Capital Vintage Ale

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

Hazy copper color with a small head. Dried hop aroma with some stale grains. Strong grains with a lot alcohol that’s not too cleverly hidden. Can barely taste the hops. Not bad.

12oz bottle.
Pours a fiery copper orange, a tiny shade lighter than Capital’s celebrated Autumnal Fire. Not much head on the pour, and most of it vanishes, but a small clump of bubbles floating on top is continuously fed by springs of tiny bubbles that never stops. Aroma is malty, dryish, shows a small dose of dried fruits and a big whiff of alcohol. Flavor gives up the fact that this is a high-alcohol beer; alcohol makes a big showing and lingers in the aftertaste for quite a while, to the point of becoming slightly intrusive. Beneath the alcohol is a medium-hopped, rich malty affair with a dry, crisp lager-like sharpness. I’m not sure I’d have guessed this to be an ale were it not so labeled. Palate is thick, full, verging on syrupy, and almost numbing from the alcohol. This is a surprisingly tasty beer for being so alcohol-forward, though it’s definitely not a refreshing summer thirst-quencher. This stuff goes down hard and heavy.

Pours with a big foamy head, fred, some lace, nice orangy, burnt amber color. Belgiany nose, but surprisingly kind of vacuous. Be a bit of a sucker punch. no alcohol hints that I could detect. light body for punch and style. maybe a repeat if it’s on sale and I need to get jacked. Had this in a bottle at Bodega in La Crosse, WI.

Small off-white rim, despite continuous fine bubbling rising up from red-shot, pale amber beer. Sharp initial nose of cookies, solvent and caramel, a bit vegetal. Sweet, alcoholic, syrup-covered cake: the alcohol however dissolving the cloying, is not making it disappear. I can’t find much fruit (maybe dried figs), let alone hops. Toasted edges of a rumcake. Warming up, it becomes very almondy, as cheap brandy. Very sharp, burning MF, but ending surprisingly empty. A shakey solution to a style problem? How not to get too sweet without a truckload of hops. It can make for an interesting sipping ale... once.

bottle-purchased at discount liquor in Milwaukee back in december. lightly hazy orange with a small fizzy white head. big carmel nose with dark fruits, grape, meaty grains, really smells like a vintage barleywine without the oxidization. kinda interesting. flavors show the green hop flavors, but not overly pungent. the malts take over here with lots of slick fruits, figs, and a biscuty base. lots of carmel here as well, espeically in the finish. pretty decent, but really not well put together. just kind of there....

Pours a perfectly clear deep gold/light copper with a fluffy sticky white head and some relaly nice sticky lacing. Aroma is real sweet, light toasted malts, vienna, syrupy sweet, honey and balanced with lots of herbal and lightly spicy hops. Smooth malty flavor, sweet, light caramel, light alcohol as it warms, floral hops, and a light bitter finish. Smooth as hell. I can see why this isnt rated so hjgh, but this is one that I really like for some wierd reason.

12 oz bottle. Poured a clear orange color. Head was thick, bubbly, and off white with good retention and lacing. Fruity and malty aroma, like a mixture of pineapple, molasses, and caramel. Medium bodied and mellow with a touch of sweetness on the tongue. Tasted of biscuity malt, honey. and a little apple. The 9.5% alcohol is definitely masked flavor and aroma-wise, but I definitely feel a slow burn in my stomach. Pretty good.

This pours a hazy light amber color out of the bottle with a creamy egg shell head. Sweet nose with noticable hair spray. Very malty sweetness, like honey on buscuits. Some white grape, raisin, and something earthy in the backgroud. There is a nice green hop finish, but that is fighting with the alcohol. The 9.5% is well balanced and was a surprise when I read it. Not as complex as some strong ales, but a nice enough sipping beer. Thanks to JCapriotti for the bottle.