Dominion Ale

Brewed by Old Dominion Brewing Company (Coastal Brewing Co.)
Style: Amber Ale
Dover, Delaware USA

Serve in English pint, Shaker

A real great session beer. A fine crafted ale. Had this at the RFD in DC. Hard to get any Dominions in NJ, so even a standard beer from them is a treat.

Original rating 4/05 - This is a darned good ale. Appearance was rather unimpressive, with a small head that dissipated rather quickly and left very little lacing. But looks are looks and taste is taste. This beer tasted GOOD. Nice malty taste with some caramel touches in there. Flowery hops were there, but were mild (which I like). I could drink one after another of these. This could definitely be my "house beer" anytime. RERATE 6/07 - Caramel malts and quite biscuity. I’d definitely characterize this as an English Pale Ale, and a good example of the style. Bumped down in rating a bit as my exuberance in my "beer youth" might have been a little exaggerated.

Crisp and clean. Hoppy but not overly dry or bitter: hops balance with malt on the finish. Medium mouth feel. This beer is

sampled on draft in DC as "Hamlet’s Pilsner," the first part of which is true - we were at Hamlet’s - but the wait staff clearly had no clue what style of beer this was... malty aroma, medium amber color, excellent lacing, with a hoppy malty slightly raspberry flavor. I’ve always liked Old Dominion’s flexilbilty around labeling beers for other folks...

Bottle sampled. Pours amber with a small white head. Aroma of citrus, hops, and caramel. The flavor is sweet, caramel, and mild bitterness in the finish. Just ok.

Bigger fan of the lager. On tap, and too bitter. Yes, I know... but still... too bitter.

Rusty aroma with a rusty flavor. Mouthfeel is a bit thin. Mildly flavorful with maybe slight off flavors and otherwise average.

This is a solid beer that you can find on sale for not much more than a macro like bud, miller, etc. However, it is tons better than one of those. It is not complicated at all, and a bit watery but it has decent malt flavor and a bit of hops comes through. Solid to be a top "stock some in the fridge for friends" beer.