Capitol City Amber Waves Ale
2005 Gold Medal GABF -- A medium bodied west coast style amber ale. This is a aggressively hopped with Perle and Cascade hops, and is held together by its sweet malty center.
3.2
173 reviews
Washington, United States
Community reviews
3/10/15 Draft (Capitol City Brewing Co. DC) - Nice red pour, minimal carbonation and head. Firm taste, a little bitter, pleasant to drink. Nice texture, thin pour. OK Beer.
"this was brought back from a recent trip. a slightly above average amber ale, which is always nice. good balance between caramel malt and some flowery hops. nothing too complicated, but tasty enough."
Pours an amber red hue. Aroma is of sweet malt, specifically caramel. Taste is very malt driven with a sweet tickle on the palate. A quickly disappearing bitterness on the palate with a good aftertaste. Overall a decent amber ale.
A mild unassuming and unremarkable amber. Has some caramel and toffee in the malts, thin citrus character. Tried at the brewery in 2014.
Draft. Ruby red with thin beige head. Aroma of malt sweetness, strong caramel, and some floral hops. Medium body, caramel, malt, and a slight bitter finish. A typical amber ale.
Ok. Pours cloudy orange with pretty good head and lacing. Some malt. Not a lot going on here but ok malt profile. On tap at DC Beer Festival.
21 nov 2013, tap at Capitol City Brewing. Amber, clear, no bubbles. Nose is lightly toasted malt and some pine hops. Med body and mildly fizzy. Tangy malt flavor, a bit astringent, moderately bitter throughout. Ok.
Draft at the source. Clear amber color, tiny white head. Aroma of. Aramel, bread, light citrus. Taste is bread, citrus. Light body. Plain.
På fat @ Brewpub, Downtown DC. Bärnstensfärgad med vitt skum. Karamell, grape och tallbarr i doften. Mycket karamell och frukt i smaken. Grapebeska. Fin sötma. En trevlig bekantskap.
On tap at the brewpub. Mostly clear copper with thin offwhite head. I had to ask the bartender if he mistakenly poured me the IPA. Really hoppy for an amber. Crisp and bitter; not much malt. Honestly, still not convinced I got the right beer, but the bartender said the amber is really hoppy.
(US backlog Sep 2012) Draught@Capital City Brewing, Downtown DC 12/09/2012. Invitingly copper-hued, but very mild, near flat, American red/amber ale that could use some more malt character. Mild earthy hops. Pleasant enough whe thirsty, with no major infringements or off nites, but instantly forgettable and characteristic of the US industrial-style/franchised brewpub’s stressy and ultimately homogenous +50 brews/year output.
On tap at Capitol City, Downtown location in July 2006. Attractive burnished copper colour. More copper than amber. Plenty of flowery hop presence in the aroma, carrying through strongly onto the palate and lingering into the finish. Hops are nicely assertive but not too dominant - there’s a solid, if not too chewy malt backbone. Mouthfeel is quite light but it’s firm enough and certainly not weedy. A very decent amber - much more to it than many other amber ales I’ve tried, which can be a bit bland. Extremely drinkable and most enjoyable.
Draft at the brewpub. Pour clean copper no head and minimal spotted lacing. Aroma of caramel, some roasted malts and decent hop presence. Solid bitterness
Draft. Nice clear amber color. Very malty syrup taste. Caramel notes. Some hop flavored as well. Ok.
On draft at Capitol City Brewing Co. in Virginia.
The beer orange colored, slightly hinting at ruby. The head is a quarter inch thick and sticks around for a bit, leaving some random lacing on the glass. The aroma offers a mild dose of hops with a slightly sweet malt bill. The flavor is alright. Earthy, with some biscuity malts. A bit out of balance, with lingering notes of muted hops. Overall, I wasn’t too keen on this one.
Serving type: on-tap
Reviewed on: 01-29-2012
Tap at the Shirlington location. Clear amber pour with a spotty head. Malty with a bit of hop bite - not really my style though.
Aroma: Weak fruit smell, nuts and hay.
Appearance: A hazy light amber brew, an off-white head leaving little lacing, small curtains.
Taste: Sweet bread taste, grape juice and peel.
Palate: Medium carbonation, small bubbles, soft and smooth with a long dry finish.
Overall: A nice clean ... I would say APA, not Amber.
Note: On-tap at Capitol City Brewing Company, W DC. Reviewed 2012-03-25.
Dark amber pour, creamy slightly off white head. Nose is a tug of war; malt and hops. Same on tongue, sweet malt and bitter hops.Taste is roasted malt, chocolate malt in background. Hops take over on the way out. YUM!
On tap at brewpub. Clear bronze amber with a short-lasting white head. Smells like caramel and...soap? Tastes like caramel and cereals. Somewhat dry and earthy. Good touch of hops in the finish. Medium-bodied. Somewhat creamy mouthfeel. Reminded me of a tastier version of Canada’s Rickard’s Red.
From tap at the DC location. Pours clear and golden deep amber with a small, white and creamy head. Aroma is fruity, roasted malty and light caramelish. Bitter, crisp hoppy, toasted malty and caramelish.
On tap - Amber color with a little head. Hoppy fresh on the nose and taste and a solid body. Seemed like it should have been an IPA. Pretty good.
Pours dark amber with a slight haze. Deep earthy malt and caramel aroma. Little hop character. More like a brown ale but still very drinkable. Good match for pub grub.
On tap at Capitol City Brewing - Downtown, October 2011.
Clear dark amber with a small head. Mostly malt in the aroma but also some hops. The taste was nothing sensational but drinkable.
Draught, 5.3% at the brewpub. Mild hoppy aroma. Clear dark red amber colour. Small white head. The flavour is nicely hoppy.
Draft from CC brewery. Pretty strong hops bite, some malts.....decent but seemed more of an IPA.
Gabf. Burnt yellow appearance with a cream colored head. Nutty, toffee, caramel malty aroma. Toffee, light earthy hoppy, caramel malty flavor. Not too bad.
Amber pour. A nice, solid beer with caramel and hop flavors balanced nicely. Nothing outstanding but it also isn’t all that lacking. Just a good beer.
Draft @ the Capital Hills location. Pours a clear amber color with a small off-white head. Has a fruity malty caramel hoppy aroma. Fruity malty caramel flavor with hoppy hints. Has a fruity malty hoppy finish.
Sample @ Brewpub, Capitol Hill
Pours cloudy amber with a off-white head. Aroma has notes of malt, citrus, grape, pine and yeast. Taste is medium sweet and light bitter. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft.
Not a ton of hop aroma. Pours brown with a light head that leaves no lacing. Surprising given it’s color that there isn’t much malt action on the tongue although there is some hoppiness. The taste tends to wash away at the finish.