brewed with dash of chocolate malt in it, to round out its load of hops and balance the beer. The result is an assertive yet exceptionally smooth version of strong beer.

We brew Gordon in tribute to the late Gordon Knight. In addition to opening some of Colorado’s first microbreweries, Knight was a Vietnam vet, grade-A citizen, and huge promoter of craft beer. He lost his life in 2002 while fighting a wild fire outside of Lyons, Colorado.

Originally our winter seasonal beer, it has become a cult favorite of extreme-beer lovers, so we now brew occasional batches of Gordon throughout the year. Released in bottles in 2003 and 2004, Gordon is now sold in four packs of hand-labeled cans and on draft in select markets.

What I say: It has a deep copper color, yet moderately light in body. The taste has a strong malt presence upfront, with almost no finish. I could tell this was a big beer; my notes say it's strong and warm. There is a definite warming in the finish. As you can see from their notes Oskar Blues uses a lot of hops, yet I noted the beer could probably use more hops. I can explain why this sounds crazy and why it makes sense like this: Most times I'll go into a tasting not knowing the history or style of the beer. Therefore the notes I make may not always be appropriate to the style, but I have no problem correcting myself. Now knowing that this is a DIPA/Imperial Red hybrid I understand why the hops are somewhat muted and proper. The balance of the taste does lean a bit toward the malt. This slight imbalance makes for a great tasting brew. And know that I know that this beer has named in honor of a hero, it'll definitely be one of my favorite brews. In any case, try it yourself and let me know.

Lagunitas Sirius

This beer is described as a "Special High Gravity Cream Ale in serious celebration of the return of the salubrious Spring". It is usually available as a summer release from June to August. It is deep gold to orange/rust in color and somewhat light in body. This is was makes this beer so deceptive since it does carry a 7.6% ABV vintage. The hops up front when taste will give you a quick bite and then hop aftertaste is pleasant yet lingering. Overall not overly-hopped, as just mentioned the hop taste is quite lingering throughout. There is a definite sweet malt presence and the hops are strong enough to add to the sweetness. The overall balance of taste leans towars the hops. Overall, it's a pleasure to drink, just watch out, it's a big beverage.