United Nations of Beer

Beer for your Dog

by Stacey Langille
(Beer Delegate, NS, Canada)

Beer for your Dog

How many times have you bought a round for a "best friend", only to have them bounce off with the first skirt and smile? Well now you can buy a round for your real best friend, man's best friend, your dog!

Two beers for dogs are currently in production and making waves with dog and beer lovers everywhere. They are Kwispelbier from the Netherlands and Happy Tail Ale from the United States.

Dog beer is brewed much like traditional beer, but without alcohol, carbonation or hops. Malted barley and filtered water are the base, then it's fortified with glucosamine, vitamin E and yummy natural beef flavour.

All ingredients are food grade, so it is fit for human consumption, but leave it to Rover unless you put gravy on everything and need to take it to the next level. Also keeping it on a different shelf in your fridge from your supply of beers might be a good idea.

Dogs can not metabolise alcohol like humans. Hops are actually poison to them and all carbonation does is make them bloat.

The cost of a six pack of beer for your dog is about the same as a six pack of microbrewed beers for humans, so it's a little pricey. The fact is Rover will appreciate it more than your skirt-chasing buddy, but he has not got anywhere to put a wallet: the next round will always fall on you.

When you think about it, dogs and beer have always really belonged together and it's about time them had a drink to toast with instead of knocking over our beers "accidentally" and helping with the cleanup. Think about Spuds McKenzie or Alex from Stroh's and countless pubs named "Fox and Hound" or "Dog and Otter". Plus many breweries or beers give a nod to dogs in their names or on their labels.

Some interesting ones are Dog's Breath Ale, Dog Spit Stout, Raspberry Leg humper Ale, Moon Dog Ale and even Doggie Style. If you have tried any of these brews please send us a review!

In northern England the phrase, "Taking the dog for a walk" is a euphemism for going to the pub for a quick pint. Some pubs are catching on and, if licensing permits, will offer a beer for your dog. Most dogs live only to hang around and have fun, so why not in the pub too?

Dogs tend to be more relaxed and uninhibited naturally and most of us take a few drinks to achieve this state, so maybe we wish we were more like dogs. Even Arnold Schwarzenegger, while in the Napa Valley, recently bought a six pack of Happy Tail Ale for his dog.

There are a few things we need to question with this new product. Will this make my dogs piss on fire hydrants and bushes even more? Does the UPS guy's leg look even sexier to a dog after he's had a few? And lastly, how do you ID check a dog? By nature dogs are pack animals, so get then a six pack of brewed for dog Kwispelbier or Happy Tail Ale.

Want to buy a beer for your dog? For more information, check out the Happy Tail Ale website.