Capital Winter Skål

Brewed by Capital Brewery
Style: Vienna
Middleton, Wisconsin USA

Serve in Lager glass

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Foxy-orange, clear beer with small yellowish head. Grapey nose, with some hops, white wine, sugars, a bit cookies malt, quite restrained. Malty, cookies, bit of caramel, sweet bread, and just a hint at hops (quite neutral ones, while the malts are essentialy sweet). BIt roasted taste, but no burning coming over in the MF. Medium bodied, a bit liqueurish-slick in texture. Technically well-made, but there’s so little to enjoy. A beer for the technicians and the sales, rather than for the geeks - American Proef? Thanks, David.

Draft pint at Dotty’s in Madison. Last drink on the trip before I ended up sick as death around 6 hours later and we gave up on the last two days and just drove home. Has a ruby, bright orange color. Tangy, spicy winter witbier is what I first thought, I don’t exactly know why. It has some spicy Belgian ale qualities, and also some spicy orange and coriander notes like a witbier, but with a twang of alcohol. I understand this sounds like complete rubbish given that this is supposed to be a 5.4% Vienna, but hey, that’s what I tasted.

Continuing my tour of Capital and Schell, thanks again to Duane. This one is orange with slight ruby edges and a small head. Aroma of big fruit, some spice, caramel malt, and a sweet berry component. I even sensed black pepper and a first aroma trait for me.....CANTELOUPE! Marvelous aroma. Tastes caramel malty, fruity, spicy, black peppery, with a cabernet/finish. I love the aroma, I love the taste, and I love this beer.

Bottle poured a clear amber with a small lingering ivory head. Aromas of carmel, bread and light earthiness. Palate was medium bodied and smooth. Flavors of bread, carmel and light earthiness with a smooth lingering malty finish.

Bottled. Poured a medium caramel-amber with an inch or so of white head. Nose was of heavier grains, caramel, and fruity malts.. quite pleasant. Flavor was caramel malt-driven... a tad sticky, but never cloying. Sweet light fruits and a Marzen-like leafy hop profile. Smooth on the palate and lighter-bodied.. with a crisp finish. Very tasty, easy-drinkin’ brew.

Egads, this delivers a heavy snootful and mouthful of sweet doughy malt. With a mere touch of caramel. Reddish amber in body with a filmy head, this is all about the malt. A light earthy hop bitterness prevents one from drowning in the sweetness. Nice example of the tasty Vienna style lager.

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Dark amber hue with small creamy head and okay lacing. The aroma hinted of caramel, toffee, light allspice, ripe apples and pears, lighty piney and floral hops, and earthy yeast esters. The taste starts malty sweet and the caramel character stays put for a long time. Minor bittering and acidic fruit appears briefly. The finish is spicy and vanilla heavy for the style. Smooth mouthfeel. I think Jeremy hit the nail on the head, this is more Vienna is style than just a lager. Enjoyable and quaffable.

I’ll rate the 2001 version. I really like this recipe. A nice copper color with a solid head. This year’s seems to be a little young and could have used a few more weeks of lagering, ah the pressures of getting shelf space. A really nice malt flavor, I believe begium aromatic malts give this smooth mouth feel (kind of like rye). I look forward to tapping the keg in my refrigerator in a few weeks to see if the extra aging help.

This is a first Skål for me. Comparing to other Skål will be a bit challenging. I now have a starting point to compare. Straight from a bottle, it pours a dark copper, with a nice white head. Very nice balanced aroma of malt and nuts with some floral hops.. Good malt flavor of bread and then nut, with mild bitterness. It finishes with a slight spice and caramel aftertaste. A definite late winter (Wisconsin February) brew!

Bottle (12oz). Clear bright refractive coppery amber pour with an average fizzy white head (3+). Half-decent cereal grain aroma, mild herbal hop bitterness. The taste is nice and toasty - slightly oily, tangy roast malt, low-level dry herbal hops, somewhat minerally in the finish. Average body, solid carbonation, astringent and slightly dry in the linger. Good, simple.