Capstan
White Star Brewery Ltd

A bottle-conditioned beer grabbed at "Real Ale" beershop in Richmond, London. Coming in a pint-size brown bottle, the BB date is 20 Apr. 06.

A: served in a goblet, it pours a hazy, deep dark ruby hue with a rocky, tan head, with relatively good retention. The carbonation is so fierce that the beer's rushed out as soon as the bottle is popped open... lost several drops on the table, d**n...
S: interesting and complex aroma--slightly peaty, smokey, roasted malty and coffeeish note, tart note of dark-fruits, with sub-aroma of leather, wood-chips, against a backdrop of refreshing hop aroma... overall the aroma sits in between scotch ale, stout, old ale... I simply fail to pinpoint this beer's style, honestly.
T: lively mouthfeel of dark malts+pale malts upfront, almost like an old ale mixed with porter; the palate quickly gives way to mixed, malty and fruity flavour being slightly savoury, with tart dark fruits, sour edge of wood-barrels, lightly sour taste of malted-wheat as in Belgian Witbier, tobacco, a little hint of black coffee here and there... Overall it's quite complex, taking me quite a while to explore and "analyse" the flavour, and there's almost something else missed... No clear structure and all flavours are mixed together.
M: consistently refreshing mouthfeel due to the lively carbonation, and the body is light as well--so light it doesn't taste like a 6%abv strong ale... it proves a bit thin in the aftertaste, with a rather crisp, clean finishing touch though.
D: a quality brew for sure, and it's not voted Best Strong Ale of Eastleigh Beerfest. for nothing. I'd buy it again whenever I see it, though a bottle each time to share with my GF would be satisfying enough.