Saint Adrian's Alt
Capitol City Brewing Company

Capitol city altbier, draft, Shirlington, Va.

A Amber, clear, thin head at the pour and it faded quickly. There was some lacing, but the head was gone by 1/3 glass leaving just a ring around the edge.

S Not much to smell here. A little roasted malt aroma, but very little hops, even though it is supposed to be dry hopped.

T Nice roasted malt flavor, some hops, but malt is the lead. Roastiness sticks around in the finish. No off flavors.

M Medium to full body, feels thick on the tongue.

D Definitely one that could be quaffed. A good example of the style.

This arrived with a thick, bone-white head with good retention. The nose was lightly sweet, almost lager-like. The color was a medium-gold with NE-quality clarity. The mouthfeel was medium with a slightly hoppy presence on the palate. The finish had that honey/lager taste that I noticed on the nose, followed by a return of the hops.

I had this beer at the Union Station Capitol City. Came in a 16 oz pint class, filled almost to the top. Little head. The color was a nice light copper color, similar to many pale ales. The smell had a hint of citrus but not overwhelming. There was some lightly maltiness in the smell as well.

The taste had pleasant hop bitterness with some hop flavor as well. It was balanced well by malt. Not a beer for hopheads, but I enjoyed it. There was some slight fruitiness in the beer. The mouthfeel was on the thin side, but I haven't had any other experience with Altbiers so that be normal. The drinkability was great, I could have had another but I had to depart.

One last note, the beer was served at what seemed like 45 or so. It never seemed "cold" to me and that was a pleasant surprise. Even the last drinks, when the beer was warm, had no off flavors. Very nice.