This is purely a reaction video and its a reaction to a crappy beer thats more like a crappy hot sauce mixed with Coors Light.
Capitol City Brewing Company
Oh, look at me being productive. Not only am I writing about DC beer—I am writing about a DC restaurant. For the past few months, I’ve been eyeing up Capitol City Brewing Company. I finally stopped by over the week with my new work friend, Ada. I’m glad I did!
Beer Selection 5/5
I know it’s difficult to rate this restaurant in comparison to a bottle shop, bar or deli. Capitol City Brewing makes its own beer, so I’m going to judge it based on selection of styles rather than beer seleciton in general. They regularly serve Prohibition Porter, Amber Waves Ale, Pale Rider Ale and Capitol Kolsch. I had the latter and enjoyed it overall. It was light, drinkable and refreshing, yet it still had a roasted backbone that kept that lightness in check. Their seasonal list includes a hefeweizen, an IPA, an ale, an imperial coffee stout, a triple/double IPA and a Belgian style golden ale. It seems they have something to offer almost every beer fan while not having an overwhelming list of options.
Food 4.5/5
How can you go wrong with a place that serves you soft pretzels and spicy mustard sauce instead of bread and butter? Ada and I were hungry after a long day of work, so we ordered a full meal. We shared an appetizer—nachos loaded with queso, chili, sour cream, guacamole and veggies. She had a burger, which she said was delicious (albeit too big to finish). I had the Southern Fried Chicken Salad. It was a little soggy, but it still hit the spot. If you ever overestimate how much you can eat when you’re hungry (like I do), prepare to bring home leftovers. The portions are fairly big.
Cost (food and beer) – 4/5
My bank account and I have noticed that DC can be an expensive city. I think Capitol City Brewing’s prices were average for DC standards. I ended up paying around $18.00 for a beer, half of an appetizer and a main course. Most of the main courses on their own are in the $12.00-$14.00 range. I don’t remember the cost of the beer, but I would guess it was around $4.00.
Service 5/5
Our waiter was hospitable and attentive. He checked back on us often. Our appetizer and meals came out soon and my beer didn’t take too long to arrive. We didn’t have to wait long to ask for the check (or some boxes to carry away the remains of our big feast).
Overall Environment 4/5
Capitol City Brewing is very spacious. It has a few different seating options, including booths by the windows, freestanding tables and the bar by the main entrance. The décor (some cool paintings and hanging lights) wasn’t over the top, and it gave the restaurant a more welcoming atmosphere. The lighting was on the dim side. This didn’t bother me much, since Ada and I were sitting by the window. I can imagine it being more troublesome at night. We were surrounded by noise, but we didn’t have trouble hearing one another during our conversation. Each sound seemed to thin out over the large space.
Total Score 22.5/25
Captiol City Brewing Company is well-worth a visit. The prices and menu items make it seem more like a dinner place than lunch place, so I would recommend going later in the day. I would like to visit again at some point and try more of their brews.
-Amanda
Ladder Dive – 3 Guys and a Beer’d
The long overdue review of Ladder Dive Rye IPA by 3 Guys and a Beer’d Brewing Co. Check out the review and if you can get this beer or anything from 3 Guys, do yourself a favor and get some.
Changing of Palates – How does it happen
I don’t know how many people come up with ideas at about 3 in the morning, insomniacs perhaps, but unlike insomniacs I don’t feel the need to act upon them until the next day. As I was falling asleep last night I began to think about how my tastes in beer have changed over the years. My first experience with beer was MGD and Guinness (in Ireland that is). My curiosity in beer really sparked when I took a trip to Ireland with one of my friends. I would try anything that was on tap no matter what it was. This brings me to my first pale ale, Galway Hooker Pale Ale. It was a tad too bitter for me at the time. Granted I didn’t know what a pale ale was or even what style the beer was, I found that information when I got into craft beer. Once I turned 21 I would buy any beer that looked interesting to me. That leads me to my life in craft beer and to the very blog that this will be posted to.
The beer style that either people love and can’t get enough of or wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole is the IPA. Apart from the Hooker Pale ale, my first actual IPA was at a renaissance festival here in PA, (forget where though). Well this beer was sooooo bitter that I couldn’t even finish it, but if I went back and had that beer today I would enjoy it. I’m sitting here typing this with a glass of Dogfish Head Sixty-One min IPA so my taste has definitely evolved over time.
This brings me to my topic of this post or article (whatever you want to call it). What makes your palate change? Is it persistence? Curiosity? Age? Another beer that comes to mind is from New Holland Brewing Co. and its their Dragon’s Milk Barrel Aged Stout. I had this when I was first getting into craft beer and honestly I didn’t care for it. A few months ago I picked up another bottle and shot a review and I liked it a lot more than my first experience with it.
I think its a combination of the three factors that I mentioned. For me though its mix of persistence and curiosity. Take my love of IPAs for example. If I went by my original assumption of they’re bitter as fuck and I wont be bothered by them, I would never have tried The Maharaja which is now one of my favorite beers. I was persistent in trying them and curious to see what different flavors they might have, through time I got use to the bitterness and now I can barely tell that its their half the time. As for Dragon’s Milk that is a different story all together. Its still the persistence and curiosity though. I wont go into the details of its flavors (watch my review for that). Imperial stouts are probably my second favorite style after IPAs.
You might have a beer style yourself that you still have mixed feelings about. For example I still don’t care for Belgian Tripels. If I want a Belgian beer I’ll crack open a quad or a dubbel. Although I have tried a few tripels so my opinion has changed slightly. Not so much to where I’ll pick up a bunch of tripels on my next haul, but enough to gain more of an opinion. Be persistent and more importantly be curious. The style you don’t care for today could be the style you try go back to in a few months and love.
-Joe
DC Brau – Penn Quarter Porter
Step 1: Visit a local beer store.
Step 2: Buy a bottle of local beer (DC Brau’s Penn Quarter Porter) you can’t find in your home town.
Step 3: Text your beer geek boyfriend about it.
Step 4: Promise him you will not drink said beer until he’s able to try it with you.
Step 5: Wait a few weeks.
Step 6: Decide, “Eh…I can always pick up a bottle for him before I go home.”
Step 7: Drink and take notes.
Step 8: Send apology text.
I was excited to try a new porter. I also wanted to finally drink something by DC Brau, since I’ve already had a few brews by Port City. However, I was a bit skeptical, since this beer only has an ABV of 5.5%. Personally, I like stouts and porters with higher ABVs; it gives them more of a backbone. The head of Penn Quarter Porter (named for the area of the city where Ford’s Theater is located) was brown with 1/2 of a finger’s head. I could pick up chocolate, cocoa bean, bitter espresso, roasted malt and nutty aromas. It smelled bittersweet and light in alcohol to me. (Again, I was concerned about that.)
Black coffee was the dominant flavor of this beer. That espresso bitterness moved from the tip to the back of the tongue, with most of the flavors making themselves known at the end of each sip. The mouthfeel was light but silky. It had a fairly clean finish; the flavors washed out and didn’t linger long. Apart from cold coffee and a small hint of vanilla, this beer didn’t have a lot going on. It lacked complexity and creativity. It didn’t surprise me or keep me coming back for more. Yet, as you probably already know, I am a harsh porter fan.
I would recommend Penn Quarter Porter to someone who isn’t too crazy about darker beers or who hasn’t yet tried this style. If you are already a big fan of the style, you might find it average. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give it a try. My rating: B-
- Amanda
Iron Throne – Ommegang Brewing Co
New release from Ommegang Brewing Co. (Cooperstown, NY). The Iron Throne is a 6.5% Blonde Ale brewed with grains of paradise and lemon peel and also for a little show called Game of Thrones that I dont think anyone watches (kidding). Check out the review and the new season of Game of Thrones on HBO. Cheers, Joe
Wheat the People – 3 Guys and a Beer’d
I had this beer for the first time at the Electric City Craft Brewfest last year and I’m still talking about it. If youre in the NEPA area, find a few bottles and see for yourself why I’m talking about this beer after a year.
