Smuttynose Really Old Brown Dog Ale (2009)

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

Murky ruby brown color with nice head and lacing. Strong aroma of caramel and brown sugar. The flavor was that of caramel and brown sugar as well with some noticeable oak presence. It was really sweet. Normally, I’d say this was a bad thing, but I prefered this one on the colder side as it seemed bordering on syrupy when it got really warm. Better to share with a buddy as a whole bottle of this was a bit much. Overall, I liked it, though not sure I would seek out again as I prefer a stronger hop presence in a beer this sweet.

22oz. Bottle: Faint aroma of malts, peat, brown sugar, caramel, and a hint of oak. Poured brown/amber in color with a small, creamy, tan head that lasted throughout. Cloudy. Lightly sparkling. Full of tiny, and a few small, particles throughout. Flavor is light to medium sweet. Tastes of brown sugar, malts, slight alcohol, caramel, slight toffee, and slight oak. Medium body. Slick, oily texture. Soft to average carbonation. Sweet, oaky, brown sugar finish. Disappointing.

(22oz bottle) Medium off-white head atop lightly hazed mahogany body. Aroma is moderately sweet, vinous, some pine/grapefruit, caramel, floral. Taste is sweet, chocolate/caramel, raisin/vinous, light orange, cherry. Alcohol noticeable but not off-putting. Creamy medium-full body, some stickiness.

Bottle… Pours a clear ruby with a slight orange tint and a small, creamy, off-white head. Good retention. Earthy, malty, vinous nose – tropical fruit, clean ethanol and touches of caramel and raw sugar. Ultra full-bodied with a high viscosity mouthfeel and mild carbonation. Big, well-balanced flavor – velvety and caramelized with neither the malts nor hops stepping forward to bully the other. Mild notes of red wine. Alcohol is not evident on the palate or in the throat. Finishes much like the flavor, then fades away into the sunset… leaving nothing behind other than a feeling of satisfaction. Flawless and very pleasant to drink, even on a very warm day. Kudos to scraff for providing the bottle!

Pours mahogany with a thin off white head. Smells oaky and caramelly with lots of earthiness. Tastes bitter and dry with an earthy finish.

Bomber. Clear, dark amber with a tan head. Big, sweet nose, caramel and fig, lightly nutty with chocolate hints. Very earthy flavors, bitter, nutty and big caramel. Some toffee notes. Full body, rich and almost syrupy slick. A whopper of a beer, and delish!

Pours a dark reddish brown, failing to kick up much of a head - sweet caramel and toffee aroma, with hints of vanilla, toasted oak, roasted nuts - fairly sweet and semi-boozy up front - caramelized sugars and fairly strong coconut through the middle - dries out somewhat on the tail end, as the oak character becomes fairly apparent, and a kind of leafy bitterness manifests - some hazelnut in the finish, and apparent alcohol - not bad, just a little messy.

Bottle that I brought to a tasting at Andy’s. Pours a clear ruby brown with a medium beige head. Brown sugar, sweet malt. Finishes a bit hot, with wood and toast notes.