Old Dominion Brewing Co. Archives

Baltic Porter

Dec 12, 2009

12 oz single at Hop City, Atlanta, GA, USA. Chestnut brown pour, mocha head and looks solid and sticky. Nose is a roasted malt combo with some light vanilla and a touch of sour lactose. Tases are solid, but perhaps the weakest part of the beer. Lacks punch for me, even though it sits squarely in the style. I'm a little confused with the relatively light feel and shallow depth. I dunno, quite nice but ultimately feels somewhat lacking in some way. Can't really put my finger on it but it leaves...

Dominion Octoberfest

Oct 2, 2009

Different presentation than the BA db picture for the 2009 version (and perhaps even before that), $1.79 for the single from Total Wine, Perimeter, Atlanta, GA, USA. Pour is a rather murky, dark orange affair with a well formed, tight head that is somewhat small. Doesn't seem very lively. Looks a little ordinary. Lace and (and especially) retention are well below average. Disappointed with the lack of clarity and brightness to the beer. Nose gives up some dryish smelling malts. A little...

Old Dominion Spring Buck

Apr 25, 2009

12 oz single from Total Wine on Barrett Parkway, Kennesaw, GA, USA. Poured into the Sweetwater Pils glass, the beer pours a noticeable yellow color and looks quite viscous. There seems to be a highish level of carbonation too. Head is creamy, dense and provides some nice lace. Very prominent orange and honey notes in the nose and taste. I get quite a syrupy mouthfeel which for me is at odds with the light taste of the beer and it all sits a little oddly. It's strange because the alcohol is not...

Dominion Lager

Apr 12, 2008

16oz pour, Taco Mac, Douglasville, GA, USA. $4.25. Seems like a macro lager in micro clothing. Light, golden color with a disappointing head and lace. Distinct lack of head and lace, and an odd "plasticy" type aftertaste for me. Seemed to have a grainy alcoholic, weirdness to it. Not at all sure that I would be able to distinguish between this and several macro adjunts - rather poor.

Winter Brew 2005

Mar 6, 2006

Bottled 11/17/05. Pours a deep, dark orange with good clarity but a nice head and some very nice lacing. Dry hop nose with citrus undertones. This is a hoppy beer, but there is a real malt presence that helps balance that out. Despite that, it is still pretty bitter, with a long dry finish and a sharp grapefruit edge in the aftertaste. Round and soft in the mouth which belies the final bite! Definitely has the American edge to the style, with a West Coast hop feel for me. A little sharp to...

Dominion Oak Barrel Stout

Jul 18, 2005

Apparently black body with a small tan head and a little lacing. On holding to strong light some dark ruby red highlights come through. A little smokiness in the aroma, but the taste is sweet with the vanilla just pushing through a little. The combination of sweet vanilla and the oak smokiness make this a stout with a really good body, but at the same time quite light. As a result its drinkability is pretty high. Nice lingering , balanced sweet and bitter finish. Nice example, slightly...

Spring Brew 2005

Jun 19, 2005

Double Pilsner?? What's that? All I know is this a very hoppy beer to be considered still in the Pilsner category. Oh well, I guess it doesn't really matter. Golden pour with a slightly disappointing lack of head, but some lacing. Very little aroma, but this may be my inability to pick it up. Tastes are definite hop-based bitterness with a distinct lack of malt backbone. This has alcohol up front and all the way through and finishes as bitter as it started. A nice, beer with strength of...

Dominion Millennium Ale

Jun 11, 2005

Barleywines walk a fine line with me. The combination of the sticky sweetness and the alcohol really needs to strike the right balance to pull it off, and it's very easy for a BW to fall out of favor with me if one of the two dominates too much. I think they are a difficult style to make work well. Disappointing looking beer with a dank, light brown appearance that looks murky and fairly unattractive. No head to speak of. Far too sweet for me. Viscous sugar is just about all I get with a very...

Dominion Ale

Jun 7, 2005

04/08 === A lot more drinkable on draught - $4.25 for the 16oz pour at Taco Mac, Douglasville, GA, USA. Thin, pale color with some lace, but the head is very wispy and has no depth. Simple, light caramel sweetness and refreshing. Not much to report here, but significantly better on tap han in the bottle for me. Original Review 06/05 === I didn't care for this much. Elaborate description of the beer on the rear label - I like that, but it compared itself to Bass that I think is a stretch. Hazy...

New River Pale Ale

Jun 6, 2005

Very nice pour with a crystal clear, golden appearance and an impressively large, billowing white head. Aroma is immensely hoppy, but the beer drinks much less hopped than the smell would suggest. Clean on the palate, with some citrus notes, but not overwhelming. The aroma says IPA, the taste just Pale Ale. Very clean and refreshing, a very good intro/cross over beer with potential to be a great stand-by for the fridge.

Winter Brew 2004

Jan 29, 2005

Dark, Porter like appearance, with a very strong alcohol taste. No head, a flat coca-cola like appearance. The aroma is all alcohol and so are the initial tastes. I found this fairly abrasive with no smoothing out of the alcohol and as a result it was not very drinkable. Some acidity in the mouth too. The alcohol was very porly masked and any subtlety that was supposed to be there in terms of hops or malt was lost on me. Definite lack of smoothness. Not a very good beer. Perhaps I was thinking...