Dominion Ale

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

Tap at the Dominion Brewhouse. Pale amber pour. Clean and fruity aroma of apples and wood. Very little actual presence. Chlorine and black tea bitterness are the most obvious tastes. Crisp citrus rind and a dull floral glimmer on the back. Sedated with a weight of icy temperature that digs its heels in for the duration. Finishes mildly sweet, and earthy, like sugared yerba. Slightly watery in the mouth; light carbonation lends a disproportionate prickle. Generally restrained ingredients. It’s a reasonable balance of featherweights.

Name: Dominion Ale
Date: 01/04/1997
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewpub

Appearance: light clean amber, whispy head,
Aroma: good floral aroma,
Body: light body,
Flavor: solid hop flavor lasting through the finish

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 5/10; Flavor: 5/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 10/20
Rating: 2.8/5.0
Score: *4
-------- /> The score was calculated based upon the notes and an old scoring system.

Bottled 06-22-07. Clear orange-copper with a small head that tries to hang around. Aroma of honeyish malt, marshmallows and earthy spices. Taste is honey with spiced pecans n’ caramel at first (yet not very sweet), turning to a stronger nutty flavor and drying in the middle; finally comes to a just-right bitter finish. Bitter herb and nutty cereal aftertaste. Palate is almost medium-bodied and fairly smooth with high carbonation and a drying hop tingle on the end. Excellent, full-flavored session ale.

A real great session beer. A fine crafted ale. Had this at the RFD in DC. Hard to get any Dominions in NJ, so even a standard beer from them is a treat.

Original rating 4/05 - This is a darned good ale. Appearance was rather unimpressive, with a small head that dissipated rather quickly and left very little lacing. But looks are looks and taste is taste. This beer tasted GOOD. Nice malty taste with some caramel touches in there. Flowery hops were there, but were mild (which I like). I could drink one after another of these. This could definitely be my "house beer" anytime. RERATE 6/07 - Caramel malts and quite biscuity. I’d definitely characterize this as an English Pale Ale, and a good example of the style. Bumped down in rating a bit as my exuberance in my "beer youth" might have been a little exaggerated.

Crisp and clean. Hoppy but not overly dry or bitter: hops balance with malt on the finish. Medium mouth feel. This beer is

sampled on draft in DC as "Hamlet’s Pilsner," the first part of which is true - we were at Hamlet’s - but the wait staff clearly had no clue what style of beer this was... malty aroma, medium amber color, excellent lacing, with a hoppy malty slightly raspberry flavor. I’ve always liked Old Dominion’s flexilbilty around labeling beers for other folks...

Bottle sampled. Pours amber with a small white head. Aroma of citrus, hops, and caramel. The flavor is sweet, caramel, and mild bitterness in the finish. Just ok.