Smuttynose

Amber lager brewed with chilies and agave syrup.

Indigenous to northern Europe, Baltic Porters historically stem from the shipping of British porters to the Russian hinterland. Unlike their British cousins, Baltic Porters are often brewed with lager yeast, which is the tradition we follow. Big & bold, with flavors of coffee, dark fruit & raisins, this black beer is smooth as a chocolate swirl.

Though individual examples of this style vary widely, barleywines are characterized by their full body, pronounced residual malt sweetness, fruity esters and, in the case of American versions especially, distinctive hop character, with a flavor profile that can lean towards the sweet or the bitter, or somewhere in between, and a color ranging from amber to deep copper. Barleywines tend to age nicely, especially bottle-conditioned versions, and have become quite collectible. Our Barleywine is rich and malty, with hints of fruity esters and a well-hopped finish. Enjoy this hearty ale with fresh fruit and ripe cheese on a cold winter’s night, or lay it up and savor it with a friend for a special summer treat.

Ever since Stash Wojciechowski, the “Killer Kielbasa,” created this Imperial IPA for our Big Beer Series, Big A IPA has gotten a lot of attention. Lauded by the New York Times and Men's Journal Magazine, it’s been one of the most talked-about beers around. Brewed in very small quantities, it has also been one of the hardest-to-find. Until now. Big A IPA has everything you’d want in an India Pale Ale, only more: more hops, more malt & more flavor. Na zdrowie!

What is Bouncy House? It’s the next step in our quest to brew the perfect low-alcohol, high-flavor, hoppy American ale. We learned a few things from brewing ParadoX earlier this year, like lowering the alcohol content and avoiding the terms "session" and "IPA." When you taste Bouncy House, you’ll taste a modest malt bill of North American 2-row, British pale ale malt, C-60 and Aromatic malt mashed for a refreshingly light body that leaves plenty of spotlight for a melange of Warrior, Calypso, El Dorado and Citra hops.

COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION Belgian ale fermented with Brett.

Stone Brewing Co (Escondido, CA) and Smuttynose Brewing Company (Portsmouth, NH) have teamed up to create just 30 barrels (930 gallons) of Custer’s Last Stand. Stone’s founder Greg Koch joined Smutty in the brew process in New Hampshire, where they made – don’t be surprised – an IPA. Not just any IPA though, a “right-after-Prohibition Ballantine IPA” as mentioned in Stone’s Mitch Steele’s book on IPAs.

Now known as Smuttynose Durty Brown Ale Smuttynose is proud to introduce our eighteenth Short Batch Beer, “Durty,” a brown IPA! There’s no denying that IPA is king of the craft beer world right now. The style is getting so popular that even the big brewers are attempting their own versions, while IPA sub-styles, like session IPA, double IPA, white IPA and black IPA, continue to be created and defined. Brown IPAs combine the caramel and nutty-biscuity flavors of a brown ale, with an American IPA-sized does of hops; it’s pretty straight-forward, but pretty delicious. On to the beer…Durty is a big beer (8.4% abv, 55 IBU) packed full of big hops. We’ve used Polaris, a new German high alpha variety for bittering, followed by American hop icon, Nugget, for the flavor additions and finally, a boatload of Simcoe post-fermentation for dry-hopping. The malt selection isn’t too different from Old Brown Dog, but it’s a bit heavier on the nutty character and dark cocoa notes.

Broadly speaking, a farmhouse ale - or saison - is an esoteric style native to the French/Belgian border region. Characterized by a golden to light amber color, light to medium body, and noticeable fruity/spicy esters, this beer, known also as a “country ale” was traditionally brewed in primitive conditions in farmhouse breweries for consumption throughout the warm weather by seasonal farm workers. Our Farmhouse Ale is an homage to traditional European beers brewed for quenching the thirst of farm workers, or “Saisonaires.” A unique Belgian Saison yeast is used to impart a mixture of spicy, fruity, & earthy notes along with lip-smacking palatability.

In 1994 we brewed our first batch of Shoals Pale Ale, our American interpretation of the traditional British ESB (Extra Special Bitter) style. At the time, it was widely considered to be darned hoppy. However, a funny thing happened over the last decade - our Shoals Pale Ale didn't change; beer lovers did, and we started to hear more and more: “Why don't you guys make a really hoppy beer?” You could say, then, that Smuttynose IPA is a physical salute to the glory of the American hop grower. The citrusy hop flavor coming from a mixture of Simcoe and Santiams is pleasantly balanced by a smooth bitterness from the Amarillo hops. The beer itself is light bodied and crisp with a golden color that will throw a slight haze, as we bottle it unfiltered. At 75 IBU's, this is definitely not a training-wheels IPA, but is meant for hop lovers looking to satisfy their craving in a way that's not easy to find. We think they’ll be quite pleased.

Frankenlager is an IPL, a hybrid of beer styles is freakishly tasty and features bold aromas of citrus, tropical fruit and pine which shine like a diamond, thanks to cold conditioning and out clean-fermenting lager yeast.

A collaboration beer with the NH band Scissorfight. Imperial corn lager. Malt liquor, son.

First released in January, 2009, Gravitation Belgian Quad is a big, dark ale brewed using a variety of Belgian specialty malts along with 200 pounds of raisin puree per batch. The resulting flavor is a viscous mix of dark fruit, rum, toffee and raisins balanced with aromatic fruitiness of the Belgian yeast. This beer has a starting gravity of 23 degrees Plato.

Hayseed is our new summer seasonal offering. It is a delicious sessionable farmhouse ale, also known as a grisette. Light-bodied, yet flavorful, Hayseed is like liquid sunshine: perfect after a hike, floating in the lake, or while playing fetch with your old brown dog.

Black IPA doesn’t quite seem to make sense, does it? How can something that’s black also be described as pale? Noonan is our interpretation of a New England original, the Black IPA. Dark like a porter, but hoppy like an IPA, this seemingly contradictory beer style originated in 1994, in Burlington, Vermont by brewer Glenn Walters and under the watchful eye of Greg Noonan. Greg was many things, a brewing pioneer and author, founder of three brewpubs, 2005 Russell Scherer award winner and genealogist. When Greg passed away suddenly, Smuttynose’s brewing team wanted to brew a beer in his memory and this was the result. We hope you find it a worthy tribute as well. Noonan (the beer) looks like an ordinary porter or stout, until you get the pint up to your nose. You can’t avoid the big whiff of piney, herbal and citrusy American hops, but there’s virtually no roasted character. Ponderous, huh? When you take a sip, you’ll notice that the beer doesn’t taste a lot like a porter either. Instead of the expected astringency imparted by dark grains, you’ll find a depth of caramel malts and more American hops. Don’t worry that’s by design; it’s also what we love about the beer.

pale Barleywine aged on oak chips

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. Old Brown Dog has been around for many years. It was first brewed in 1988 at the Northampton Brewery. In 1989 it won a silver medal in its category (American Brown Ale) at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver.

Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale is our homage to the craft and heritage of America’s brewers. Recipes calling for the use of pumpkins in beer date back to early colonial times, when brewers sought to extend their supply of costly imported malt with locally grown ingredients, such as squash and “pompions.” In that spirit, we brew our ale with the addition of pumpkin to the mash, along with traditional spices to create a delicious American original.

Our Rhye IPA bulls its way into our lineup because we love really hoppy beers and were looking for an opportunity to play with rye malt and add a boatload of hops. Would rhino enjoy the big flavor? We don’t know, but let us know if you find out.

This hearty, mahogany colored ale is brewed to evoke the dark, full-bodied ales that were a favorite of dockworkers and warehousemen (hence the name “Porter”) in 19th century London. It is a good bet that when Dickens’ Mr. Pickwick sat down for a pint, we would have been drinking an ale much like our Robust Porter.This is a smooth and very drinkable beer, characterized by its well-balanced malt and hops, plus subtle notes of coffee and chocolate.

Rocky Road is Smutty’s first dessert stout. An indulgent blend of marshmallow Fluff™ and chocolately cacao nibs in a full bodied, sweet stout beer that has been aged on amaretto soaked oak chips.

Farmhouse raspberry ale aged on oak chips.

The days shorten. The mercury drops. For better or worse, dark beer season is upon us. Our offering is a classic take on a dry stout. Only not quite. Not being able to leave well enough alone, we wanted to partner the flavors of roasted barley with rye, creating a spicy, peppery bite that lingers on the tip of your tongue. Dark as night, spicy as your favorite rye whiskey, with a beautiful dirty blonde head, it’ll warm your heart and raise your spirit. Cheers!

Shebang (triple IPA, 10.5%) goes further than Big A; featuring a lupulin cornucopia! Bravo and Zeus were used in the boil additions, while dry hopping is a blend of Summit, Pacific Gem and Falconer’s Flight. For perspective, Shebang uses about 6 pounds of hops per barrel, while Finestkind is brewed with just over 1 pound per barrel.

Our interpretation of a classic English beer style is copper-colored, medium-bodied and pleasantly hopped. Its flavor is delightfully complex: tangy fruit at the start, with an assertive hop crispness and a long malty palate that one well-known beer writer has compared to the flavor of freshly-baked bread.

This Christmas, why not offer a delicious New Hampshire-brewed gift that does both?  Smuttynose Smistletoe is the inaugural Christmas beer from the Granite State’s leading craft brewer. Available in two different 750ml screen-printed bottles (ceramic or champagne-style) which is a radical departure from our signature photograph-centric label design. Like the entire output of Santa’s workshop, each bottle has been lovingly filled by hand. The beer itself is a festive take on Bière de Garde, a more robust variant of the farmhouse ale family tree; brewed with sweet cherries, black currants and plums then aged on lightly toasted American oak.

The newest release in Smuttlabs’ ongoing series of berliner-style weissbiers, Blueberry Short Weisse gets its refreshing tartness from lactobacillus, an acid-producing bacteria that’s responsible for some of our favorite fermented foods like yogurt, pickles and salami. Of course, in Berlin, these mouth-puckering wheat beers are commonly offered mit schuss, which means the bartender may add a shot of raspberry or woodruff syrup upon the customer’s request. We’ve done the work for the bartender and added real fruit to our brew. For this particular release, we wanted to shout out a fruit that screams New England and one that, in the 21 years since Smuttynose has been open, we’ve never found a use for... until now.

Hoppy saison with Brett.

Smuttynose is turning 21 on July 14, 2015, which seems like the perfect time to brew our first birthday beer. Since we’ve got a summer birthday and a beautiful farm where we can celebrate and enjoy beers in the sun; We’ve brewed Spank to fit that bill! Gold in color, light in body and refreshingly dry thanks to our spicy, farmhouse ale yeast it’s perfect for summertime sipping. So grab a limited edition bottle, then go find your own summer celebrations, and drink a toast to us while you’re getting into mischief. We thank you for your support over the last 21 years and we look forward to at least 21 more.  Happy birthday to us!

Visitors to Smuttynose Island, peering across the dark waters of Gosport Harbor towards the ragged rocks of neighboring Star Island, are sometimes startled by the fleeting sight of mysterious, alluring creatures swept up from the Atlantic’s cold, inky depths. Or so they tell us. Our Star Island Single is an eminently sessionable, Belgian-style pale ale offering a beguiling mix of flavor and refreshment. This medium-bodied golden ale features a slight residual sweetness from Honey Malt and hints of citrus and tropical fruits from the unique Belgian yeast it is fermented with, leaving a crisp dry finish. Enjoy it sociably while you savor good times, tall tales, friendly company & life’s unexpected pleasures.

Without inserting too many s’s into one sentence, Smuttlabs is pleased to announce the release of the next berliner-style wheat beer, Strawberry Short Weisse, It’ll hit Smerch shelves at Towle Farm this Saturday September 27, at 11am. Strawberry Short Weisse is a recreation of the first berliner-style wheat beer we brewed back in 2008. The beer ninjas at Smuttlabs use two different microbes, lactobacillus and brewer’s yeast, to create a low-alcohol, tart wheat beer. In the German tradition, these beers would be packaged and served as is, while drinkers in bars and restaurants would be given the option of a shot of flavored syrup to cut the tartness and add another dimension of flavor. In the US, traditional berliner weisse service is pretty scarce, so we’ve infuse our versions of the style with fruit in the brewery, streamlining the process for those of you playing along at home.

Light, tasty & full of character, our summer wheat ale is brewed with a combination of domestic and continental wheat and barley malts, lightly hopped & fermented with a Belgian wit yeast, resulting in a delightfully tangy & refreshing flavor. This beer is brewed for warm weather enjoyment. Bring some to your next picnic, barbeque or Frisbee game.

Made for taking a break from the Sturm und Drang of modern life, this elegantly refreshing pilsner was created with German malt balanced with the spicy tang of Czech Saaz hops. The bread and biscuit flavors of the grain are topped with the floral character of the Noble hop, which may just get you to shimmy into your favorite lederhosen, bust into a quick schuhplattler and loudly proclaim, “Das ist Vunderbar!” Prost!

Another recently created American style, wheat wine, as its name implies, is a strong ale made with a substantial measure of malted wheat as well as barley. A close cousin to barleywines, wheat wines are typically strong, full bodied, deep gold to amber in color and feature a subtle soft tangy flavor derived from their wheat malt.

Smuttynose Winter Ale is a full-bodied, amber beer brewed with a special Trappist ale yeast. Stylistically reminiscent of a Belgian Abbey Double, it features fruity aromas and flavor, balanced by soft Crystal hops.

Smuttynose Winter Ale is a full-bodied, amber beer brewed with a special Trappist ale yeast. Stylistically reminiscent of a Belgian Abbey Double, it features fruity aromas and flavor, balanced by soft Crystal hops. Warming, mellow & pleasantly complex, Smuttynose Winter Ale is your perfect cold weather companion.

Named in honor of the doggy denizens of Brussels, this hybrid beer is a mix of what we love best in a big, roasty stout, but fermented with a Belgian yeast, which brings out a beautiful fruity nose. We set aside a portion of the batch to age in bourbon barrels to allow the stouts chocolate and caramel flavors to marry with the woods natural vanilla and toastiness. The final blend pairs well with both savory dishes and your favorite desserts.