Winter Skål - Capital Brewery

zeledonia

Minnesota

3.3/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

For some reason, I had this beer on my list of things to try. Exploring different styles, maybe? Tasted 19 January 2013.

Pours, well, certainly amber. Slightly reddish hue, but mostly it's pure clean ambery amber. So clear it's like looking through colored glass. A thin column of bubbles rising up in the center. One finger of off-white head, decent retention, fine lacing. Not bad.

Smell is toasty, biscuity, like a bock. Not exactly what I expected, but not bad. Warm, but kinda thin like crackers. Buttery, too. Reminds me of those petit-beurre cookies I loved as a kid. Very malt-forward, with no obvious hop or yeast aromas.

Taste is kinda, well, it's half of that good stuff above, and half this odd herbal hoppy thin light lager flavor. The flavor shifts between these two versions, 75% of one, then 75% of the other, in a kind of pulsating wave. But I wish it were all just those buttery toasty malts, as the other side just isn't doing it for me.

Mouthfeel is fine. Medium-light body, a little undercarbonated. Not bad.

A decent enough beer, definitely a malt-forward lager, as it should be. But the taste is kind of a mess, with mismatched pieces crashing into each other and battling for dominance.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2013 03:27:31 | More by zeledonia

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.15/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a darker amber than I was expecting, SRM larger than anticipated, thin head on it. Aroma was nutty, this was one of the nuttiest aromas from an amber ale I've ever had. I have no idea what "skal" means, I wish the cardboard or the bottle was a little more informative in that regard.

Taste, pretty smooth, inoffensive stuff, the nuttiness of the aroma is slightly disappointing for its lack of a coming out party on the taste buds, but its still ok. Real mello, a little bit of toffee and caramel, this is probably a good choice for drinkers who don't like hoppy or very strong beers. Filler beer is how its known at my house. I do have another situation I would recommend it though, if you just came in from the snow, but you're now sitting by a warm fire, I can see this working in the winter like that.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2012 01:13:07 | More by Beerandraiderfan

guityler83

Wisconsin

3.08/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Poured a brilliantly crystal clear orange, (think jello) with about a finger of bright white head.

S: Mostly carmel and toffee comes through in the aroma for me with a slight hint of citrus hops. The combination reminds me of a copper penny, not a bad thing per se.

T: Carmel, toffee and copper like maltyness are dominent but not over powering. I can't detect much hop flavor, but the bitterness is nicley balanced to keep the sweetness to a minimum. If i didn't look at the label I would think the winter warmy-ness vibe I get from this beer would make it a 7-8% instead of a 5.8.

M: Very dry mouthfeel, with the carbination about average.

O: While this wasn't what I expected with a name like 'winter skal', I enjoyed it overall and would recomend it to any BMC drinker that wants something more complex without going to far away from the comfort zone.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2012 00:52:58 | More by guityler83

TheSSG

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +21%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a nice head that isn't overly persistent. Sweet malt melds with floral hops and caramel notes in the nose. A lovely gold-amber color. Starts with a nice hop bitterness, builds into a medium-low bitterness, then RAPIDLY downshifts into malt city. Finish has notes of biscuit, caramel, and floral hop.

A very excellent balance of hop and malt; enough hops to keep you satisfied, and a strong enough malt to really impress you. One of my favorites from Capital.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2012 03:20:39 | More by TheSSG

beagle75

Iowa

2.33/5  rDev -37.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a becker glass.

A: Very clear, light amber color with one finger of off-white foam head that collapses to a large and persistent pad. Moderate lacing remains on the glass.

S: Crystal malt is diluted by threads of acetaldehyde and carbon dioxide. A trace of cinnamon adds earthy spice.

T: Begins dry, with early astringency that gives way to much more sweet Munich pale malt. Green plant stems are faint into the middle, with mild acidity, where some elements of fruit punch are suggestive of estery metabolites. Astringency returns alongside over-toasted grain in the drying finish, where mild herbaceous bitterness is present.

M: Thin to medium viscosity, mild astringency is less felt than tasted, with moderate carbonation.

D/O: Wisconsin's Capital Brewery is generally pretty good at letting the quality of its beers establish it as a very conservative, but proficient, producer. This beer is a departure, with discordant qualities and a wildly-oscillating level of sweetness that is never able to become comfortable on the palate. It is a seasonal whose useful lifespan has elapsed.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2012 23:04:57 | More by beagle75

lurpy1

Minnesota

2.6/5  rDev -30.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

This bottle had been languishing in the back of my fridge, forgotten in the land of misfit beers. Out you come my child! This is your chance to shine.

Frankly, it's pretty hard to impress me with an amber lager. The pour is, however, a beautiful clear amber, with just the right amount of head. From there, though, the beer begins to live down to my expectations. Aromatically, a little grain comes through, not much spice, but overall, this is the smell of spilled beer in the basement of some random frat house. Gah. The taste is flat, watery, vaguely saisonish. And y'know, it seems to get worse as we go. The heavy carbonation doesn't help either.

Maybe I left this in the fridge too long. Best I can say is it freed up some space in the fridge.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2012 02:14:02 | More by lurpy1

brentk56

North Carolina

3.65/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours a clear amber color with an inch of foam that leaves a few strands behind

Smell: Fruity, almost like Juicy Fruit gum, with holiday spice aromatics

Taste: Juicy Fruit gum with holiday spice cake elements arriving by mid-palate; somewhat sweet and grainy in the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Overall: Well it sure is different so I will grant them kudos for creativity but I cannot say that I would care to try this again

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2012 03:54:51 | More by brentk56

Duff27

Illinois

2.98/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

November 2011 bottle

A- Inch tall white dense head. Beer is a very light ambvr color. Above average head retention and good lacing.

S- Lemon grass in the nose, very bready.

T- Bready sweet malts up front with a just a tocuh of caramel. Skunky bitterness on the tail end...I could do without that part.

M- Medium to medium-thin, adequately carbonated for the style.

D/O- Very drinkable, although just one step above a macro for me. I do not think I would have this again as I wasn't a big fan.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2012 02:08:14 | More by Duff27

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

3.93/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Reviewed from notes.

Pours out a standard amber in color with a one finger head that lasts impressively for nearly five entire minutes but doesn't leave much lacing at all on the sides of my glass. Smells of sweet toffee malts seasoned with cinnamon and turmeric with a dollop of herbal hops / spicing. Really nice. In flavor, there is a warm nuttiness combined with the caramel malts and your full daily recommended nutritional allowance of noble hopping. At room temperature, it presents a mild Simcoe-styled "caramelized onion garnish" on top of the mid-sip. Finishes semi-dry and crisp with a subtle powdered ginger-like spicy heat that lingers gently for a minute or so, could use a tad bit more carbonation however.

The main memorable feature I am left with is that here is a 'spiced winter' themed brew that keeps things restrained and subtle on the spicing. It does not taste like pumpkin pie spicing nor like spicy chinese takeout, as other heavily herbed/spiced winter warmers often do. So, if you prefer your spiced beer lighter on the spice factor than most, this is the easy-drinking brew for you.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2012 03:22:28 | More by WastingFreetime

Treebs

Illinois

3.45/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle served in a FFF 15th Anniversary pint glass.

A: Pours a clear amber, very bubbly and lively throughout, with a one finger, white colored head forming on the pour. The head had some nice retention as it receded to a thin collar, but no substantial lace was left on the glass.

S: The smell was very mild, but solid. Pale malts with a little bit of nuttiness and a little bit of roast. There was some mild citrus flavors in the background.

T: The taste was much like the nose. Pale malts that were slightly grainy in nature with a little bit of caramel sweetness as well. Mild citrus rinds and light hoppiness round it out.

M: Medium bodied with a very lively mouthfeel. Carbonation was a little much for a beer that supposed to remind me of winter.

O: This beer had some decent flavors, but it could have benefited from a little more caramel malt flavors and a little less carbonation. Overall a solid beer though.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2012 14:34:11 | More by Treebs

chetripley

Illinois

3.88/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Always on the lookout for a smooth winter type beer and something from the Midwest and was happy to find both in this one.
Poured from the bottle into my Guinness tulip. It had the look and aroma of a Sam Adams Winter Lager, and I was thinking it was going to taste similar, but it really turned out a lot different. Smooth and balanced, and very drinkable. Malty flavors, a little hops, no extras. It was a pleasant alternative to the other winters out there that I think try too hard to be bold or unique and ended up being too strong or too spicy.
Good job, Capital. They do things a little different there (try an Autumnal Fire some time) and I like it.
Plus, they sell it everywhere-Mariano's, Binny's and Jewel Food Store.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2012 01:44:06 | More by chetripley

hardy008

Minnesota

2.48/5  rDev -33.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Copper color with a small off white head with fair retention and little lacing. The aroma has light toasted malt and a little caramel. Not a very strong aroma.

The taste has light toasted bread, caramel, and some hop bitterness at the end. Not my favorite American Amber. Would have been better with more caramel flavor.

Light bodied with high carbonation and it finishes dry. Not much to like about this beer. I won't go out of my way to find it again.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2012 03:10:43 | More by hardy008

plfahey

Minnesota

3.78/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle poured into a wine glass.

Appearance-Warm, inviting amber with great clarity and a moderately small ivory-cream head which shows decent retention.

Aroma-Sweet grainy, cereal malt with slight toasty biscuit, light butter toffee, and a hint of caramel. Hopping is extremely light in the aroma. Smooth and rather clean.

Flavor-Smooth caramel and cereal grain malt sweetness up front with toasted toffee. Moderate bitterness and spicy liberty hops with a little bit of floral fruit and woodiness in the finish.

Mouthfeel-Medium body and moderate carbonation. Smooth. Easy drinking.

Easy drinking and pretty tasty. Refreshing and quite crushable for a beer with this much character and personality. I don't usually reach for lagers in the winter, but this is pretty tasty.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2011 05:38:25 | More by plfahey

bsp77

Minnesota

4.15/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Serving glass: Poured from bottle into Pint glass.

Appearance: Clear amber-gold with frothy off-white head.

Smell: Biscuit, caramel, cherry and spicy & floral noble hops.

Taste: Great fruity malts (cherry and some other stuff) with layers of bread, toast and biscuit. Lightly spicy, floral and bitter on the finish.

Feel: Moderately high carbonation, medium body, nice dry and crisp finish.

Overall: Not exactly sure why this is a winter seasonal. But I am sure that this is an excellent Vienna-like lager - well balanced with tasty malts but a nice, dry hop kick. Capital knows how to make lagers with the best of them.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2011 18:52:22 | More by bsp77

mjpolzin

Wisconsin

3.38/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

As I just mentioned in my review of Capital's Oktoberfest, many of Capital's beers taste about the same to me but I do like that "taste" so I generally will give their brews favorable reviews. Some characteristics that I was able to pick out though about this offering was a fair amount of biscuit/bready maltiness and a small bit of holiday spiciness. Maybe some ginger or nutmeg?

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2011 21:11:49 | More by mjpolzin

EpicWI

Wisconsin

3.95/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A. Deep amber in color. Even with an fairly aggressive pour there's very little head.

S. Malty, with a hint of hops. Most distinctive is a strong spice scent.

T. Sweet, and again malty and spicy, with the hops much more prominent than in the smell. The smell and taste greatly compliment each other.

M. Nothing incredibly distinctive here. Stronger carbonation than I prefer.

O. A great wintertime beer. I can see myself enjoying several of these next to a fire on a sleepy snowed-in weekend. Couldn't see myself drinking these outside the late fall/winter months (but it's a seasonal brew anyway.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2011 22:02:50 | More by EpicWI

WoodBrew

Illinois

3.65/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The capital city brewery winter skal is a decent beer. The appearance was a rich amber with very thin white head. The scent has spice and malt which was decent. The taste had ginger/nutmeg which provides a nice wintery delight. The mouthfeel was decent and would be perfect of cold nights. I recommend this for those that want good flavor without being to heavy.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2011 01:44:51 | More by WoodBrew

falloutsnow

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Found a six-pack of this at the Piccadilly off State street in Champaign, IL.

Pours a 2cm, off-white head of fairly large bubbles. Recedes to a moderate ring around the glass, remains for the entire session. Lacing is of little, light clumps around the edges. Body is a light orange-amber color, transparent, and with modest carbonation.

Scents of rich caramel malts, light herbal hops, and, curiously, some cinnamon or cinnamon-like thing.

Taste is similar to smell: fairly dense caramel malt, which ends rather abruptly and transitions to mildly bittering, herbal hops.

Body is fairly heavy, I could see this being just right for the wintertime. Carbonation somewhat light, but still suitable. Finish fairly dry, in touch with the lingering hop bitterness.

A very nice amber lager in general, I could definitely see myself having more of these with the right season.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2011 04:46:22 | More by falloutsnow

Onenote81

North Carolina

3.98/5  rDev +7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Spending a few days in the TN mountains with some friends, and one of them brought a sixer of this. 12oz bottle poured into a pint glass. Pours a clear dark amber with a thick 2-finger beige head. Light lace left behind. Nose is bready with light yeast, sugar. Faint floral hops noted as well.

Good crisp mouth, that mellows to a moderate fullness. Toasted caramel, toast, light juicy hops. Finish is bready and full. This is a pretty good lager here. Not one of my favorite styles, but a good representation. I'm continually impressed with Capital. Keep it up.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2011 00:19:28 | More by Onenote81

richkrull

Wisconsin

3.33/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I tried this one at The Rail House in Deerfield, WI.

This was a nice medium bodied beer with goof flavor. Not overpowering. Sweet caramel malt flavor with a bit of a bitter finish. Pretty easy drinking beer, but not one of my favorites. It's worth a try though.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2011 19:47:40 | More by richkrull

KarlHungus

Minnesota

3.4/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

This beer pours a clear bright red color. The head is one inch in height, and recedes slowly into a small cap of lacing. The aroma is of toffee, and caramel with a very faint hint of herbal hops. The taste is very sweet with a ton of caramel. The faint hop character that is noticeable in the aroma is not present in the taste, and I think that is a real shame as it might have helped things from becoming as cloying as they are. The mouthfeel is full bodied and sticky with low carbonation. Overall, this is a decent beer that I'm sure a lot of people would really like, but I can't see myself drinking it again as it is just far too cloying for my tastes.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2011 23:26:27 | More by KarlHungus

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.33/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle courtesy of BeerFMAndy. Served in a Cantillon tulip.

Pours a light bronze color and is quite transparent, though no real visible carbonation. Pretty good head with some nice lacing as it goes down. Persistent head with good retention. Nice cap as it eventually falls. The nose has a bit of light toasted bread plus a touch of caramel. Taste has a bit of grain and bread and a mild bitterness on the back end. Finishes pretty dry after a light body with higher levels of carbonation. Drinkability is decent enough. Not my favorite style, but this does a decent job hitting the high notes that I'd consider possibilities here.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2011 02:23:29 | More by Thorpe429

SykDoc

Wisconsin

3.88/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass. It pours a clear amber color forming a 1/8 inch off-white head that reduces leaving a nice partly cloudy lacing. Carbonation visible and no sediment.

The aroma is a spicy and earthy hops combined with a minimal amount of malt in the background.

The taste is solid with a blend of spices, earthy hops, and a caramel malt that pops out first followed by the hoppy bitterness.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a reasonable level of carbonation. It is fairly smooth and leaves a short lived dryness.

Overall, this is a reasonable beer. It is not something I like to have too many of but has become somewhat of a ritual in the early winter season.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2011 19:56:10 | More by SykDoc

BeerLover99

New Jersey

3.43/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - mahogany red, with brown. almost no head at all

S - intense aroma of malts, spices, and bread.

T - bread, with spices, little bite on the finish.

M - Medium body, with slightly less than average carbonation.

D - Considering I'm not a huge fan of amber ales/red lagers, this is a interesting change. Solid and worth a try; nothing earth-shattering here, but give it a go.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2010 15:54:38 | More by BeerLover99

scaliasux

Wisconsin

3.7/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - Amber. Clear. Medium-sized, tan head that persists. Appears well carbonated.

Smell - Caramel malt. A little bit of floral hops.

Taste - Sweet light caramel malt opening. Fairly prominent, but not overwhelming hops finish. Nice mix of hops combines to provide a mildly spicy citrus character. Quite a bit lighter than most winter seasonal offerings.

Mouthfeel - Pretty light. Dry finish.

Drinkability - This beer lacks the heft of others appearing this time of year, but is by no means a low quality beer. I don't find myself choosing this one often, but there's no reason someone who doesn't feel the need to spend an hour with a beer during the winter might not make this their go-to beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2010 04:47:30 | More by scaliasux