Old Capital
Keegan Ales

 

 

 

 

Keegan Old Capital Golden Ale bottle was purchased at the bar at Brickhouse in Patchogue, NY, in mid-July, 2020. Bar patrons were obeying social distancing rules. However, drinking without a meal will end this weekend, at least in our part of NY. The beer pours with the promised golden color, a modest head, and a nice burst of beery aroma. The ale has a dry, fairly thin body and a hop flavor that has adequate bitterness that lingers pleasantly. I'd have liked a little more malt body. But taking into account the low 4% alcohol content, the flavor is fine. It's a fairly tasty North American style Pale Ale, and there aren't too many of these available. It should be a good summer afternoon drink.

 

I am rating this one more highly than I otherwise might only relative to it's class: Typically, I find blondes to be, well...less fun. Generally, they bore me...not this one. Don't get me wrong, I don't think it would be my go to brew as I tend to like a rounder, more full bodied beer, but for a blonde, this one actually stood up fairly well! The look and smell were fine, average I suppose, but let's be honest, you don't have much excitement from the look and smell of a blonde. This one is all about the taste and the feel. It's like thinking you're going for a ride on the kiddie choo-choo but it turns out you're in the teacups, and more fun than you thought it would be.

I'd have it again for sure, but I am not sure I would go out of my way looking for it. I'd take it any day of the week and twice on Sunday compared to the typical domestic mass produced swill though, so let me not poo-poo a fine brew for it's category.

 

Poured into a becher pint glass.
The appearance was a malty looking yellow color with a small white foamy to bubbly head quickly dissipating. Barely any lace.
The aroma had some lemon pledge/plastic, sweet grass and some toast.
The flavor had the lemon pledge in front with a huge floral soapiness backing that up. Very plastic-like in the aftertaste.
The mouthfeel was about medium bodied with a hard-to-take-down sessionability about it. But this isn't exactly a sipper either. Carbonation felt fine and so was the ABV. Finishes with the plastic and lemon pledge.
Overall, not sure what happened here but this is my stance on this beer fresh and after six bottles, if that tells you anything. This is not a blonde ale I would come back to.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poured from a 16oz can (O+ collab) into a Teku glass.
4/3.5/3.5/3.25/3
Fizzy and golden.
It initially smells pleasantly crisp with an apple undertone. An unfortunate bit of that plastic ozone whiff.
Pretty solid golden ale with not quite enough oomf. A touch watery, but the flavors that are there are floral, fruity, and smoothly sweet. Just a touch of that same off flavor on the aftertaste.
Very drinkable.
Pleasant enough, but marred and forgettable.