Drink Matron

Category: Bar Review

  • The Capitol City Brewing Company

    I had the serendipitous opportunity to visit the Capitol City Brewing Company’s Shirlington, VA location last week.  This award-winning brewery has three locations throughout the DC area and I think I lucked out with the Shirlington location.  This brewpub is located on the trendy Village of Shirlington Promenade, where nearly every restaurant has sidewalk seating and there are so many trees that you get a lazy, relaxed feeling while walking around.  The Cap City Brew Co. was no exception to this and I took such advantage that I never actually saw the inside of the building.  They have a full compliment of food and booze with a happy hour from 4-7pm every day.

    But that’s not really why I went.  I, of course, went for the beer.  On tap last week they had six beers, their four standard faire beers (Capitol Kolsch, Pale Rider Ale, Amber Waves Ale, and Prohibition Porter) and two seasonals (Fuel and ESB).

    Fuel

    2006 Gold Medal at GABF for Capitol City. English style imperial stout. Blended with 10 lbs of Sumatra coffee, this ale has a full body and medium bitterness. A big coffee aroma rounds out the finish. 10% ABV.

    My informed and entertaining waiter Gino described this as a “Pale Stout with a 10% kick”.  This is a very dark beer with a luscious brown head that had my mouth water as soon as it was set on the table.  I didn’t want to take notes on the look or smell of it, I wanted to dig right in.  You can definitely smell the coffee in it, though the aroma isn’t overpowering or particularly pungent.  It has a distinct smooth, roasted flavor (from the coffee obviously) while the finish has a sharp, spicy, bite.  To be honest, if I wasn’t trying a variety of beers, I would have stuck with this one for the night for sure.

    Pale Rider Ale

    American style pale ale, filtered, medium/full bodied, highly hopped character with a nice bitterness and aroma. 6.1% ABV

    Gino (you gotta love Gino) called this one “the little brother to Fuel.”  He said that if you liked Fuel but thought it was too strong, this would be the beer for you.  The smell was really tight – I practically had to stick my nose in the beer just to smell it – but once you got a whiff it was very fruity and hoppy. It had a very smooth, earthy flavor and was a little spicy on the long aftertaste. Like the burn you feel in your throat after eating fresh jalepenos.  I had ordered some keg rolls (a Capitol City specialty) and let me tell you, you couldn’t pair this beer with anything more perfectly.  In fact, I wouldn’t eat the keg rolls without this beer because they just seem bland in comparison.

    ESB – Extra Special Bitter

    This one is a bit of a misnomer for a classic English-style ale. Herbal hop aroma and a complex caramel flavor make this smooth medium-bodied beer and easy sell. 5.1%ABV

    I’ll be honest, I shouldn’t have had this beer after the Fuel and the Pale Rider.  It was not nearly as strong in flavor or aroma as either of the previous beers and so I really didn’t get anything from it.  I really couldn’t smell anything, despite trying for a few minutes to catch a whiff of anything (I seriously think the other patrons thought I was off my rocker by this point).  It had a really smooth (almost too smooth) texture that reminded me of day old flat beer.  The initial flavor was super malty and reminded me Olde English 800 and finished with a strange sweet/sour flavor that is similar to over-ripe bananas.

    Prohibition Porter

    Dark, roasty ale, unfiltered, medium bodied and nice hop presence to balance the dark malt flavor. 5.3% ABV

    The Prohibition Porter was a tasty start to Round 2 of the tastings.  It had a nutty smell like fresh walnuts.  The texture was crisp in that thirst-quenching sort of way.  It had a nice sharp taste that finished smooth with the same nut taste as the smell.

    Amber Waves

    American red ale, filtered, medium bodied, well balanced with a nice malty middle and finishes with an assertive hop character. 5.3% ABV 2006 Silver Medal, 2005 Gold Medal Winner GABF

    To be honest, I had assumed that this beer would be a Killian’s clone that tried a little too hard to taste like Killian’s.  But who am I kidding?  If I’d learned anything by this point, it was that Cap City is good at making unique beers.  There was an earthy smell like dirt after a rain storm.  It had an earthy taste (almost mildewy) mixed with a fruity flavor.

    Capitol Kölsch

    German golden ale, filtered, light bodied lager like characteristic from cooler fermentation temp. Clean and crisp with a dry finish. 4.8% ABV

    I don’t think there’s really anything to say about this beer.  It is a typical golden ale.  This would be the beer to suggest to your Bud drinking friends.

    Southwestern Keg Rolls

    Chicken, corn, tomatoes, cabbage, black beans and mozzarella cheese wrapped in a flour tortilla and deep fried served with sweet thai chili dipping sauce.

    They taste like bean dip egg rolls with a sweet raspberry-like sauce.

    Capitol Hill Hummus

    Homemade hummus topped with tomato, cucumber and kalamata olives, finished with olive oil and cracked pepper and served with grilled wheat pita wedges.

    This has got to be some of the best hummus I’ve ever tasted.  I finished off the pitas and ate the rest of the hummus with a spoon.

  • My favorite bar in the whole world

    By Andi Ponkey, our resident Dog Lover.

    When trying to write an article about my favorite bar, not just in Houghton, but in the world, I did a little research into its background. Sadly, what I found were mixed reviews of the awesome and terrible times at my most cherished drinking establishment. I was shocked to think that someone out there had such an abhorrent experience that they would dare slander my most sacred of alcoholic altars. So it falls to me to tell the whole truth, and that is that this is a truly wondrous bar!

    The Douglas House Saloon, or more affectionately nicknamed “The Dog House” was built…a very long time ago. That is the end to the history lesson.

    When you enter the Dog the staggering smell of 100 year old popcorn overwhelms anything else you might have smelled coming in. The next thing you might notice is the historical atmosphere, from the paintings on the ceiling to the darkly carved bar and green glass lanterns. You will find that it has some real character. Two of my favorite scenic points within the bar are dead center above the front windows – a nude painting of a woman longingly wishing to come down and drink, and the shelf full of tassels above the bar signifying the Century Club, or rather, a shelf full of tassels of those who took over 10 years to graduate from Michigan Tech.

    The character aside, this bar is also amazing for its bartenders. Despite some rather scathing reviews, the Dog’s bartenders actually do care what you order and are extremely snappy about it, especially if you tip well, or are just good company. Do not go into this bar expecting to get a Mai Tai. This college bar doesn’t do fancy drinks. The Dog is a place to partake in a tall pint of draft or a fish bowl of good booze.

    I always pick the corner table if I can help it. It’s a location I covet because it fits the large group of fraternity brothers that usually join the melee by getting drunk with me. We order our drafts and eat our pickled eggs (which, as a side note, make for some interesting morning after effects when taken with dark beer) and dream of simpler days when all we had to worry about was which bar we were going to drink at next.

    The jukebox starts going, playing none of the crappy music of the 00’s but a better mix of 60’s and 70’s rock. We sway and sing out loud as “Gimme Shelter” by the Rolling Stones comes on, and we all pray silently that “American Pie” won’t be next, as we would be persuaded to drink many more beers. I play the popcorn game by throwing it into the air and happily missing almost every time I try to catch it in my mouth. I consider this adding to the floor decorum.

    When I return, it’s like I never left, even thought the time in between seems to grown longer. I miss you Dog House, place of my favorite college memories and dreams. I will happily partake in your charms soon. Have a tall draft and a pickled egg lined up for me and I will gladly make some new memories.

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  • Bar Profile: Nutini’s Supper Club, Hancock, MI

    If you are ever in the Houghton area, people will recommend plenty of the restaurants and bars in the area that have that great meal or drink. Seldom, and unfortunately, will you ever hear anyone utter the name “Nutini’s” in their recommendations.

    Hidden right under everyone’s nose, Nutini’s Supper Club is a restaurant/bar located in downtown Hancock, Michigan. It is probably Hancock’s best kept secret.

    There really isn’t anything special about Nutini’s, they don’t have a signature dish or a special drink.  But what they do serve is recipes that probably haven’t changed in the past 70 years made by hand from fresh ingredients. From sandwiches to steaks, enchiladas to pizza, they have a variety of food that is above par for most restaurants. They make a fantastic reuben and I have dreams about the philly cheese steak pizza on sour dough.

    Walking through the door into Nutini’s is like walking through a portal directly into the 1950’s. Raised booths with subdued red, overstuffed, faux-leather benches, wood veneer over all the walls, and low lighting except behind the bar all contribute to an overall intimate ambience. Because very few people know about Nutini’s or are unwilling to make the trek from Houghton (a paltry three miles), there is generally not a lot of patrons at any given time and those that are there are generally on a first name basis with each other and the bartender.

    Nutini’s is the kind of place you go with friends to share a pint and a conversation without it getting to loud or having the obnoxious bar hoppers interfering.  In essence, Nutini’s is the perfect local for a permanent resident (or visiting alum).

    Copyright of Drinkmatron.com.  Contact website admin to obtain permission for republication.