149. Hair of the Dog Ruth

From the Hair of the Dog Brewery in Portland, OR. Since we had this beer during our Thanksgiving day festivities, Elli and I got harassed by my family—“What are you writing that down for?” “Why do you need to keep notes on your beer?” “What are you, some sort of professional beer taster now?” They didn’t harass me out of any sense of bad will, but more because that is what my family does—we unmercifully give each other a whole rash of shit, whether deserved or not, at any given opportunity. Ah, family. I’m sure you can all relate.

Ruth has a bready malt and floral hop nose; it is a hazy yellow gold with a light white head. Starting with a bready and biscuity front with some additional malt sweetness, Ruth moves into a bitter middle with fruity and citrus hop flavor before finishing bitter with lingering spicy and resin hop flavors. Lighter bodied than one would expect, Ruth still has a decent substance; there is some bite from the carbonation, but contributes to rather than detracting from the beer. Overall, and excellent beer with a nice balance between malt and hops—the floral and citrus hop mix in the body is pleasant and refreshing, even as it is based on hop flavor. Our only questions would be in the classification—it’s American, and it’s Pale, but with that hop load, it seems to be bordering more on an American IPA that a Pale Ale.

From the Hair of the Dog website: “Ruth is a light and refreshing American Ale, made with pale malt and crystal hops. She was inspired by my Mother’s Mother, Granny Ruth because of her love and support. Don’t be Ruthless. Have one on Granny.”

(11/26/2009)