Smuttynose Really Old Brown Dog Ale (2008 and earlier)

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

22oz, Bottle Conditioned in 2007 thanks to . . . . puzzl, perhaps? I don’t recall--I think I’ve been holding on to this for around a year. Clear orange brown with a 1 1/2 finger yellow beige head, pretty good retention. Aroma of toasted and caramel malts (low to moderate sweetness), some raisins and tobacco. Flavor was a bit roastier with some added sweet cereal grain notes, and some nuts--pecans? Still plenty raisiny with some light tobacco. Semi-dry roasty finish with bitterness peaking around a 3. No alcohol present, but then again, it’s only 7%. Light to moderate carbonation with a medium body. For whatever reason, I thought Old Ale (love the style) and Smuttynose (great brewery) would have made this beer totally rockin’! It wasn’t, but it was good, so only a slight disappointment.

On tap at blind tiger. Malty aroma. Cloudy amber color. Moderately sweet malt roasted finish. Creaminess in the palate.

Courtesy of Quake1028. Pours coppery enough that I can’t see Quake1028 through it. It also has a tan foam head. The aroma is roasty, musty caramel, dark dark fruity esters and a bit of alcohol heat. The taste is sweet that builds to caramel and dark fruitiness before some molasses runs through the back bone of the beer. Some pine hop bitterness rides along from front to back. Not the best interpretation of the style but tasty.

Bottle courtesy of someone in the Tampa Crew. Pours amber with a one finger tan head that leaves good lacing. Aroma of caramel and a hint of dark fruit. Taste is the same as aroma. Medium mouthfeel with a mild amount of bitterness. Very boring for an Old Ale.

Bottle (22oz) shared at ’Rudolf’s May 2008 Tasting’ -- courtesy of rudolf. Pours a crazy bubbly hazy copper-brown with an average size lasting frothy off-white head. Aroma’s malty, nutty and decently hoppy. Flavour’s a little watery and there’s a bit of ’bottle’ but I often get that in Brown Ales. Tastes of sweet malt, dark fruit, some sweetness (brown sugar?) and an average bitter finish -- more like a Brown Ale then Old Ale. Average bodied. Just O.K., didn’t do much for me, I wouldn’t bother getting this again.

Bottle, shared at the May 2008 tasting. Brown/ruby, thin white head. Nose is fruit, malt, & honey, cocoa. Flavor is brown sugar malt, a bunch of dark fruits, a little hop. Long caramel malt finish. Really nice.

2008-05-17. Murky caramel amber brown body with a modest creamy beige head. (3+) Interesting aroma, malt, caramel notes, hopes and mild alcohol. (7+) Similar flavours, sweet caramel malt is dried out by alcohol in the finish, light bitterness. Average palate. Solid, unexceptional but it hit the spot. At Rudolf’s, shared by Rudolf.

Bottle at Rudy’s Tasting, courtesy of Rody. Dark bubbly brown, small white head. Mild brown ale like sweet aroma, some alcohol. Taste is good - sticky sweet, mildly bitter at the end. What this was lacking was any sort of complexity, otherwise, solid enough.