Capital Autumnal Fire

Brewed by Capital Brewery
Style: Doppelbock
Middleton, Wisconsin USA

This pours a rich, brilliantly clear chestnut colored beer topped by a creamy off white head. The aroma is an assertive caramel malt complexity that really teases the nose. The flavor is complex as well, first a lightly bitter sweetness followed by a subtle blend of smoky maple, licorice and toffee. nice smooth mouthfeel and the alcohol is well hidden in the taste, but which warms quickly. Thanks to MrFacto for this fine Wisconsin brew!! Very Tasty!!

Bottle Pours a deep mahogany with a dense but short head of pale off-white. Aromas are mostly dark malts and slight grain, bread notes. Yum, great malt flavors and dark slightly smokey notes with fairly sweet buttery toffee and caramel falvors as well. Feel is clean but a bit thin, though not uncharacteristic of the style. Trailer allows the hops to come more to the front and leave a slightly bitter calling card. Very nice. Tahnks again to MrFacto

Let me first say that I was expecting more. The head was average, and there was little lacing. I liked the colour, it was a nice amber colour. It was a little thin, which suprised me. The flavour was decent, but nothing to write home about. It was a bit sticky and it had a good balance. I guess it just wasn’t as flavourful as I had hoped. Re-rate: my score on this one was much lower than I thought it should be, so I went back and got another bottle. Malty cider aroma, full smooth body, good head with a nice amber colour. Raisins and cider dominate the flavour. Much better the second time around.

Pours a deep, glowing--dare I say fiery?--red, unfortunately capped by only a childishly inadequate head. Sweet, malty aroma with some floral notes. Big, thick and malty with a surprisingly vibrant hop presence. This is excellent. It stays true to the doppelbock style but has a unique character all its own.

Burnt orange hue, very small ammount of head and no lacing. Roasted barley and sweet malts in the aromatics. Flavor is maple, roasted malt & dried dark fruits, a bit of alcohol as well. Feels a bit light on the palate. This was pretty good for a doppelbock, however I don’t really care for the style in general.

10/8/04. Poured out of 12 oz. bottle, obtained in a trade with DavidP from RateBeer 10/1/04. Pours a glistening ruby-caramel color, transparent but seeming slick. Nice little tuft of a tan head, lingering moderately with some blotchiness and fairly good, lightly patchy, lightly shimmering lacing. Sweet leafy caramel malt aroma with some spiced pumpkin and superripe banana. Taste is surprisingly sharply bitter with a tinge of acrid black malt and a sticky sappiness to go along with medium-sharp German malts. Sweetness and very slight nuttiness, and while there’s a lot going on, it’s not really that interesting or special. Some mulchy flavors and a touch of acidity as well. I like the spice, but all of the flavors seems to be parallel and direct, not really overlapping or intertwining in any elegant way, and with very little depth or breadth. Finish has a haunting butter caramel, a bit too much lingering dark marshmallowy sweetness. Sticky dried sap on the lips, medium body with a smooth transition to the finish, but the flavors aren’t exactly what I’m looking for in a doppelbock. I must confess, however, that I’m a sucker for the style. I love me some doppelbocks. So I guess I’d say this is still pretty damn solid, even if there are other doppels I love much, much more.

GABF2004... Poured a copper color with a small off white head and light lacing on the glass. Aroma of sweet caramel, bananas and various malts. Lagerish berry taste. Lots of sweet malts as well. Seemed to finish almost smokey. Glad I was finally able to try this doppel that i’d been looking for, for some time.

Bottled. A refreshing break after tasting Oktoberfests all night. Has a heady doppelbock aroma worth sticking your nose deep into the glass. Not exactly as "red" as other comments have led me to believe, but a rich color nonetheless. Deep and rich bock taste, befitting a GABF medalist.