Smuttynose Really Old Brown Dog Ale (2008 and earlier)

Brewed by Smuttynose Brewing Company
Style: Old Ale
Portsmouth, New Hampshire USA

Bottle: Poured a clear light brown color ale with a nice size foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of fruity ester is quite enjoyable with some light caramel malt. Taste is a nice mix between some fruity ester (peach, apricot) and some caramel malt. Additional notes of dry fruit and more pronounced presence of sweet malt would have made this more enjoyable. Carbonation is good with an average body and no noticeable alcohol.

Bomber poured into a dogfish head snifter produced a finger worth of off white head that trailed off to a thin lace. The body of the brew was mahogany in color Sweet and malty caramel and sweet fruit the malts are all you get with a whiff of alcohol. The flavor follows’ suit to the nose towards the sweet side I think the only balance comes from the heat. This is a sipper and the mouthfeel is medium with almost no carbonation. Needs some age I think we all agree. I have a few more bottles that will stay in the cellar for a few years. I finish the bottle so you can say it is drinkable

22oz bottle. 2007 vintage. Poured a deeper amberish color with a larger sized off white head. Aromas of caramel, toasted nuttiness, and a little fruity. Tastes of caramel, nuts, lighter fruitiness, toasty, and some woodiness.

Bottle into red wine glass. Pours a dark caramel color, a bit hazy, with a fluffy khaki head that settles into a nice creamy layer on top. Some nice lacing. Nose is caramel coated apples, sweet, rich, and fruity, slightly toasty, with a hint of spicy alcohol. Starts off with a rich, multi-layered toasty-sweet malt character; burnt caramel and a hint of molasses come through, as well as a a hint of oaky acidity and some toasty breadiness. Within the malt sweetness are notes of apples and pears. Spicy alcohol heat comes out early, as well as a not insubstantial earthy bitterness towards the finish. Mouthfeel is a bit slick, a bit of fluffy carbonation gives the beer a bit of a creamy texture. Well done. Drinkability suffers a tad from the alcohol, and the bitterness seems a bit green at this point. Stash this one away for a year and it will only get better. As it is, I’m a fan of English strong ales anyway, and this one certainly gets my motor running. Nice beer, and major kudos to Smutty for releasing a fairly under-represented style in their big beer series.

Bottle, thanks to WeeHeavySD for sharing! Pours a dark brownish-red with an off-white ring. Sweet and bitter aroma, of malt, caramel, dark fruits, citrus, and hops. Taste starts sweet, with malt and dark fruits, then picks up some sharper bitterness of pine and grass. Lingering sparkly sharpness. Not what I was expecting, but quite nice.

2007 vintage. Appearance: Pours a lightly hazy, brown body with a thin, wispy, off-white head. Let’s pour out a portion for Olive Francis, the Really Old, Really Dog Brown Dog. Olive, we hardly knew ye. Smell: Pleasant, though not exactly effusive aroma smelling of toasted caramel, pressed sugar cookies, and a light touch of fruit and spice. Taste: Plenty of upfront malty goodness: flavors of caramel, fresh-baked cookies, toasted light brown sugar. Minor hint of fruit. A few drops of amontillado. Light earthy, spicy hop character and accompanying bitterness. Only the faintest alcohol warmth. Sweetish, crisp finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Medium-plus carbonation. Drinkability: Certainly worth a try. Fairly easy drinking and enjoyable. I hear Smuttynose has since revamped the recipe and even called in some port-soaked oak chips, so I’ll try to snag myself up a bottle of that.

Spicy hop aroma with a touch of fruit. It looks like it might be an imperial brown ale, but it seems too hoppy. Malty sweetness to start, with some dark fruit flavors. Peppy, dry hops round out the mouthful. Nicely balanced and very tasty.

22 oz. Amber brown pour with a descent white head. Noticeable lacing. Some malt, pine, brown sugar aromas. Tastes of malt and smoke. Not very sweet really, some peat/tobacco and pine. Medium bodied, not as sticky as the lacing might imply. A little boozy considering the abv is not really that high. Finish is pretty clean with a little lingering smokey sweetness. Pretty drinable, but not entirely pleasant for some reason. I think this could use some aging, but it is right at the border of being really ageable. Not a bad strong ale, I would have liked it to be a little sweeter and fuller. As a side note, this mellows and becomes nicely less bitey and a bit sweeter as it warms.