Name: DOG Brewing Company
Location: Westminster, MD
Type: Production brewery
Available in DC Market?: No, but is available in some Maryland counties.
What you need to know: DOG Brewing Company was founded in 2005 and began production in 2006. Owner/brewmaster George Humbert brews beers for two Pub Dog Pizza and Drafthouse locations. Some of his beers are also now available at some liquor stores in Maryland. In addition to brewing a variety of “dog” themed beers, DOG Brewing also does some contract brewing and has done so, notably, with Brian Strumke of Stillwater Ales. Unfortunately, there aren’t a whole lot of ratings for their beers, so we’re kind of feeling our way in the dark here.
Beer #1: Pub Dog Belgian Red
Notes: This is a 7.2% dubbel/abbey style beer brewed with pale abbey, wheat, and Munich malts. It is hopped with Hallertau & Goldings hops. Fermented with a Belgian yeast, this beer is bottle conditioned. This is part of DOG’s rotating annual Belgian seasonal. Last year’s offering was a strong golden ale.
BeerAdvocate Grade: N/A
Ratebeer Grade: N/A
Beer #2: Pub Dog Wild Cherry Porter
Notes: This is a 5.8% sour/wild Beer. The base is an American porter with sour cherries that was aged for one year in French oak red wine barrels obtained from a local Maryland winery. This beer is bottle conditioned. Brewmaster George Humbert notes, “I have to admit, we’re throwing up a Hail Mary on this one making its debut at SAVOR. This will be a first for us, and it has been a really fun process of watching this beer evolve slowly over the past 12 months. The inspiration for this beer was New Glarus’s Wisconsin [Belgian] Red, which is an incredibly complex beer.” The Red, for anyone that’s had it, is a tough standard to hold a beer to. I’m very interested to try this one out.
BeerAdvocate Grade: N/A
Ratebeer Grade: N/A
Summary: DOG Brewing is kind of enigmatic. There isn’t a lot out there about them or the Pub Dog drafthouse that features their beers. If you don’t get a chance to swing by their booth at SAVOR, be sure to try them out when you’re next in Baltimore. I’ll definitely be heading over to get a little try of the wild cherry porter though, if only to see if it fares favorably compared to the New Glarus.
This profile is a part of the DCBEER.COM SAVOR Brewery Profile series. For more information, follow the link to see profiles of all 2011 SAVOR participants.
Beer Review Disclaimer: The beer reviews found on Beer Advocate and Rate Beer do not represent the opinions of this site. We provide these in the hope that they will serve as a resource showing what some craft beer fans have thought of the beers. These reviews can be a helpful guideline, but are not the be-all end-all about a beer’s strengths or weaknesses.
