Dominion Ale

Brewed by Coastal Brewing Company
Style: Amber Ale
Annapolis, Maryland USA

I like to support local breweries and I have to say that this is one of the better ales brewed in VA. The color is a dark gold and the flavor is exactly what you would expect when you look at it. Not too heavy and definitely not light. Goes very well with a nice grilled steak. I very much enjoy this ale with a meal or afterwards when I just want to kick back. Also, it is readily available in almost every location I have visited in the central/northern VA area which is a nice touch. Kudos to the Dominion Brewing Co.

Bottle: Darker golden, fairly vibrant, large frothy off-white head, sketchy lacing, no carbonation.   Butterscotch and mush tun aroma.   Very similar on the tongue.   Past its prime maybe?   Seems the same as The Great American Restaurants Pale Ale.   Moderate body and mouthfeel.   Buttery finish.   Yeah, need to revisit I think.   Thanks danem for sharing!

Pours a dark amber with a very small amount of bubbly offwhite head. Aroma is sweet caramel maltiness with a little floral hop prescence. Flavor is very similar to the hop pocket but a little less hoppy which i personally think balances it out better. Sweet caramel malts and a nice slightly hoppy, but not overbearing english hop prescence. Overall, pretty nice beer.

bottle pours a brownish golden. no head or lacing. aroma is malt and a little nuttieness thrown in. taste is the same with some malt and a little hops. not too bad.

Bottle courtesy of Immy. Bottling date 072105. Poured a dark amber with a small white head that dissipated to a ring. Some light lacing coached out of it with a twirl of the glass. Sweet caramel aroma with some hops trying to come out. The flavor is faint with grains and some hops that give you a split second of bitterness before it turns sweet. No lasting flavor. Light to medium body, smooth, but not exciting.

The Old Dominion Brewing Company of Ashburn, VA is just one fantastic brewery. Virginia is for beer lovers, and the good people of Virginia are blessed to have such a phenomenal, local brewery, brewing a variety of beer styles. And these beers sell folks, sure AB has a brewery in VA too, and they pump out barrel upon barrel of Budweiser, but Dominion beers are very pervasive in Virginia, especially in Northern Virginia. I see at least Dominion Ale and or Dominion Lager taps at just about every restaurant I have visited in Northern VA, even the big chain ones. You can find Domion beers in all of the major supermarket chains, convenience stores, gas stations, even pharmacies such as CVS. Local beer, its a good thing. One of the first bricks in the foundation of this world class brewery, is Dominion Ale. This is a really tasty beer, with a really nice hop character, and a great malt back bone as well. This beer is hopped with four different varieties, Perle, Williamette, MT. Hood, and imported EKG’s. Three different malts are used, two row pale, caramel, and black. The method in brewing this beer is like that of a kolsh, a short warm fermentation, then a slow, cold conditioning. This makes this beer very fruity and estery, but also smoother, rounder, and very drinkable. Dominion ale pours to a deep golden/light amber color with a nice white head, and a good carbonation. The nose is just great on this beer. Very nice hop aromatics marry with a light touch of sweet malt aroma. The palate is firm, good caramel malt flavor, slightly toffeeish with some nice fruity esters as well. Nice body, this beer is lean, smooth, and drinkable. The beer finishes malty up front then dries out nicely with a snappy hop bite that lingers. This beer is really well balanced. Great hop and malt aromas and flavors with great smoothness and drinkability. This beer would match well with just about anything. This is the type of beer you have a cook out with, burgers and dogs. Its the type of beer you bring to a party. Just a great beer, plain and simple.

Keg at the Hyatt Dulles, VA. Dark amber coloured with a slim white head. Light hops and a bit of caramel in the aroma. Similar for the taste. Medium bodied. Acceptable enough.

Bottle. Dark amber color. Not an unpleasant aroma, but nothing special. Little head when poured. Slightly watery finish. Nothing special, but leaps and bounds better than the average beer.