Hair of the Dog Matt
Matt VandenBerghe and Matt Bonney (Bottleworks and Brouwers in Seattle) personify the spirit and dedication that has helped craft beer become the vibrant industry it is today. This Beer was originally Brewed to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Bottleworks, and will be released every few years from the Brewery. Matt is made with two Munich malts, two Smoked malts and two types of Belgian candy sugar. It is aged in Kentucky Bourbon and Apple Eau de Vie barrels from Clear Creek distilling. Matt is deep and lush with notes of apple, chocolate and smoke.
4.2
527 reviews
Portland, United States
Community reviews
Tap at Fakin. Sweet caramel, milk chocolate, biscuit, boozy, nice liqueur, sugar. Pitch black color with minimal sized brown head. Sweet chocolate taste, coconut, cocoa, some bourbon, apples and cherries, apple brandy, moderate bitterness. Full body, creamy and oily, flat carbonation.
On tap at Fakin Zagreb. Shared with Marko and hrabren. Pitch black coloured, minimal off-white head, dried fruits, mild smoke and alcohol in the nose. Roasted malt, wood, light smoke, noticable alcohol and dried fruits with mild barrel touch in the finish. Complex and enjoyable brew.
A dark brown ale with a thin mocha head. In aroma, sweet caramel malt with light vinous notes, treacle, light butterscotch, alcohol warmth, very nice. In mouth, a nice sweet caramel malt with treacle, vinous character, alcohol warmth, dark fruits, molasses, very nice. Bottle from Pushkinwow at Jason's big deck tasting, August 2019
Tap at Fakin. Shared with Hrabren & Ogi. Pitch black body, almost no head. Malty, salty aroma, red pepper chips, slightly smoky perhaps, sweetish. Malty taste, red pepper chips, beutifully silky and smooth, quite pleasant if atypical. Well done!
On tap at Fakin Craft Bar, Zagreb. HotD TT. Shared with Marko and Ogi. Oily dark brown to black, minimal head. Eteric fruity aroma with hints of dried fruits, ripe figs, alcohol soaked fruit, dark cherry in chocolate, roasty aromas, light alcohol, light spice, all coated in dark chocolate and cocoa. Some vanilla. Cherry liqueur emerges. Very thick, full and sticky. Sweet, dried fruit cake, mostly figs. Alcohol well hidden. Light spicy touch. Cocoa. Some glue. Soft, drinkable, silky. Moderate finish. Warming. Spicy warming feeling in throat. A rare experience.
Refrigerated 12 oz. brown bottle from Douglas poured into a glass. Dark brown with small off white head. Aroma is leather, medium body, low carbonation, and no lacing. Taste is smoke, leather, apple brandy barrel, and some chocolate. Expected more.
Pours a murky brown from the bottle with thin ring of bubbly tan head that dissipates to leave little to no lace. Aroma of deep vanilla and dark fruit barrel characters with a touch of molasses and light smoke on the back end. Taste is molasses and vanilla up front, burnt caramel and dark fruits through the middle, with a boozy port wine type finish. Little to no carbonation on the tongue, leaving you wanting a bit more besides syrup, but solid.
Pours opaque chocolate with a fair parchment head. Aroma features roast malt, earthy, caramel and woody hop tones. Flavor gives roast malt, fruity, caramel, woody and eartjy notes. Texture yields smooth, firm body with jazzy fizz and a roadty and slightly smoky finish. All hail Matt!
Poured from a 2013 vintage, 12 oz bottle.
Aroma is malt forward with some light alcohol spice. Some dark fruit, anise, tobacco, leather and molasses. Lots of dark caramel and toffee with lighter roast, treacle and chocolate.
Pours a dark brown, but not quite black with some lighter brown hues on the edges. Very sparse, forced, thin, tan head that lingers as a faint film on the edges. No lacing and fairly long legs.
Flavor is fairly sweet with quite a bit of malt. Lots of dark caramel, toffee, toasted bread and lighter roast and coffee notes. Quite a bit of fig and prune notes with lighter raisin and plum. Tobacco, leather, and a dusty note. Light alcohol spice.
Mouthfeel is full bodied with low carbonation. Low astringency and medium low alcohol warmth.
Overall, a decent beer and it gets better as it warms, but it is oxidized and age isn't doing it any favors at this point. It could be bottle variation as I have had other aged bottles that are better.
Bottle at Dunder 2018. Dark brown colour, Clear note of alcohol in the aroma, sweet taste.
Pours murky mahogany, minimal head from this bottle. Nose is nice, caramel, apple, wood and molasses. Nice smooth feel...toffee, caramel, dark ripened figs, smoked wood, cherry. Very well done!
330 ml bottle at home with big thanks to Matt!! Dark brown color with some copper notes and no head. Malty aroma, alcohol, apple brandy and bourbon, rip apple, smoked, tobacco, wood, dark dried fruits, caramel, vanilla, light chocolate. Sweet and light bitter taste, alcoholic and smoked like aroma. Medium oily body with flat carbonation.
2013 vintage bottle thanks to Buckeyeboy. Dark brown and relatively flat. Swwet dark malts, pit fruit, woody, smoky. Taste is rich, sweet and boozy, slippery, and very tasty.
Matt (2013) - $20 at the brew pub, pours a deep dark red, with just a ring of white head around the glass, aroma of brandy, taste of dark fruit, brandy, sticky with a medium body.
12 ounce bottle shared. The beer is a thick brown with a small beige head of foam. Malty and sweet. Some chocolate and woody notes accompany an abundant boozy profile. Light burn. Bigger body and low carbonation.
355 ml bottle at home, vintage 2016, shared by Sander, many thanks! Pours a deep mahogany with no head at all. Lots of Bourbon in the aroma along with cocoa, marzipan, nuts and toffee. Full, oily body with no carbonation, a medium sweetness and a light to medium bitterness. Some noticeable alcohol. Flavor of roasted malt - chocolate, cocoa, toffee, caramel, brown sugar - and lots of Bourbon and smoke. Finishes with lots of Bourbon and some booze. Really lovely flavors and an excellent beer - would be even better if not completely flat.
Aroma: 9
Appearance: 3
Taste: 8
Palate: 4
Overall: 16
Score: 8/ 4 / 8 / 4 / 17
355 ml bottle shared by Sander, many thanks!
Dark brown body, with almost no head.
Aroma of bourbon, booze, caramel, dried fruits, cocoa, wood, smoke, some brandy.
Tastes similar, with more chocolate
Medium, a bit oily mouthfeel, with a low carbonation.
Finishes boozy, warm, medium sweet, with bourbon, dried fruits, chocolate, brandy, slight roast.
Tasty. Boozy and heavy, but really rich and complex. Lovely bourbon notes, which are well integrated and slight smoke notes, for the last bit of character. A bit too boozy maybe, I prefer it a bit more balanced. Still a really lovely sipper.
0,33l bottle at Powys shared by Sander, big thanks. Vintage 2016. almost black color, very very small tan head. smells of bourbon, earthy, nutty, licorice, dried fruits, bit heavy but very nice smell. full body, light carbonation, slick mouthfeel. tastes earthy, whisky, bourbon, nice wood, spices, peppery, dried fruits, licorice, bit boozy, very light smoke. finishes lightly boozy with notes of bourbon, nutty and some dried fruits. very nice one but rather heavy. good one none the less. rather boozy, good on the bourbon notes though.
Bottle (2016 vintage) thanks to Erik. Aroma of toffee, smoke, chocolate, fruity. Hazy brown, no head. Taste is dusty, moderate sweet, sherry, chocolate, light bitter. Medium body, dry feel and dusty finish.
I hadn’t realized this was a beer I never had before but happy to now have. Watching finale of Netflix The Break should probably be drinking Belgian but alas. Rich brown pour. Nose is rich dark fruits and caramel. Tastes of fig, dates, dark chocolate, molasses, tobacco, caramel. Nothing over done and insane depth of flavor. Enjoying this PNW excursion.
Really enjoyed this beer and was recommended to me by friends. Well-balanced and will definitely be drinking more soon.
Pours deep dark brown with low tan head. Aroma of bourbon, molasses, raisins, dates, figs, this nose makes itself known from a mile a away!!! Incredibly rich but not unbalanced, very enjoyable. Taste is boozy, sweet, rich, raisins and dried fruit again, quite balanced but very fiery. No carbonation in my bottle, which may be a unique thing, but drags overall impression down. Rich, fiery, smooth body with flat carbonation.
Tasted the 2010 vintage at the brewery. Pours dark brown/ black. Complex aroma and taste. Dark fruits. Superb.
At Tom's Place, pours black to brown with a beige head, aroma of chocolate, coffee, caramel, toffee, vanilla, coconut, flavor of chocolate, vanilla, toffee, coconut, bourbon, medium to full bodied, Great
A 2010 bottle drank on November 8 at Hair of the Dog. $30 for a 12 ounce bottle. Sounds expensive, but it was worth it. Easily the best beer of the night.
Bottle from Bierhalle Deconinck, Vichte. Black/brown colour, no head. Flat, no carbonation. Sweet, malty, notes of unripe apples, smoke, paint thinner, unripe vegetables. Hmm, strange combo of flavours, not really what I expected. Maybe a bad batch? Not the best beer I tasted.
Smells of apples, carmel and smoke. Pours dark with no carbination. Amazing taste, real mouthfull.
Great strong/old ale.
Thanks a lot to GT for the bottle - Dark brown, olmost black with off white head - Dark malty aroma with some dark fruity tones - Dark malt body with dark fruity tones with some notes of wood - The dark fruity wood notes goes into the finish - This was real good
smells of damp earth, wood, apples, smoke. pours an opaque dark brown, on the edge of blackness. flavors of liquified carmel apple candy, hint of cider, heavy malts, and depth of smoke very well represented. this is a beer that was savored by the light of a campfire.
Bottle from mcberko or bytemesis-sorry I can't remember who but thanks all the same! Dark cocoa brown color, minimal carbonation even with an aggressive pour. Nose is sweet caramel, light marzipan, very light coffee and dark roast malts. Taste is sweet with a bitter finish. Flavors of burnt caramel, toffee, dark roast malts. Rich, slick mouthfeel. Awesome strong, old ale.