Smuttynose Old Brown Dog Ale - Smuttynose Brewing Company

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Nice balance of malt and bitter. Nicely drinkable. Tad of roast, chocolate malts, cocoa. Some nuts, and smooth - Brown earthy colour. Really good with lighter supper. Medium mouthfeel.
Rerated
Had 4.5 years later on tap at the Smuttynose brewpub and not so much roast came through. Above average mouthfeel.Lacey and fresh.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2005 00:55:04 | More by northyorksammy

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

4/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Light tobacco brown-dark amber, a color that is both interesting and appealing. The beer is topped by an ecru head that is densely creamy enough to demonstrate a great deal of stubbornness. When it eventually begins to deflate, very little lace appears on the glass.

The nose is of moderately roasted malt with a suggestion of chocolate and a hint of hops. It isn't as dark or as aromatic as I'd like however. I hope the flavor is more bold because (going on aroma alone) OBD occupies the lighter end of the brown ale spectrum.

Thankfully, there's more flavor than expected given the color and the nose. I'm not surprised a bit that Smuttynose has come through yet again. Old Brown Dog is bold and spicy without being as roasted malty or as chocolatey as some. That isn't to say that it isn't enjoyable; far from it. Actually, it tastes like a baby dubbel or a Belgian brown (if such a style existed).

Herbal, darkly fruity and more bitter than most, this is a brown ale with attitude. A light malty sweetness appears early on and is carried throughout the mouthful, but the hop load is what distinguishes this beer and is the engine that makes it go. The body is medium in heft with a lively, mouth pleasing amount of carbonation. Thanks to far333 for the bottle.

Old Brown Dog marks its territory as a more hoppy, less roasty brown ale and guards it with a menacing growl. I haven't run across a beer of this style that presents itself in quite the same way, so points for originality must be accorded as well as points for quality. If you love hoppy browns, unleash this pooch and let him run.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2005 22:03:51 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

the last beer i was able to try for about the next month so i went with an old classic. served cold in a pint glass at barleys, this one was consumed on 11/07/2010.

really a decent pour here with a nice medium brown color and a smooth even head of tan that came up from the bottom and coated the glass rather nicely i have to say. aroma is light chocolate with hint of nice roasted malts and a touch of coffee, well rounded for sure and definetely a nice way to end an evening. a mix if light carbonation with a smooth, velvet like texture to it led me to sip it down quite nicely and left a really nice overall impression.

very solid beer for sure and one i would have no issue in going back to again.

Serving type: on-tap

11-14-2010 05:53:52 | More by mikesgroove

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.93/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Reviewed from notes.

Pours a moderate brown color with a bit of a light tan head. Nose brings toast, caramel, light roast, hops, and a bit of earth. Taste is slightly toasted bread as well as caramel, toffee, a small amount of dark fruits, and some sweetness. Good mouthfeel and body carry the flavors. Drinks quite well and is a nice American take on the style.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2010 00:19:06 | More by Thorpe429

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.58/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Medium brown in color with a fizzy, foamy off-white head.

Smell: Aroma of rich caramel malts, toasted nuts and, to some degree, a light herbal hop scent.

Taste: This is so precious. Upfront, sweet caramel maltiness coupled with a pleased nuttiness. A little buttery. Light hints of chocolate. Bitterness is very light, but the beer still finishes dry.

Mouthfeel: Medium-thin. Lightly carbonated. Quite smooth, even creamy, and goes down with ease.

Drinkability: Fine, fine. Seriously, though. Very drinkable. One of the better brown ales I've tasted.

My hat's off to MuddyFeet for a trade featuring several Smuttynose offerings. Thanks!

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2006 03:32:49 | More by ChainGangGuy

brentk56

North Carolina

3.68/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours a hazy ice tea color with a very impressive cap that leaves a few strands behind

Smell: Caramel, nuts and roasted malt

Taste: As advertised in the aroma, caramel, nuts and roasted malt; just a vague dollop of earthy hops arrive in the middle and then fade to let the malts take over the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Overall: At one time this would have been the bee's knees but, like that saying, those times have passed; a nice brown ale but more like your father's brown if your father was a craft beer drinker

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2012 22:26:36 | More by brentk56

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle: Poured a clear deep brown color ale with a medium foamy head with OK retention and no lacing. Aroma of deep caramel malt with light notes of molasses and some grain is quite enjoyable. Taste is a nice enough mix between some deep rich caramel malt with cereal and a light subtle touch of molasses. Hops are not very apparent which might be a good thing considering the nice malt base. Body is slightly above average with good carbonation. Well done - nice session beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2009 03:38:31 | More by Phyl21ca

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.23/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Old Brown Dog reminds me of the better micro-brewery beers that came out early in the '90's. While nothing is wrong with it, it's not exactly wonderful either.

A standard brown color shows a bit more of a watery texture than malty. Great clarity with light carbonation (a plus), low retention or lacing.

Caramel aromas stand out, but with a follow of toffee, light chocolate, and nuts. Fairly malty but a low percentage of grain aroma shows.

Flavors are very sweet with caramel and not much showing from a balancing English hop character. Fairly straight forward with the caramels, toffees, and light chocolates that the nose promises. Again, light grain flavors in the finish.

Medium textured up front but with a quick drop-off to watery and thin. This allows the husk character to have more overall impact than it should.

Again, this is a fine beer but not memorable.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2010 19:20:38 | More by BEERchitect

oberon

North Carolina

4.08/5  rDev +3.8%
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.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2004 02:22:59 | More by oberon

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Smuttynose's Old Brown Dog delivers a slightly hazy chestnut-brown body with golden highlights at the base of the glass. The short but creamy yellowed-white head holds fairly well before dropping to an average collar and whispy surface covering. It leaves a ring or two of thin lace at the outset, and then the occasional whisp and splash.

The nose suggests toasty and cocoaish malt, and that's exactly what's found within the flavor. It's sweeter than might initially be suspected; and it's very nicely malty with a nutty side that's backed by soft grassynotes of hops.

In the mouth it's smooth and lightly creamy with a medium body and moderate carbonation.

Overall, it's a well-made, well-balanced, and highly drinkable ale - which, of course, is what a brown ale should be! Nicely done!

Serving type: on-tap

08-20-2006 12:51:00 | More by NeroFiddled

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served in a Devil's Backbone willibecher.

Good to see this guy back on the shelves yesterday. It pours a clear garnet-brown topped by nearly a finger of ecru foam. The nose is kinda faint, with notes of light brown sugar, dark wheat, light roasted malts, light maple syrup, and a touch of greens sliding up the nose eventually. The taste is also subdued, but the walnut, rye bread, biscuit, brown sugar, maple syrup, and greenery notes come through nicely, in a rather pleasant blend. The body is a light medium, with a moderate carbonation and a slightly watery feel. Overall, a very tasty and very highly drinkable brown, one of the better ones I've found out here on the East Coast.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2010 01:00:17 | More by TMoney2591

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.03/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Lovely brown color, with a slight, tannish head.
Aroma; mild, with some nuttiness, though it develops as we go on, becomes more chocolately and sweet.
Taste: rich, delicious, malty. Medium body, but large maltiness, minimum hops. Niely balanced, easy-drinking, aflush with flavor, this is another in the Elite Corps of Brown Ales, Done Right! Yum, yum, I keep saying, and may I repeat....mmmm...
Much thanks to the 9th Bierman for this!

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2003 23:43:26 | More by feloniousmonk

WesWes

New York

4.08/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer pours a dark amber color with a thin white head that provides good lacing. The smell is of rich chocolate, crystal, and roasted malts.; a true brown ale. The taste is smooth and balanced. The complexity of this brew is what I like the most about it. It signifies what a brown ale should be; amber/brown in color, good malty aroma, a complex balance of specialty malts, and a smooth finish. The mouthfeel is low to medium which makes this a nice sessions beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2003 18:38:03 | More by WesWes

drabmuh

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

At the time of this reveiw, this beer is #36 on the top American brown ale list. Served in a New Belgium globe glass.

Beer is brown, mostly clear thin lazy head, low retention, low carboantion, low lacing.

Aroma is mildly roasty a little sweet.

Beer is medium to light in body, flavors are thin on the palate, minimal malt, mildly bitter roast finish, finish is nice, I'd have again nice standby beer but rather unremarkable.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2012 02:22:59 | More by drabmuh

Mora2000

Texas

4/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours brown with an off-white head. The aroma is very nutty, with some English malts as well. The flavor is that of a traditional English brown ale with some biscuit and caramel malt, as well as some toasted nuts. Medium mouthfeel and low carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2010 20:59:47 | More by Mora2000

metter98

New York

4.08/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: The beer is clear brown in color and poured with only a few bubbles floating on the surface. Only a very light amount of carbonation is visible from the rising bubbles.
S: The aroma is slightly sweet and has notes of caramel and nuts.
T: A slightly amount of sweetness is present in the initial taste, but does not stand out because it is nicely balanced by the hops; a very light amount of bitterness is noticeable in the finish. Like the smell, there are flavors of caramel, nuts and caramel malts.
M: It feels medium-bodied, creamy and rather smooth on the palate. There is a medium amount of carbonation.
D: The beer is very easy to drink and quite sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2010 23:52:15 | More by metter98

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.9/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a Smuttynose US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a deep copper color with a very thin off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains roasted nuts, caramelized malt, a touch of maple syrup and a little bit of hops.

T: The taste is malty but not too sweet, with flavors of nuts, caramel & maple. There’s a decent hops presence to provide a good balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet and a little bready.

M: Smooth and crisp, medium body, medium carbonation, very clean finish.

D: Tasty, goes down easy, not very filling, good representation of style, it’s a very ordinary beer, but it’s a good beer to pound.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2007 03:58:23 | More by TheManiacalOne

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.53/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Cheers to jwc215, thanks Joe!

Pours an effervescent caramel/brown with 2 fingers of rocky cream/sand colored head. Great lacing & head retention

S: Toasty malt & faint kiss of leafy hops

T: Toasty malt, caramel, dryness & some toffee up front. Dryness & toastyness carry the day as this warms. Finishes toasty with slight grainyness & some cocoa & herbal hops

MF: Smooth, medium bodied with great balance & nice malt depth

This drank way too easy, very nice English brown!

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2008 03:25:47 | More by russpowell

Gavage

New Jersey

3.88/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a clear brown color with an 1 inch head. The head did not last to long and no lacing developed. The aroma was mild as some malt and caramel tones were evident. The flavor was nice as malt, caramel, and a tiny hint of chocolate were touched with some light roastiness. Very little bitterness. Carbonation level was somewhat weak. The mouthfeel was smooth and this was on the lighter side of a medium bodied brew. Nicely drinkable as the flavors keep this interesting.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2004 00:11:55 | More by Gavage

jwc215

New Jersey

3.88/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours hazed medium brown with a thin head that eventually dissipates to a ring, leaving only a slight trace of lacing.

The smell is of cocoa, hint of nuts, and the house yeast strain (which is itself pleasant).

The taste is of cocoa and lightly roasted maltiness. Some nuttiness mixes in. A mild hop presence balances some of the malty sweetness. Semi-sweet, malt-accented finish.

Light to medium bodied. Smooth.

A nice brown ale - pretty traditional, with a Smuttynose touch.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2006 05:33:57 | More by jwc215

tempest

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

To me, this is a classic American craft beer. A brown ale that stands above others as an example of fine brewing. The appearance a is reddish brown with a yellowed, off-white head and lacing. The aroma is of chocolate and raisins with a hint of grain husk to remind me it's beer. The flavor follows these sweet tastes to make a pairing of dark, dried fruits with sweet candy such as toffee and cocoa. Although the body is a touch thick, and the sessionability suffers, the taste and experience is great enough to draw me back for another bottle.

Serve it with grilled food and rich sauces, or by itself for a dessert. No matter, just make sure you try this beer some time.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2008 03:51:27 | More by tempest

akorsak

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This is a 12 oz bottle of Old Brown Dog Ale served in a DuClaw Celtic Fury tumbler. The ale is cold (straight from the fridge).

Appearance: The ale is a deep brown color that betrays reddish hints when held to light. There was a decent head on first pour that did not last long.

Smell: The ale has a pleasant, low-key nutty malt aroma. There is a slight hop presence, but not enough to detract from the malts.

Taste: The ale has a well-balanced flavor, with a nutty malt flavor taking control on the first sip. There is an earthy hop flavor that conjures up european varietals, but surprise, it is hopped with good ol' American varietals. Never ceases to amaze...

Mouthfeel: Very smooth and well-balanced, this ale is good for repeat sips.

Drinkability: I rate it higher than average as the abv is moderate and the well-balanced taste keeps one coming back for more.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2006 21:50:17 | More by akorsak

WVbeergeek

Ohio

4/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Ruby chestnut brown with a decent sized quickling dwindling off white cream head, leaves scattered lacing. Aroma: Very nice mix of roasted malts giving of toasted nuts and caramel and chocolate tones nice creamy edge, very mild hops. Taste: Full on cohesion between a sharp malt sweetness caramel and mild alcohol note finishes with hazelnuts wrapped in milk chocolate nice. Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied ale, great feeling smooth on the palate. Drinkability: One of the better brown ales in my opinion beats Brooklyn brown.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2004 00:03:02 | More by WVbeergeek

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Saw this in the store the day after I tried it on tap, so I figured I would see what I thought of the bottle.

Pours a very slightly clouded dark amber brown. Nose is slightly nutty. Flavor is on the bitter side. That nut edge comes through too, but doesn't seem to do anything good for it. Feel is thin. Not a lot of carbonation. Drinkable? I guess. Without even checking, I know I appreciated this much more on-tap. Oh well. Experiment over.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2007 21:07:04 | More by RblWthACoz

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.85/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Dark amber or light burnt brown, with a nice tight head that dissipates reasonably. Malty chocolate aroma with a touch of hop and yeast.

The taste is unsweetened cocoa followed by a balancing hop bite. This bite lasts through the swallow. Moderate to high carbonation, the body is fuller than most brown ales. Quenching and flavorful.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2004 01:06:53 | More by smcolw