Hair of the Dog Brewing Adam (Batch 85)

Adam was the first beer Alan Sprints created at Hair of the Dog Brewing when he opened it in 1993.  Alan claims this beer is a historic recreation of an old style of beer from Dortmund, Germany called an Adambier which is now extinct.  What ever it is, it’s ridiculously tasty.  The beer was named (renamed) after friend and brewer Adam Kerchival who passed away in 200 at the age of 35.  You can find the batch dating chart on Hair of the Dog website.  This bottle was packaged in March of 2012.

Appearance: Deep brown/black, tan head, excellent retention.

Aroma: Bitter chocolate, leather, tobacco, subtle smokey notes, coffee, mocha, dried fruit, spicy.

Taste: Bitter Chocolate, figs, raisins, spicy, leather and tobacco.

Overall Impression:  This is quite the beer!  Despite its high ABV, it’s still well balanced and drinkable.  I’m not saying you can sit and chug it, but you can enjoy the entire bottle without it getting “cloying” or overly syrupy.  Give yourself time to enjoy this beer.  Let it’s complexities unfold as it warms up.  This is definitely a treat, although a very reasonably priced one compared to other beers with a similar taste profile.  This beer is big, deep, interesting, complex, and quite elegant.

Availability: Extremely limited.  It’s brewed year round in small batches, but doesn’t make it too far from the west coast.  Check top notch bottle shops.

10% ABV