Capitol City Blackout Stout

Brewed by Capitol City Brewing Company
Style: Sweet Stout
Washington, Washington DC USA

A dark brown beer with a slight red shine underneath a thick lazing brown head. The aroma is sweet and very roasted malty, while the flavor is sweet malty with a lighter roasted character, and the body is a bit thin.

Dense brown, creamy tan head. Nose was well roasted with notes of milk chocolate, coffee, toast, and faint buttermilk. Flavor was well made up with notes of cocoa, oatmeal, and coffee, with a nice citirc hop bitterness pulling it together in the end. Light to medium bodied, dry, mocha-like finish. Not half bad...

Sampled at Cap City Downtown during RBSG 2006. Dark brown with a beige head. Lightly roasty nose, not much else. Flavor is pretty standard stuff; some roastiness, chocolate, coffee, no sweetness - ends a little bitter/burnt. Medium bodied, slight carbonation. Ok.

Sampled at Capitol City, Capitol Hill, DC. Quite dark, with some dark red and brown hues at the bottom of the glass. Pasty, light tan head, which is a bit thin. First impressions are creamy, lightly roasty toast and cracked malts (cereals). Some light smoke as well. Also has a bit of a strange herbal flavor, perhaps mint, even, mostly in the finish. Proper dry/Irish stout, I would say, rather than a sweet stout, but it could just be my impression on that particular day. My only complaints, beyond the basic recipe, is a slightly funky motor oil and smoke off-flavor that I notice throughout this one. When warmed it even had some chewy bourbon notes. Good enough to drink, but not something which stands out.

On tap, Capital Hill location, 2006 RBSG pubcrawl. Pours a clear dark brown under a foamy one inch brown head with decent retention. Aroma is of roasted malt, a little chocolate and coffee, and a chalky note. Flavor is a little thin, mostly heavily roasted, almost burnt, malt. Finish is dry and lightly chalky. Mouthfeel is thinnish with fine fizzy carbonation. A little high on the burnt character, and the mouthfeel is thin and uninspiring. It was drinkable though.

Black with deep ruby highlights. The light khaki head is a little on the rocky side and the bubbes cascade a bit despite not being nitro dispensed. A bit of roastiness in the aroma and flavor. Espresso and anise. A bit on the watery side. Not the best stout I’ve ever had. The porter is the better beer I think.

My opinion of Capitol City declined after this one. Previously pretty high after my New York Ave CC experience, this was the second of three weak beers for the evening. The aroma was of strong coffee and the flavor was too. Coffee was dominant, but it wasn’t pleasant. I can love a beer overloaded with coffee (Peche Mortel) and I can blast this one. Just hard to finish. No good. Sticky sweet mouthfeel.

"Ho hum Poured pretty, nice and dark hint of red edges okay head nice lacing. Aroma was of coffee and sweet. Flavor was a little watered down, the coffee flavor was biter which overwelmed the sweetness of the oatmeal. Mouthfeel was a little on the thin side."