Today, we’re bringing you Hair Of The Dog’s highly coveted Fred: A delicious 10% ABV goldmine of candied pineapple liqueur-like flavors that’s earned a rarefied 93 from the BA Bros and is in Top 40 for its style on RateBeer.

Enrapturing palates with sweet, boozy complexity, Fred was created by the brewery to capture “the entire world in one beer.” A ridiculous wealth of Pilsner and Rye Malts elicits a silken spicy base, while Belgian candy sugar embodies the beer with decadent richness and a top-shelf ABV. Over ten different hops were used, infusing bounties of tropical aromas, intense citrus, and a pleasing bitter finish akin to the best Barleywines.

Out of the glass, aromas of syrup-poached peaches swing with glances of boozy butterscotch ripple. A river of grilled pineapples and toasted creme brulee lord over the palate, flowing into an Italian aperitif-like deluge of alcohol and herbaceous bitter. And we can only imagine how the flavors will meld and come alive as the beer cellars.

There’s really no beer like Fred and no brewery quite like Hair of the Dog. The brewery itself was listed as one of 2016’s Top 5 US Brewer Taprooms. For over twenty years, this Portland legend has wowed Northwest palates with one-of-a-kind brews that are in a league entirely of their own. And with every sip of Fred, we consider ourselves damn lucky.

99 on RateBeer, 93 from the BA Bros

Hair of the Dog Brewing Company - Fred - $7.99 for a 12oz bottle

Style: American Strong Ale, ABV: 10.0%, IBU: 65