Capital Vintage Ale

Brewed by Capital Brewery
Style: American Strong Ale
Middleton, Wisconsin USA

12 oz bottle thanks to drewbeerme for this pour. Syruppy amber red color and a thin fizzy head. Malty aroma, sweet, red fruits a little faint. Malty flavors similar to nose but stronger, red fruit somewhat sweet, alcohol warming the back of the throat. I always enjoy capital, a solid brew.

Light caramel and alcohol coming off in aroma, with hints of a sugary orange jam, taste is the everpresent caramel ,candy raisin, pear sweetness, leaving a sweet film on the tongue,alcohol evident in the finish,more fruitiness comes through as it warms, Somewhat light bodied for a 9.5 ABV ,probaly ok as a light sipper

Dull orange pour; lifeless, skirting foam. Aroma of oranges, cream, and vanilla in a burst of smooth sweetness give way to a heated fruitiness of apple and pear. Brown sugar glazed, with bits of berry and plenty of dry alcohol that tends to be rather sterilizing. Flavor is full of Capital’s house character that always brings to mind the subtle, sweet warmth of British and German malts; while rich with molasses, caramel and oily pecan tones, it’s amplified by heat a bit beyond its reach. Slightly grassy, while bursts of that apple, pear, and maple syrup character of blonde dopplebock continuously clammer against the heat to keep it interesting. Medium bodied, crispy, and hot in the mouth; finishes with some creme brulee crust and blonde cake batter, like a tangy slightly watered down bourbon in its dryness at the end. Likeable; a solid effort from a reliable brewery.

Clear copper. Frothy white head. Aroma has sugary doughnuts and greens, some salt. Moderately weird. Flavor has… sweet malty alchol with some dough. Not much going on, but no flaws.

Murky orange-amber with a miniscule white head that is completely diminshing. Rich, figgy & malty aroma, notes of raisins, plums, thick caramelly molasses, some cinnamon spice and the slightest hint of alcohol. Sweet and sticky flavor, chewy malts with loads of toffee, caramel, light roast and cloves. Carbonation is mild-to-moderate, perfect for my tastes. What a pleasantly surprising beer, I really enjoyed it, and I’m happy to score this highly. Big thanks to Narnad for the bottle.

12 oz bottle

This came from a recent trip to Riley’s to pick up a few stragglers I have been meaning to try for a while. I’m glad I was able to get a single of this because while it was decent I am not sure that I could manage to put away a four pack in a reasonable amount of time. While a little disappointing coming from Capitol I still consider this a drinkable beer. Just not one that I would want to drink very often.

Aroma / Appearance - A scent that reminded me of an orange smoothie with wheatgrass greeted my nostrils at first. I also picked up a light maltiness and cheap waxy chocolate which has spent so much time in the wrapper it picked up a hint of foil. The body is better than the smell though - a nice looking mandarin orange color with a half finger head the color of eggshells.

Flavor / Palate - Orange, caramel and stale chocolate are the first wave of flavors to hit the senses. The chocolate is not so great but the others do a good job of compensating. It feels very dense as it coats the throat with a slightly bitter sensation. The sharp dry finish almost immediately removes all traces though, so be quick or you will have to buy more. I am suprised to see it is listed at 9% ABV - it does not feel like a high alcohol beer at all. I would have pegged it as more of a session beer except that after a few of these in a short span you wouldn’t be going anywhere. There is a little bit lacking but on the whole this is an all around solid beer which deserves to be tried.

(Bottle) Pours a light amber color with a good amount of lasting white head. Not too much in the way of aroma, but some hops and light malt were present. Interesting fruity notes, including a distinct winey finish. Sweet and rather alcoholic finish. Light hoppy notes as well, but not enough to adequately balance it. Ehhh...

Bottle from ughsmash. Thanks again Jason. Poured this and started to drink it before I looked it up. Wow. really surprised by the ABV. couldn’t tell. Flavor was pretty complex with some pear syrupiness and some underlying bitterness from the hops.Very interesting but somewhat muddled.