Old Brown Dog | Smuttynose Brewing Company
Brewed by:
Smuttynose Brewing Company
New Hampshire, United States
smuttynose.com
Style: American Brown Ale
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 6.70%
Availability: Year-round
Notes / Commercial Description:
Old Brown Dog has been cited as a classic example of the “American Brown Ale” style of beer. Compared to a typical English Brown Ale, Old Brown Dog is fuller-bodied and more strongly hopped.
18 IBU
Added by BeerAdvocate on 05-07-1998
HISTOGRAM
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Ratings: 2,720 | Reviews: 984
Reviews by pkalix:
More User Reviews:
4.5/5 rDev +14.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Pours bright dark mahogany under a 1.5” rocky and clingy light tan foam collar. Some caramel and chocolate on the nose and palate with some light nuttiness. No harsh roast or burnt flavors or aromas. Medium body and carbonation. This is a brown als you can drink all night.
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look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Pours bright dark mahogany under a 1.5” rocky and clingy light tan foam collar. Some caramel and chocolate on the nose and palate with some light nuttiness. No harsh roast or burnt flavors or aromas. Medium body and carbonation. This is a brown als you can drink all night.
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3.95/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
Appearance: Pours a clear reddish brown with a 1" tan head. Thin cap remains, nothing lingers on the walls of the glass.
Aroma: Caramel malts, bloody/flinty and slightly sweet. Slight hoppiness, and as it warms it gets sweeter & fruitier. Toffee.
Taste: Tart arrival, sweet across mid-palate. Distinctive bitter apple flavor on the middle, not sure if it's hops or esters, but it is unique and good. Roasty, dry finish. The finish is quite bitter, and brings balance to an otherwise sweet beer.
Mouthfeel: Hefty; solid & substantial. Not heavy, though. Mid-to-heavy weight. Moderate carbonation. Creamy, but slight astringency on the finish prevents cloying sensation.
Overall: This is a great example of an American brown ale. Love the style and love the beer; nothing pedestrian about this one. Caramelly, tart, and clean. Hides 6.7% (now 6.5%) really well. On the sweeter side of the brown ale spectrum, with a little fruit lurking beneath the toast and caramel. I plan on buying this regularly.
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look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
Appearance: Pours a clear reddish brown with a 1" tan head. Thin cap remains, nothing lingers on the walls of the glass.
Aroma: Caramel malts, bloody/flinty and slightly sweet. Slight hoppiness, and as it warms it gets sweeter & fruitier. Toffee.
Taste: Tart arrival, sweet across mid-palate. Distinctive bitter apple flavor on the middle, not sure if it's hops or esters, but it is unique and good. Roasty, dry finish. The finish is quite bitter, and brings balance to an otherwise sweet beer.
Mouthfeel: Hefty; solid & substantial. Not heavy, though. Mid-to-heavy weight. Moderate carbonation. Creamy, but slight astringency on the finish prevents cloying sensation.
Overall: This is a great example of an American brown ale. Love the style and love the beer; nothing pedestrian about this one. Caramelly, tart, and clean. Hides 6.7% (now 6.5%) really well. On the sweeter side of the brown ale spectrum, with a little fruit lurking beneath the toast and caramel. I plan on buying this regularly.
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4.07/5 rDev +3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Pours a medium brown with amber highlights thru out not much head but that wasnt expected or hoped for.Aroma was chocolat and more chocolate with an underlying nuttiness to it,very appetizing.Taste is to me of malted chocolate balls with a fruitiness in the finish.A true to form brown ale appetizing and very easy to drink,well done.
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look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Pours a medium brown with amber highlights thru out not much head but that wasnt expected or hoped for.Aroma was chocolat and more chocolate with an underlying nuttiness to it,very appetizing.Taste is to me of malted chocolate balls with a fruitiness in the finish.A true to form brown ale appetizing and very easy to drink,well done.
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4/5 rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Amber-brown, misty, and with a small tan head that dissipates quickly leaving only residual lacing. Carbonation is kept at a minimum but the little amount left behind is surprisingly biting. Aroma is big malts (toffee and chocolate). Taste is slightly nutty, sweet, and loaded with big medium-dark malts. An ever so slight amount of floral hops enters into the finish carrying a lovely, long lasting aftertaste with it. This is the most enjoyable part of the beer for me. The seemingly endless aftershock of these light and balanced hops is wonderful. This adds to the drinkability as does an overall light body.
612 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Amber-brown, misty, and with a small tan head that dissipates quickly leaving only residual lacing. Carbonation is kept at a minimum but the little amount left behind is surprisingly biting. Aroma is big malts (toffee and chocolate). Taste is slightly nutty, sweet, and loaded with big medium-dark malts. An ever so slight amount of floral hops enters into the finish carrying a lovely, long lasting aftertaste with it. This is the most enjoyable part of the beer for me. The seemingly endless aftershock of these light and balanced hops is wonderful. This adds to the drinkability as does an overall light body.
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3.45/5 rDev -12.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
This is my third Smuttynose brew, and so far, they have been pretty unimpressive. They just lack the character and complexity so many other great craft brewers offer. In a related note, here is my review of their Brown Ale.
A: Pours a hazy, brownish amber. Head is quite minimal with no lacing.
S/T: The aroma is malty, musty, and nutty. Very light aroma. Taste is also quite light and lacking. There is a sweet, caramel malt flavor upfront. Slight nuttyness. A little earthy. Just not a whole lot there. Very weak and watery overall.
M/D: Mouthfeel is pretty light with a slight creamyness. Crisp and clean finish. Drinkablility is okay. Could be sessioned, but it just lacks any complexity and flavor to keep you coming back for more.
Pretty standard Brown Ale. Nothing remarkable, but still a drinkable beer. I am beginning to question the quality of Smuttynose, as every beer I have had from them is average or below. Worth a shot if you like Brown Ales.
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look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
This is my third Smuttynose brew, and so far, they have been pretty unimpressive. They just lack the character and complexity so many other great craft brewers offer. In a related note, here is my review of their Brown Ale.
A: Pours a hazy, brownish amber. Head is quite minimal with no lacing.
S/T: The aroma is malty, musty, and nutty. Very light aroma. Taste is also quite light and lacking. There is a sweet, caramel malt flavor upfront. Slight nuttyness. A little earthy. Just not a whole lot there. Very weak and watery overall.
M/D: Mouthfeel is pretty light with a slight creamyness. Crisp and clean finish. Drinkablility is okay. Could be sessioned, but it just lacks any complexity and flavor to keep you coming back for more.
Pretty standard Brown Ale. Nothing remarkable, but still a drinkable beer. I am beginning to question the quality of Smuttynose, as every beer I have had from them is average or below. Worth a shot if you like Brown Ales.
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4.38/5 rDev +11.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A Beatiful brown pour into a pint glass with
a sturdy head that holds some retention but
nothing fancy.
S: Robust malt character both roasted and
slightly caramelized notes. The sugar is
apparent with a hoppiness not usually
not so clear to my nose in this style.
T: Great malt character, sweet with roasted
flavors. The heartiness of the beer is hard
to describe. The hop ending is great and
really stands in stark contrast to the
brews malty beginnings.
M/D: Great balance in body and character. The
consistency is firm not too dense and not
too thin. I love this summer offering and
will drink it in any season in which I can
get my hands on it.
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look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A Beatiful brown pour into a pint glass with
a sturdy head that holds some retention but
nothing fancy.
S: Robust malt character both roasted and
slightly caramelized notes. The sugar is
apparent with a hoppiness not usually
not so clear to my nose in this style.
T: Great malt character, sweet with roasted
flavors. The heartiness of the beer is hard
to describe. The hop ending is great and
really stands in stark contrast to the
brews malty beginnings.
M/D: Great balance in body and character. The
consistency is firm not too dense and not
too thin. I love this summer offering and
will drink it in any season in which I can
get my hands on it.
672 characters
3.85/5 rDev -2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance: Pours a nice rich, deep brown. A thin head when poured which dissipated quickly. Slightly cloudy & some light penetrates the glass.
Smell: Strong malty, caramel aroma with just a hint of a roasty smell in the background.
Taste: Wonderful malty, caramel flavor with a slight bitter hop finish to balance. Just a touch of a smoky/roasted malt flavor. I found this to be a very well balanced brown ale.
Mouthfeel: This felt thin, crisp & clean in the mouth. I felt it had a very refreshing feeling.
Drinkability: I think this is a very drinkabile beer. Every sip was smooth & enjoyable.
Comments: I thoroughly enjoyed this brown ale. A wonderful aroma meets the nose as you take your first sip. The taste is a perfect balance of malt & hops which provides for a very drinkable beer. I recommend this to others...
836 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance: Pours a nice rich, deep brown. A thin head when poured which dissipated quickly. Slightly cloudy & some light penetrates the glass.
Smell: Strong malty, caramel aroma with just a hint of a roasty smell in the background.
Taste: Wonderful malty, caramel flavor with a slight bitter hop finish to balance. Just a touch of a smoky/roasted malt flavor. I found this to be a very well balanced brown ale.
Mouthfeel: This felt thin, crisp & clean in the mouth. I felt it had a very refreshing feeling.
Drinkability: I think this is a very drinkabile beer. Every sip was smooth & enjoyable.
Comments: I thoroughly enjoyed this brown ale. A wonderful aroma meets the nose as you take your first sip. The taste is a perfect balance of malt & hops which provides for a very drinkable beer. I recommend this to others...
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4.44/5 rDev +13%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Presentation: Simple label of an old brown dog ("Olive") on a 12 oz brown bottle. Freshness date clearly marked on the side.
Appearance: Ruby brown with a thin cream lace.
Smell: Malt, malt and more malt with fruit notes.
Taste: Sweet malt grain flavour, with a bitty grain mouth-feel. Very smooth with a quick sharp hop bitterness that dissipates into a slight caramel dextrin sweetness.
Notes: This is an excellent example of the use of malt. All the flavours have been pulled from the grain, creating a very full, complete and complex brew. By far one of the best brown ales produced in the US.
609 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Presentation: Simple label of an old brown dog ("Olive") on a 12 oz brown bottle. Freshness date clearly marked on the side.
Appearance: Ruby brown with a thin cream lace.
Smell: Malt, malt and more malt with fruit notes.
Taste: Sweet malt grain flavour, with a bitty grain mouth-feel. Very smooth with a quick sharp hop bitterness that dissipates into a slight caramel dextrin sweetness.
Notes: This is an excellent example of the use of malt. All the flavours have been pulled from the grain, creating a very full, complete and complex brew. By far one of the best brown ales produced in the US.
609 characters
4.02/5 rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
A - Poured a dark amber with a good bit haze. Very thin, creamy head, not quite a finger high. The head quickly dissipated to leave a thin cream over the top. Very little lacing and the carbonation was low, which I think was spot on for the style.
S - A nice toasty grain smell with no hops detected. A simple malty smell which was quite good.
T - Big malt flavors, followed by a nice hop bitterness...slightly stronger than I expected. The malt really shines and gives this beer a great taste. There is a nice caramel malt sweetness with some good toasted malt flavors that linger.
M - I would guess there is a good bit of dextrin malt in there because this beer felt creamy and had an excellent mouth feel.
D - An extremely drinkable beer. This is one I think that could appeal to a lot of people and convert some of the yellow fizzy drinkers to a good American ale.
I liked this beer quite a bit. I would have liked it to be a bit brighter since it was a tad lighter and I could see though the glass. A tad more carapils for better head retention would have been nice also, but this beer is definitely tasty in a good way. I don't know about the English Brown Ale classification, I would more consider it an American Brown Ale because I detected a nice hop bite.
1,270 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
A - Poured a dark amber with a good bit haze. Very thin, creamy head, not quite a finger high. The head quickly dissipated to leave a thin cream over the top. Very little lacing and the carbonation was low, which I think was spot on for the style.
S - A nice toasty grain smell with no hops detected. A simple malty smell which was quite good.
T - Big malt flavors, followed by a nice hop bitterness...slightly stronger than I expected. The malt really shines and gives this beer a great taste. There is a nice caramel malt sweetness with some good toasted malt flavors that linger.
M - I would guess there is a good bit of dextrin malt in there because this beer felt creamy and had an excellent mouth feel.
D - An extremely drinkable beer. This is one I think that could appeal to a lot of people and convert some of the yellow fizzy drinkers to a good American ale.
I liked this beer quite a bit. I would have liked it to be a bit brighter since it was a tad lighter and I could see though the glass. A tad more carapils for better head retention would have been nice also, but this beer is definitely tasty in a good way. I don't know about the English Brown Ale classification, I would more consider it an American Brown Ale because I detected a nice hop bite.
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3.85/5 rDev -2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Today I was tempted to try something new. I took my usual Saturday afternoon trip to pick up some liquid food and walked back and forth along the fridge about 5 times until I stumbled upon a dog named Olive.
Olive (the dog) has a subtle scent, but that took me a few trys to even notice. At first taste it's almost creamy with a smoky aftertaste with a smooth hop finish. Although I usually go for the bitters this is a fine drink and I will certainly be trying their other brews. Definately good with dinner, not too overbearing on the ole tongue. Definately a good starter for convert's!
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look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Today I was tempted to try something new. I took my usual Saturday afternoon trip to pick up some liquid food and walked back and forth along the fridge about 5 times until I stumbled upon a dog named Olive.
Olive (the dog) has a subtle scent, but that took me a few trys to even notice. At first taste it's almost creamy with a smoky aftertaste with a smooth hop finish. Although I usually go for the bitters this is a fine drink and I will certainly be trying their other brews. Definately good with dinner, not too overbearing on the ole tongue. Definately a good starter for convert's!
592 characters
3.33/5 rDev -15.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Pours a dark translucent brown with little to no head. Some lacing, nothing special per se, though on style.
Smells a little nutty malt. Some alcohol. Hint carmel/toffee?
Some carmel. Not much if any hops. Dont taste the ABV. Solid malt flavor. Im sure this wert smelled excellent.
Medium to low bodied. Standard carbonation, but a full flavored finish.
Overall a tasty beer. I wouldnt call this special like SN's Porter. Overall not a bad beer, not one I would seek again.
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look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Pours a dark translucent brown with little to no head. Some lacing, nothing special per se, though on style.
Smells a little nutty malt. Some alcohol. Hint carmel/toffee?
Some carmel. Not much if any hops. Dont taste the ABV. Solid malt flavor. Im sure this wert smelled excellent.
Medium to low bodied. Standard carbonation, but a full flavored finish.
Overall a tasty beer. I wouldnt call this special like SN's Porter. Overall not a bad beer, not one I would seek again.
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3.5/5 rDev -10.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Very dark cloudy smooth taste
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look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Very dark cloudy smooth taste
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3.88/5 rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Heck yes a brown ale with all the hallmarks, great label, and taste to boot!
It wasn't too brown in the look, which perhaps was disappointing given the Brown Dog name, but also intriguing.
Nutty smells and a real taste for your buck. This is an inexpensive but honest brown ale that does not succumb to too much chocolatey taste or weakness, and it pretty much tops out at 6.7 abv making it a go to winner.
408 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Heck yes a brown ale with all the hallmarks, great label, and taste to boot!
It wasn't too brown in the look, which perhaps was disappointing given the Brown Dog name, but also intriguing.
Nutty smells and a real taste for your buck. This is an inexpensive but honest brown ale that does not succumb to too much chocolatey taste or weakness, and it pretty much tops out at 6.7 abv making it a go to winner.
408 characters
3.95/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
A solid beer, good to keep in the fridge as an everyday drink. It is a red-brown color with a medium off-white head. A sweet, caramel aroma. Taste, too, was caramel, with a malty base. Very enjoyable, and dependable. Good offering from Smutty. Try it sometime.
260 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
A solid beer, good to keep in the fridge as an everyday drink. It is a red-brown color with a medium off-white head. A sweet, caramel aroma. Taste, too, was caramel, with a malty base. Very enjoyable, and dependable. Good offering from Smutty. Try it sometime.
260 characters
4.04/5 rDev +2.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Poured from the bottle into a pint glass.
Pours an appropriate brown with ruby highlights and a tan head that leaves plenty of lacing.
The aroma is spice and dark fruit with a hint of booze as well as hints of caramel and rich, dark bread.
Very tasty brew. Early sweet caramel with some spiciness and a hint of dried fruit. it finishes with a pleasing and mild bitterness.
Nice moutfeel, medium and almost creamy. Very nice.
A really enjoyable and finely-crafted beer.
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look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Poured from the bottle into a pint glass.
Pours an appropriate brown with ruby highlights and a tan head that leaves plenty of lacing.
The aroma is spice and dark fruit with a hint of booze as well as hints of caramel and rich, dark bread.
Very tasty brew. Early sweet caramel with some spiciness and a hint of dried fruit. it finishes with a pleasing and mild bitterness.
Nice moutfeel, medium and almost creamy. Very nice.
A really enjoyable and finely-crafted beer.
468 characters
Old Brown Dog from Smuttynose Brewing Company
Beer rating:
3.93 out of
5 with
2,720 ratings
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