Smuttynose Really Old Brown Dog Ale (2009)

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

(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.

Brown pour with a thick tan head. The nose is loaded with woody oakiness. Vanilla, bourbon and a touch of sweet nutty malt character. There is a touch of light plumminess in the malts and there is also a little bit of light booziness. As it begins to warm up I get some flavour of dark honey and more peppery alcohol. Oak and figs and a fairly sweet finish. The hops in here are still contributing to the aroma and flavour, but they hide a little bit behind the oak. Lingering cooling finish. Pretty elegant stuff really.

Rater Notes: Originally posted under "Smuttynose Really Old Brown Dog Ale - 7%, 17 Feb. ’09" Many of my thought dealt with my thinking that is was "only" 7%. Very bright ruby tinted copper color with a modest, but stable head of ecru bubbles. Scents of heavy caramel, rich oak, sweet dark chocolate, ripe berries and hint of bourbon vanilla. Not a Strong overpowering aroma, but enough mystery to keep it interesting. The longer it sets the more malty it gets, a plus in my book. There is no mention of barrel aging, but my nose and now my mouth sense some serious oak and booze. Dry caramel, oak and toasted nuts. For 7% this is quite boozy. I’m catching everything from cognac, and kirsch, to bourbon, and sherry. A nice feel, with soft effervescence and light oil. Finish has a light kirsch flavor and the linger is lightly oaky and a decent return of toasted malt. My ears are turning red, so I’m having a hard time believing this is 7%. A nice winter warmer. Too boozy for the heft. Lots of intrigue in this one.

Pours deep chocolate brown, rich looking body.Chocolate malt in nose. And the mouthfeel is richer than avarage. A great malting experience, with secondary toasting and chocolate. Very drinkable. Bottle from New Hampshire trip.

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.

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.