Bar: Capital Ale House
Location:
Rated By:
Musselman
Johnny
Travis
Mike
Reggie
Jeremy
When you think of bars and beer in the
Fredericksburg area, there’s more than a fair chance that your first thought is
“Capital Ale House”.
Cap Ale, as it is affectionately known, is located
in the heart of old town Fredericksburg. The front of the bar has 2 large
windows, on either side of the door, with large tables in front of them. When
the weather is nice, the windows are open, which is a plus. The ginormous bar
is on the right after you walk in, and runs almost the full length of the room.
Halfway down, booths line the wall on the left. Walking past the bar leads you
into a room with large booths in the middle of the floor, and smaller booths
lining the walls. At the back of the restaurant is a third room, with
bar-height tables and chairs. The basement houses 2 rooms, both reserved for
special events and large parties.
Two TVs are on the wall behind the bar, and 3 are
on the wall in the back room, along with some dart boards, but the TVs aren’t
the main attraction. This isn’t a “sports bar”.
The patrons of Cap Ale are generally there for one
reason – to drink a large variety of beer with people who like to drink beer.
On a Friday or Saturday night, the place can be crowded and loud, but it’s rare
to encounter people looking for a fight, or looking to get rowdy.
Selection/Variety
Pros
- The best in Fredericksburg
- 60 taps, just as many bottles and cans
- Full selection of wine and liquor as well
- On a bad night, there is still more beer on tap than any other location in the area
- They have their ear to the ground about what people want and introduce new beers
- From week to week, taps can be completely different
- The bartenders are knowledgeable about beer and what you should like; when they get to know you, they are able to recommend beers for you based on what you like
- Can’t go any other bar in the area that has the variety of Cap Ale
- They like to cater to the local breweries
- If you’re there for beer, you should sit at the bar, as the bartenders are more knowledgeable about what is available and what you would probably like
- The menu is never accurate
- You need to have at least 3 beers queued up that you want, because it’s common enough that at least 2 on your list are not available
- A digital menu or a chalkboard to keep the "on tap" list up to date would be a great idea
- They have checkboxes on the paper beer menu for indicating which beer is kicked, but when you look at two side by side, they don't match up
- We go there frequently, and almost every time we go, there are beers that are listed as available on the menu, but they aren't
Atmosphere
Pros
- People go there to drink good beer, so there’s good company
- If you sit at the bar, you’ll be around fellow beer fans
- People at the bar will talk to you and give you recommendations
- No loud music and the TVs are pretty much on music
- Bar is massive, so there’s plenty of room to sit there
- Ice chill strip on the edge of the bar to keep your glass cold
- That middle room, when packed, the volume gets very loud, especially on burger night
- Puke smell by the taps – it’s the runoff and yeast from the tap drain, but it very clearly has a very pungent smell
Location
Pros
- You can’t find a better location downtown
- Cap Ale is the landmark people use to get to other locations
- Within a block of the free lot
- Use the parking garage on a busy night
- None
Service/Staff
Pros
- Bartenders are super knowledgeable
- The bartenders, other than the selection, are the best thing that Cap Ale has going for them
- The staff is friendly and professional
- There’s a lot of staff, with a good rotation with new faces
- There are issues with getting a hostess late at night
- If you hit the location between the dinner time and the “get drunk” late night spot, you can sit down and not get any service for an hour or so
- Bar doesn’t always seem to communicate with the wait staff as to what is available
- Burger night can get a little bit slower and more hectic, but it’s acceptable
Prices
Pros
- If you come in expecting the prices, then they’re fair
- You get what you pay for – the beers are high quality and you’re paying for it
- Go to NoVa and drink for a night – you’ll be way more okay with the prices
- People expecting Bud Light prices will not be happy
- Special, limited beers are marked up quite substantially
Events/Entertainment
Pros
- Tap takeovers and steal the glass night
- Oktoberfest every year
- Darts boards at the back
- No live music or entertainment
- Oktoberfest can be a massive cluster of mess and bodies and expensive beers
Happy Hour/Specials
Pros
- $2 off large beer, $1 off small beer – ANY draft beer
- $3 off cocktails, $2 off wine, $1 off highballs
- $2 burger night Mondays, side of fries is $1 off
- You get a full sized, fresh burger
- Thursdays are all you can eat mussels for $16
- 2 different sauces
- Thursday is discounts on growler fills
- Sunday nights discounted appetizers from 9-1
Food
Pros
- They have the full menu all night long
- The 4 mayo flavors they have for the French fries are phenomenal
- Burgers are priced fairly, and you get a good burger for the price
- You’re not there for the food; you’re there for the beer, the food is just there as extra
- "Dat carrot cake doe"
- Appetizers are priced fairly high – none are cheaper than $8
- Dishes on the entrees menu are overpriced, especially for what you get
Overall
- Travis – 8
- Johnny – 8
- Musselman – 8.5
- Reggie – 8.5 “They’ve got beer”
- Mike – 8.1
- Crist – 8
