This old dog has been around for a while. I’m talking about the beer here folks, not myself, though I am getting uncomfortably close to the big 40. Smuttynose Old Brown Dog Ale has been around since 1988 when it was first introduced at the Northampton Brewery in Northampton, Massachusetts. The Smuttynose Brewing Company itself did not emerge as an offshoot of that brewpub until 1994, and later began selling bottled Old Brown Dog.

Interestingly, the brewery considers this an American Brown ale. I wouldn’t myself, since the hops are far too restrained for that style. The malt body is big enough for an American brown (Old Brown Dog has an original gravity of 1.060, slightly higher than average). Alcohol is a bit higher too at 5.7% by volume. The problem is the hops, though Cascades are used as they are in American Browns such as Brooklyn Brown and Pete’s Wicked Ale, there just aren’t enough of them. In terms of both bitterness and aroma, the malt overwhelms the hops. Indeed, the brewery specs list bitterness at 15 IBUs, certainly not enough to stand up to all the malt here. That said, this is a delicious brew and one not to be missed.

IBUS, in case you’re wondering, are International Bitterness Units, a measure of bitterness in the beer. It is a relative term, not an absolute one, since the maltier the beer the more it will balance off the bitterness

The dog on the label is Olive, the brewery’s Old Brown Dog. Your dog can be an Old Brown Dog too, and it needn’t be old or brown to qualify. Just being a dog is enough! Smuttynose has a pin-up page where they’ll post a picture of your dog if you send it to them.

Smuttynose Old Brown Dog Ale pours to a deep chestnut color with a light creamy head formation and a sweet malty nose. The palate is big and malty; there’s a generous chocolate character here, a touch of fruit, and a sweet, nutty-malty finish with just the faintest of hops buzzes. Old Brown Dog is definitely malt dominated beer, definitely an American Brown in malt body but hopped like an English brown.

I enjoyed the beer tonight with roasted chicken and baked potatoes.