Capitol City Double Amber

Brewed by Capitol City Brewing Company
Style: American Strong Ale
Washington, Washington DC USA

Sampled on draught, at the Shirlington, VA location. This beer is a bigger, bolder, version of their Amber Waves, which is a "steam beer", or California common, by style. Pours to a slightly hazy, caramel color, with a thick, creamy, white head, and a moderate carbonation. The nose is fragrant, with lots of good citrus and piney hops, paired with good sweet and caramel malt, and good, fruity, estery aromas. The palate is firm, with lots of good caramel and sweet malt flavor, and really nice plummy and fruity esters. This beer finishes with more really good malt and fruit flavors, then ends with some good citrus hop bitterness that lingers. Dangerously drinkable at 8% abv. Delicious beer, just packed with flavor. Makes a nice beer to sip and relax with at the bar, and makes a great after work coctail.

(Downtown) - Dark amberish brown, thin fizzy off white head. Once it warmed, the aroma was rich and somewhat complex with notes of white grapefruit, roasted chocolate, pine, caramel and toffee, with light apricot notes coming in late. Initial flavor is a hop assault, but never bitter. It’s well balanced with soft sweet toasty caramel, light milk chocolate, and fuzzy fruit tones blending nicely with the citirc and pine hop edge. Medium to full bodied, light carbonation, bittersweet finish. One of the best brews I have had from Cap City. They should consider keeping it a mainstay...

(Downtown) Lightly hazed red body with beige head. Aroma is medium sweet, grapefruit, caramel. Taste is moderately sweet, grapefruit, caramel, chocolate. Medium-full body, some resin. Alcohol well hidden.

Draught at Downtown location during RBSG DC 06 Weekend Pegged as "Double D" when I went here. Hazy amber, light head and lacing. Nose of fresh dry hops, amber malt and a nice creamy malt-ness. The flavor is balanced, citrusy, grassy, herbal, caramelly, moderate alcohol. The finish is rich and chewy. Nice double red or amber, or whatever.

Had this in a sampler from Capitol City Downtown on September 5th, 2005 and later had a full pint with argo0. The best beer I had by them. Dark amber bodied and minimally clouded. Splashes of ruby around the edges. Nose is rich malts, juicy hops, caramel, hints of brown sugar and fruits. Taste is chewy and malty with lots of controlled hoppiness and caramel. Alcohol is there but well hidden. Moderate sweetness throughout this as well. Body is medium-full with a light bitterness remaining.Finishes with toasty and sweet malts, caramel, citrus fruits, resinous hops, and light alcohol. Good stuff!

Had a few pints and then a growler of this from the Shirlington location where it’s called Double D. Came in a 10oz goblet, translucent, hazy, amber brown with a frothy, lacing white head. Aroma is citrus fruits, some light pine, with some sweetness and a little bit of cookie. Flavor was well balanced, plenty of sweetness, caramel, breads with a good hop kick, lemons, oranges, grass, pine. Finish was moderately bitter and full bodied. I enjoyed this.

Growler. Aroma of citrus hops and lightly roasty caramel malt. Flavor again straightforward on both fronts, semi-big on both the hops and the caramel, some dusty earth in there was well, maybe a bit of a brown sugar note. Pretty good stuff.

Growler at Peter’s NY gathering, shared by argo0 - I quite liked this one - a lot of oat and strong hop bitterness - roasted nuts and tobacco - a little leafy and vegetal - the back end has a lot of dark bread flavors, pumpernickel, rye, caraway - odd but tasty.