The latest addition to America's ever-growing list of craft beers
gives new meaning to the time-honored idea of feeding leftovers to
the dog.
Dawg Grog, a non-alcoholic mock brew for canines, is the brainchild
of Daniel Keeton, 32, who perfected it over the past year with a
little help from his seven-year-old American Staffordshire terrier
Lola Jane.
It's made with wort, or spent grain, left over from the process of
making real beer at the Boneyard Brewery of Bend, Oregon, where
Keeton works in the tasting room when he's not home-brewing his own
suds.
"I'm recycling a spent product that would otherwise go down the
drain," Keeton, contacted by telephone on Tuesday, told AFP.
"I've had a lot of people say dogs love human beer," he added. "But
obviously that's not good for dogs, so I wanted to make an
alternative that's fun to give to your dog as well as a beneficial
healthy treat."
The first batch of Dawg Grog, which comes in 16-ounce (half-liter)
bottles in cases of six or 12, went on sale last August in Bend, a
beer-loving city of 76,000 in the heart of the Pacific Northwest
state.
But a spate of national publicity in recent days has seen Keeton
suddenly facing a rush of orders from around the United States,
where craft beers from small-volume local breweries have exploded
in popularity in recent years.
"It's sweet and kind of caramelly and malty," said Keeton when
asked how Dawg Grog tastes. He adds that his product -- which also
has vegetable broth among its ingredients -- is best served on its
own or poured over dog food.