Trip to Capone's

It's been quite a while since my wife and I had been to Capone's and since we were heading up to the area, we figured a stop was in order. It was even Jo's idea! Lucky me. My usual course of action is to start with a sampler, but there was a beer on draft from East End, from out in Pittsburgh and since it's really rare here in Philly I had to start with that.

Smelled a bit like orange juice. Very citrusy hops with zero bitterness. Tasted like it smelled. Orange juice, slight bitterness with some more in the finish. Never unpleasantly bitter though. Really enjoyable double IPA, very tasty. It was somehow not super malty without being super dry and bitter which was really nice.

After that I couldn't make a decision so I got a sampler of four different beers: Ithaca Dark Humor, De Proef / Allagash Les Deux Brasseurs, Southern Tier Choklat, and Breckenridge 72.

The Dark Humor was a porter spiked with brett. I smelled sour cream in the nose, Jo got grass. Either way, very odd aroma. Sourness up front on the first sip, very creamy. Some hints of the roast from the porter, but overwhelmed by the tanginess. While I enjoyed the small sample, the sourness would have been too much in a full glass.

Les Deux Brasseurs was a Belgian Strong Pale ale and quite delicious. Hint of funkiness in the nose with a hint of Belgian notes. Thicker mouthfeel than I expected. Slightly fruit with a tiny bit of funkiness. Very drinkable and really tasty. One of the better versions of the style I've had.

Next was the Choklat. This was super disappointing compared to the last time I had it. Big chocolate milk nose. Jo tasted it first and thought it tasted like chocolate milk cough syrup. Not a ringing endorsement. I got chocolate, some hints of dark fruit, then more chocolate. Sounds like it should be pleasant, but the chocolate was just sort of unpleasant and fake tasting for some reason. Really overly sweet too. Oh well.

Last was the Breckenridge 72, an imperial chocolate cream stout. Very slight roast in the nose. Smooth body. Some chocolate, a nice creaminess, and some roast and chocolate in the finish. Very drinkable. Because it was the last I drank in the sampler, the flavors in this were slightly muted, but in a full glass I bet it would have tasted a bit richer.

Good visit as usual to Capone's. Good beer, decent food, and pleasant staff. The samplers are always good for me since I can't make decisions. Plus, it lets you try things like Dark Humor which would probably have been a bit much in a full glass. Of course, I hit the bottle shop after lunch and bought something even though I told Jo I wouldn't. Ah well, she should know better by now.