The new year brings new expectations, and the folks at Capital Brewery are more than ready to live up to them.
After a very successful 2015, Capital is prepared to release classic, new and old favorite recipes this year for their 30th anniversary.
Ashley Kinart, brewmaster for Capital Brewery, said since there are so many exciting brews Capital is rolling out this year, she can’t pick just one as her favorite.
“I’m excited about them all,” she said. “This is going to be a great year for us.”
Capital is bringing back some old, limited edition favorites, like the Dark Doppelbock, which just came back in 2015 after four years.
King George, a wheat scotch ale, is out this month in bombers, on draft and in six packs. In March, Capital will release the Blonde Doppelbock as well.
In the following months, Capital will release some great limited collection beers, like Jobu, a rum-barrel aged brown ale. Another is Vacation Request, Kinart’s own recipe, that brings something new for Capital.
“Vacation Request is made with Lemondrop and Mandarina Bavaria hops — something you don’t find out in the market too often, so this will be a real special brew,” Kinart said.
In addition to bringing more limited editions to stores, Capital will also release a slew of new barrel-aged beers.
Some of these beers are classic Capital brews that have aged in barrels, and some are completely new. Currently, Capital’s delicious Fishin’ in the Dark is available at various bars around town, but the difference with this current batch of Fishin’ in the Dark, is that it’s been aged in bourbon barrels.
Other classics now made in barrels include Capital’s Maibock, which has been aging in bourbon barrels for more than a year and they will release in April, Kinart said.
For the 30th anniversary, Capital is doing something special for long-time fans. When the brewery started back in 1985, two of their beers had quite simple names compared to what we see today in the craft market: Dark and Pilsner. These two, while still in normal rotation year-round, will come back as special 30th anniversary editions with a little twist on their normal recipes, which Kinart refuses to spoil. She said people will have to try the beers themselves to find out.
Kinart said she is also working on testing some summer draft seasonals and has sampled a few flavors for their summer Lakehouse seasonal.
All in all, it will be a busy year for Capital, with some new concoctions and new experiments under way. For Kinart, it keeps her on her toes.
“Experimenting with beer spices up the job,” she said. “Waiting patiently and discovering something amazing is always a fun prize.”
It’s a fun prize for her and us beer drinkers to see what else Capital’s got up it’s sleeve.
This week, I decided to give a review of the classic Capital Dark.
Capital Dark, Capital Brewery, Madison
Style
Munich Dunkel Lager, 5.4% ABV
Aroma
Roasted malt, slight hint of hops
Appearance
Chocolate-Brown
Taste
Sweetness from the malt, but great mixture of breadiness and cocoa as well with slight hop taste in the backbone.
Room Temperature Taste
The sweetness fades, while the hoppiness becomes a little stronger.
Consensus
It’s easy to see why Capital has always been successful with the Capital Dark. An all-around solid brew, I’m excited to see what changes the 30th anniversary edition has in store.
Rating: 4/5
