All month long, while you’ve been clinking steins at Oktoberfest and uncorking bottles on the North Fork, where’s Fido been? Likely drooling by his bowl, hoping for a sip of something other than water.
Now with Bowser Beer and Bark Vineyards pooches can finally join in on the drunken fun.
Bowser’s non-alcoholic brew ($20 for a 6 pack, bowserbeer.com) combines a mixture of malt barley and homemade chicken or beef broth in two varieties: Beefy Brown Ale for beef lovers and Cock-a-Doodle Brew for chicken eaters.
Non-alcoholic wines from Bark Vineyards ($19.99 per bottle, barkvineyards.com), made from a blend of vegetables with chicken, beef or salmon, offer pooches with more ruff-ined tastes a sip of something special. Pinot Grigio lovers can pour their dog Pinot Leasheo; there’s Sauvignon Bark for Sauvignon Blanc drinkers, Barkundy for those who sip Burgundy, and White Sniff ’N’ Tail for those who prefer White Zinfandel.
But like any beer or wine, good taste always trumps a good name. We asked four discerning dogs to slurp and score.
*FRANKY 3-year-old English bulldog
Franky sensed that beer is best with good food. First, he soaked his doggy treat in the Beefy Brown Ale before lapping up the rest of the beer. He did the same with the CockaDoodle Brew, finishing it with such intensity, that he nearly broke the glass bowl. “He looks like a beer drinker,” says his owner, Mike. “He thinks he’s such a tough guy.”
*BAILEY 4- year-old Shih Tzu
Baileywas the one teetotaler of the group, refusing to try the beer or the wine, much to the surprise of his owner, Jill. “Baileywill usually eat or drink anything! I didn’t realize he was so straightedged.”
*MacCRASH 3-year-old pit-bull mix
MacCrash cleaned every bowl that was placed in front of him, preferring to start with the wines and then moving on to both brews. His owner, Christian, eventually had to pull the bowls away so MacCrash wouldn’t get sick from drinking too heavily. Don’t worry, buddy, you’ll build up your tolerance.
*REESES | 9-year-old Rottweiler mix
Reeses lapped up the Sauvignon Bark and Pinot Leasheo — so much so that she was too focused on getting every last drop to look up at the camera. After the bowls were clean, Reeses went straight for the bottle, trying unsuccessfully to stick her tongue in the neck. Says her owner, Kevin: “It looks like Reeses takes after her mother — she’s a total wino!”