333: 2007 Doggie Claws

Why, hello, blog. How are you? Been awhile, right? Sure has. Sorry about that.

Wow. I’m really sorry about the delay in posting here. To say that the holidays have been busy is … both an understatement, and a bit of foreshadowing for the rest of this post, which celebrates an important milestone. I’m officially one-third through my goal of tasting 999 beers in 999 days. So I thought I’d open something special from the archives, and being as this was consumed in the waning days of November, a agéd holiday beer seemed only appropriate.

First, the review. More reflection after the break.

Beer Name: 2007 Doggie Claws
Brewer: Hair of the Dog Brewing
Price: N/A
Sampled: November 29, 2010
Rating: 3/5
Notes: Plenty of carbonation and powerful bourbon/dark fruit aroma. Still quite sweet but not boozy … much! Some grainy, rich flavors … fine sawdust, in a good way.
ABV: 11% abv
IBU: N/A
OG N/A
TG N/A
Serving Type: Bottle.

I started this blog almost a year ago (I’m writing considerably after I tasted the beer), just a few weeks after I launched 33 Beers, the beer-tasting notebook featured prominently in the photos and tasting format I use for blog posts here.

I came up with 33 Beers as a result of beer blogging duties on my other (now languishing) beer blog, BS Brewing, which I co-founded and -wrote with several of my beer-drinking friends in Portland. As our blog gained notoriety (and tens of readers), we began to be invited to more and more beer events, which we then felt somewhat compelled to write about. Problem was, after the first beer or seven, it became a little bit difficult to find the focus necessary to taste the beers, and remembering them the next day was difficult, to understate things.

So I invented this little notebook. I printed 1000 to start, thinking I might be able to break even by peer-pressuring my friends and family to buy them, and figured I’d have holiday gifts covered for a few decades.

But a funny thing happened, and that first run sold in just a few weeks. I re-ordered, and sold those. It happened again and again, and it hasn’t stopped yet.

In April, I released 33 Wines. In November, 33 Cheeses and 33 Coffees launched (more to come on the latter in subsequent posts).

33 Books are now in almost 100 retailers in more than 20 states. It’s been a little nuts, to be honest, and my wildest dreams have been fully, completely, totally demolished. So, thanks for that. I know this all began with beer bloggers and beer blog readers, and I can’t say “thanks” enough to express my gratitude for this wonderful experience.

But this blog has suffered as a result. I feel like I’ve let you down. I’ve been up nights stuffing envelopes and making retail display stands, and haven’t had time to write. That’s something I intend to remedy as the new year rolls in, but it’s still a few days too early to announce resolutions. But know that I’m thinking about it, and appreciate your comments and encouragement.

So stay tuned. There’s a lot more to come.