Capital Autumnal Fire
A blazing rich beer, this is a doppelbock based on an Oktoberfest personality. Warm and intriguing, the perfect "Brandy Snifter" beer. Available September and October.
3.7
475 reviews
Middleton, United States
Community reviews
Without a doubt, my favorite beer of all time. It’s hard to get, as Capital only offers it around August and September of each year. Fortunately, I’m only about 50 miles away from the brewery, so I can usually find it during that period. I love beers that set the mood for the season. This one certainly does that. I’m not sure what it is, but sitting around a campfire with a few of these as the leaves are starting to fall in autumn is what life is all about. It’s a big beer. If you plan on drinking quite a few of them, make sure you have a "designated carrier" that can drag you into the tent or camper at the end of the session. And try not to fall into the campfire.
Draft at oasis. From notes. Caramel and toffee dominate, hints of Roasty mAlt in the finish.
12 ounce bottle into tulip glass, 2012 vintage bottling. Pours slightly hazy deep reddish copper color with a 2 finger dense light khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of huge caramel, toast, toffee, biscuit, raisin, plum, fig, date, brown sugar, light nuttiness, light chocolate, slight tobacco/leather and yeast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with good balance and complexity of dark fruit and dark/bready malt sweetness; with great strength. Taste of big caramel, toast, toffee, biscuit, raisin, plum, fig, date, brown sugar, light nuttiness, light chocolate, slight leather/tobacco, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Slight earthy/roast bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of caramel, toast, toffee, biscuit, raisin, plum, fig, date, brown sugar, light nuttiness/chocolate, and yeast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity and robustness of big dark fruit and dark/bready malt flavors; with a great malt/dark fruit balance and zero cloying sweetness after the finish. Light-medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a very smooth, moderately creamy, and slightly slick/bready mouthfeel that is great. Alcohol is well hidden with only a slight warming present after the finish. Overall this is an awesome doppelbock style. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of big dark fruit and dark/bready malt flavors; and very smooth to sip on for the ABV. A highly enjoyable offering.
12 oz bottle, poured into a bell glass at approximately 40 degrees F.
A: Pours a honey-gold that is not unlike the color of fresh synthetic motor oil, and settles into the glass as a beautifully clear light amber. I half expected to see some sort of mosquito trapped within the beer, waiting to for us to unlock the genetic secrets of the velociraptor from within it. It formed a decently thick head of perhaps a finger and a half, which quickly died away in a rush of fizzy sounds to leave only a slight white ring around the edges of the glass. No lacing was left to speak of. Bubbles rise steadily from the bottom of the glass the entire time it sits in said glass.
S: Sweet and yeasty, the nose is not unlike glazed bread, reminiscent of some sort of honeyed doughnut. There’s some hints of cherry and I daresay banana faintly in the nose as well.
T: Definitely a sweet beer, with caramel and honey bun flavors striking right out of the gate. A yeastiness makes itself known as the beer moves across the tongue, and the sweetness fades a little to let some cherry and cinnamon in along the sides. This beer finishes with a burst of cherry and raisin, and some faint hints of wood, beneath the last of the honey bun sweetness.
M: Smooth and creamy, this beer drinks like a runny syrup, clinging to the teeth and tongue well after the swallow. It’s almost full enough to warrant a "chewy" descriptor, but not quite.
O: As a raging malt addict, I am a fan of this beer. The blend of doppelbock and Oktoberfest works well to create a full-flavored, complex profile that is refreshingly devoid of any noticeable hop presence. I see myself picking this up annually during trips to Chitown, and enjoying it every time.
This beer seems to vary a little year by year, but hit the spot this time around!
12 oz bottle poured into an imperial pint glass. The aroma is initially play-doh like, followed by some cookie dough qualities. After this, a strong jolly rancher note comes through with secondary notes of caramel, vanilla beans, peanuts, and cooked sugar. It pours an effervescent, clear oily orange-yellow (a bit more on the orange side than yellow) with an off-white, dense and creamy head. The head reduces down to a thin ring, with a silky and filmy surface that eventually becomes oily, and it leaves behind an above average amount of dense, snowdrift lace. The taste is a medium bitter and sweet, leaning a bit towards the bitter side. The medium-full malt bodied beer has a creamy texture with a light, soda-like carbonation. Toasted nuts and caramel are the initial flavors picked up, with a slightly burnt or overly-roasted quality. It finishes a touch dry, but clean, with pine, spice, and bread crust and it leaves behind a roasted nut and slight bitter citrus (lime and grapefruit) aftertaste.
Aroma of light carmal and vanilla. Nice rose copper color with pink head. Taste is bitter and dark. With a lingering after taste. Dark malts. Palate is flat and sticky. Not a fan of this
Bottle. Pours clear copper/brown. Nice head that dissipates quickly. Nose is caramel and brown sugar. Taste adds some nuttiness. A nice dopplebock.
Fantastic caramel notes at the start. Warm and nutty going down. Doesn’t drink like an 8% beer. Very smooth and great for the fall season. Would go great with food.
Fantastic beer in the Oktoberfest style, but more. The nose is sweet, with some spice. Lots of caramel malt, toffee and some spice on the palate. An intriguing beer.
20-Feb-14 (12-oz bottle)
This beer pours a hazy, medium-brown body with a thin, light-tan head that dissipates quickly. The nose is sweet and caramely with dried fruits, some tropical, almost banana-like fruitiness, and brown sugar, but it lacks the classic toasty, melanoidin character of German examples. It’s sweet, very malty, and caramely on the palate, a lot more emphasis on the sugary and malty side with less fruitiness than the aroma shows, but again, what’s missing is that German melanoidin character that domestic Doppelbocks just can’t seem to nail. It’s medium-plus in weight, sweet but not to the point of being cloying, light-medium in carbonation, and pretty smooth on the palate. Overall, this is a fine domestic Doppelbock, deliciously malty, but falls short of excellence when compared to its German counterparts.
Pours a hazy red/orange with slight tan head. Aroma is very full of spice and sweet slightly boozy notes. Taste is slightly sweet with a warming long lasting aftertaste. A great beer for the fall or some good football
No bottling information.
Appearance: The body is crystal clear with an amber to copper hue, accompanied by a dense light tan head that sticks around for a bit.
Aroma: The aroma is how I like my doppelbocks, mildly fruity with big malts. I get a lot of sticky caramel and brown sugar with a fig fruitiness. The aroma is sweet and pleasant with good strength.
Taste: The flavor matches the aroma. The intro is big sweet malts that run through, becoming bigger by the finish. The finish becomes a blend of raisins and caramel, very enjoyable. The finish is quick though leaving a raisin and caramel afterthought.
Palate: Full-bodied, a sticky feel to it, with mild carbonation.
Overall: This is a good doppelbock, I have no complaints about it. The only reason I’m not enamored with this is that I feel Troegenator is ultimately a better beer.
Tap at RusTeak. Big amber caramel pour. Big malty sweet aroma with a hint of cherry. Big malt body, little hop bite with slight hint of cherry and warm bread. Big beer, but booze is hidden well. Good brew.
Capital Autumnal Fire I had seems to be different from the one that everyone else had. I don’t really get the excitement. The bottle on mine says 7.8% ABV, so maybe this one is different. Decent head on the amber pour, but not a lot of body. Aroma is fresh and malty. Taste is a generic malt with caramel notes and not a lot of hop character. Sugary aftertaste hangs on the palate. Autumnal Fire is ok but certainly not due the hype.
Ruby red pour--very interesting color for the style; off-white head. Nose is caramel, toffee, sweet malts. Taste is sweet sugary bready malts, brown sugar. Thin-medium mouthfeel.
10/17/13 trade from Jamil. What a great Doppelbock! Sweet malt, taffy and brown sugar scent. Dark bronze pour with a medium smooth feel. Sweet malt up front, rich and nutty, brown sugar and taffy finish with a hint of alcohol, but mostly all a great rich flavor.
Bottle--I'm liking the doublebocks. Amber color, the best definition of an amber color I say, brew with no head and like carbonation. Malty aroma with some caramel. Taste is malt, without roast and caramel. The finish is syrupy and sticky. No trace of alcohol. Wish I had a cellar! Total wine.
Beautiful, auburn colored body was clear, and the beer displayed little carbonation, and formed no head. The smell was a mixture of sour dark skinned fruits, caramel, cocoa and coffee. The taste was very fruity, brimming with flavors of cherries, and fig, as well as showing off some vanilla, toffee, and just a hint of chocolate. The body was thicker than medium dense, with sticky initial feel, and a dry finish. I believe this is the first beer from this brewery I’ve sampled. It probably won’t be the last, based on the quality of this one.
This is my favorite beer, period. No one can beat Capital Breweries Dopplebocks. My only complaint is that I can’t get this in California!!!! But I did ship 4 cases with me when I moved!!!
Truly Unique. It is not for everyone but if you have the palate for it, it is amazing.
2009 Bottle from Archer Liquors, Chicago. Pours a muddy brown colorwith no visible head. Nose is mostly burnt malt with caramel. Taste is malty and buttery. Taste is fruity as well, with a long finish. Descentbut nothing special.
Quaff score 6 / 10
Aged 3 years. Pours a muddy brown with a beige head and aroma of caramel and malt. Taste is of caramel, sweet malt, and light fruits with a malty finish. Very drinkable, alcohol is well hidden, solid doppelbock
Bottle from Breeze Thru cellar aged over 3 years. Pours a coppery brown with almost no head. Rotation builds up a quickly disappearing off-white one that leaves no lacing. Aroma has super sweet caramel, rich grapes, peat and some fruit. Taste is of sweet caramel malt, bread, and sweet and tart fruits. Medium bodied. Finishes sweetly and a bit tart with some yeastiness. Nice solid dopple. Would expect the aging hurt it a bit; oversweetening it.
Capital Autumnal Fire, aged 3 years 7 months in my beer cellar, 7.8% ABV
A 12oz bottle and poured into a Capital Brewery Snifter.
Appearance: Poured ruby brown with a very little head and lacing.
Smell: Toasted malt and caramel notes, no pronounced hop presence, no obvious off flavors.
Taste: Dried fruit and cognac sweetness. A molasses finish lingers. There is also a slight aftertaste of old leather, but not unpleasant.
Mouth feel: Medium body and low carbonation, coating the back of the tongue and upper palette with black licorice. Also a nice warming alcohol finish.
Overall: Capital was the first American craft breweries to combine the Oktoberfest and Doppelbock styles into one amazingly drinkable strong beer. The cellar aging has brought forward the more bitter flavors to balance with strong sweetness of the young beer. This is a great cognac-like after diner beverage to enjoy by an open fire with a maduro leaf cigar.
12 oz. bottle. Hazy copper pour, with a small, khaki head. Lots of vanilla, whiskey, butterscotch, with some notes of black bread, pine, and syrup. Very sweet, with a little hop bitterness toward the finish. Heavy body, warm and lively, with a little astringency and stickiness. Overall, this is a thick and sticky beer. Not bad.
Muddy Dark Red, Tan Head, Lots Of Lacing. Sweet Caramel, Creamy Malt, Light Bitter. Very Smooth and Easy To Drink Long Lasting Creamy Sweet Aftertaste and nice tummy warming feeling. Niiiiice. Recommended. New Favorite, will be looking out for it in Autumn.
Bottle. Pours a clear golden amber color with a small head that quickly fades. Pretty nice aroma of caramel, cherries, raisins, and bread. Drinks really smooth. Easy to drink and a bit boozy at the same time. Lots of caramel and fruit. Finish is crisp and smooth, cherry taste lingers. Medium body, a little syrupy. Very enjoyable doppelbock.
Excellent to me,. Nice malty taste and almost alike a Barley Wine in strenght. NIce amber touches.
a nice beer with a nutty taste, that this the standard of of good dopplebock. the malts are strong with little hops. the look is clear and not that carbonated, but its very tasty.