Ever hear of Busch Dog Brew? Created by Anheuser-Busch, Busch Dog Brew made its debut in 2020. Advertised as a way to share a cold one with your best friend, Busch Dog Brew contains pork broth, vegetables, herbs, spices, and water; in other words, it doesn’t contain any alcohol, or resemble real beer in the slightest! It’s just a beverage that your dog may enjoy, cleverly packaged to appeal to you! And, just in time for autumn, Busch has released the limited edition Pumpkin Spice Busch Dog Brew, containing pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, and water. Each beverage can be served in a bowl or poured over your dog’s favorite dry food. The Busch Dog Brews are available online at Shop Beer Gear. For each $10 four-pack of Dog Brew sold, the company donates $1 to the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah.
There are a number of other, smaller companies producing their own dog-branded beverages in cute, funny, and/or punny packaging. The Good Boy Dog Beer Company was founded by Texas bar owners Megan and Steve Long when Rocky, their oldest Rottweiler, developed food sensitivities and they experimented with treats and foods that agreed with him. Their most successful creations became Good Boy Dog Beers. Their website explains, “We use all the same equipment as a brewery, we just skip the fermentation (alcohol-producing) part.”
Good Boy’s flavors and ingredients (in addition to filtered water) include Crotch Sniffin’ Ale (unsalted peanuts, unsalted almonds, whole grain oats, and cinnamon), Good Girl Dog Beer (whole bone-in chicken, turmeric, ginger, basil, carrots, and fennel), IPA Lot In The Yard (bone-in pork butt, turmeric, basil, mint, fennel, ginger, and celery), and Mailman Malt Licker (chicken, turmeric, ginger, oranges, carrots, basil, cilantro, and fennel). Good Boy beers are available online and at dog friendly restaurants, bars, pet stores, liquor stores, and grocery stores across the U.S. and Canada.
Bowser Beer for Dogs is a family-owned business that uses human-grade USDA meat to create flavorful no-alcohol brews. The beer’s 12-ounce bottles carry three flavors (beef, pork, and chicken) and contain, in addition to the meat on the label, malt extract, glucosamine HCL, and several preservatives. For special occasions you can order dog beer with labels featuring your dog’s photo. Custom orders support canine charities.
Dawg Grog Beer for Dogs was created in 2012 by craft brewer Daniel Keeton in Bend, Oregon. Dawg Grog is made from Oregon mountain water, brewers wort (malted barley water) from a local brewery, vegetarian glucosamine, and a trace mineral supplement. The vegetarian brew, bottled in half-pint (8-ounce) bottles, can be served over wet or dry food, offered by itself, or frozen into cubes as a hot-weather treat.
Beer Paws Craft Beer for Dogs contains beef, malt extract, beef liver powder, and turmeric to help promote canine joint health. Available in 12-ounce single cans and six-packs, Beer Paws may appeal to older and finicky dogs because of its intense flavor.
Make your own “dog beer”
Try making your own dog beer, which your pup will be happy to sample.
Purchase unsalted chicken or beef broth to use as a base, being sure the broth is free from onions or other ingredients not recommended for dogs, or follow this simple bone broth recipe:
Start with 3 to 4 pounds of raw or leftover bones with meat and connective tissue attached. In a large pot, slow cooker, or Instant Pot, add enough filtered water to cover the bones by 2 inches. Add 1 tablespoon cider vinegar or lemon juice. If desired, add 4 cups chopped carrots, celery, pumpkin, green beans, or other dog-friendly vegetables. Let stand for 30 minutes before cooking to enhance the release of minerals.
- Stovetop:Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a bare simmer, cover with the lid slightly ajar, and cook for 24 hours (poultry bones) or 48 hours (beef or red meat bones).
- Slow cooker or crock pot:On low heat setting, cook for 24 hours (poultry) or 48 hours (beef, red meat).
- Oven: Bring ingredients to a boil on the stove, then transfer to a large oven-safe ceramic or metal pot with lid and bake, covered, at 150ºF for 15 to 24 hours
- Instant Pot: Close lid and set to cook on low pressure for 4 hours (poultry) or 5 hours (beef or red meat). Let the pressure release naturally.
Strain broth through a mesh sieve or cheesecloth and transfer to jars for storage. Discard the layer of fat that collects at the top.
Turn your broth into “dog beer”
To 1 quart (4 cups) broth add 2 tablespoons brewer’s yeast or nutritional yeast, which will give the broth a beer-like flavor. Yeast, which is rich in B vitamins, is recommended for canine skin, hair, and digestion. Turmeric is an optional ingredient with anti-inflammatory properties; add 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric if desired. Simmer the broth mixture over low heat for 20 minutes, then cool to room temperature.
Both broth and pretend beer will keep for a week in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer. The recommended amount to feed dogs is 1 fluid ounce (2 tablespoons) per 10 pounds of body weight once or twice daily.
Serve it with style
It’s fun to share special occasions with best friends, including the dogs in your life. Pour the pretend beer over your dog’s dinner or over ice in a bowl, or simply serve it in a mug and enjoy the celebration. Bone broth and dog beers are tasty add-ons, not meal replacements.
