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I gingerly bring the glass to my nose, shooting a sideways glance at the discerning coterie around me. I swirl the mahogany-colored liquid, overtaken by the urge to feign wisdom and insight.

Our server, a hulking fellow, hovers beside the umbrella-shaded table awaiting my reaction. He watches me. The table behind him watches me.

"Robust, almost coffeelike, with a spicy finish," I declare and slam the glass down with a triumphant clink. "Perfect with a New York strip."

An approving smile crosses the server's lips. Passing ducks laud my assertion with an explosion of quacks.

As I sit beside the man-made stream on Capital Ale House's Innsbrook patio, it dawns on me. The staggering beer menu at Capital Ale's two locations 77 on tap here, 42 downtown and more than 200 bottles has turned Richmond's barley-and-hops contingent into a force to be reckoned with.

With a third location -- in Midlothian -- coming soon, ale connoisseurs may be surpassing wine fans. Plus, Friday After Work Brews & Blues is set to start tomorrow at the downtown restaurant's music hall, garnishing brown ales with a touch of blues.

Tripels, imperial stouts, lambics -- Capital Ale's options are so diverse it doesn't surprise me that the goal, according to the restaurant's Web site, is to advance "beer culture" -- good beer paired with good food and good conversation.

The menu's tasting notes and food pairing tips take drinking to the next level.

While many beer-focused restaurants don't stray outside pub food, Capital Ale distinguishes itself with thought-out selections. The intention is to use fruity lambics and hoppy ales to craft full-bodied sauces and marinades meant for pairing with the beers served.

Elevating beer to the status of wine (minus the pretense) seems brilliant. However, Capital Ale's edible offerings currently resonate in theory but pale in comparison to their potable counterparts' strong personalities.

Steamed in Belgian wit beer, garlic and herb mussels ($8.99 a pound) had an interesting snappy flavor, but the leftover broth didn't slap us with enough pungency to make use of the stale baguette.

A precarious stack of fried flour tortillas formed the infrastructure of our impressively presented chicken tostada ($8.99), layered with meaty (yet bland) grilled chicken and black beans (described as "spiced" but not so). Instead, all flavor resided in the cilantro-lime cream sauce lavishly splashed on top.

Atlantic salmon ($14.99) and stuffed chicken ($13.99) suffered from competing ingredients. The salmon's German Rauchbier glaze tasted sugary rather than smoky, forcing me to stick to the veggie medley and rice pilaf, both quite tasty.

An overcooked chicken breast provided the battlefield for a war among smoky, tart and cloying. The contending flavors of chorizo, feta and ciderlike Belgian Floris ale sauce were confusing and unappealing.

We discovered a woodsy-spicy surprise in the crab BLT ($10.99), lump meat slathered (perhaps too much so) in blackening spice- and celery salt-spiked aioli and served with applewood-smoked bacon and grilled ciabatta.

Our finale, Irish stout chocolate toffee cheesecake ($5.95), was a respectable slice of lethally dense cheesecake, but the meager smattering of toffee pieces and standard-issue chocolate crust didn't justify the number of adjectives.

Regardless, Capital Ale House is still the Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA of pubs (think 12 ounces of 18 percent alcohol madness for $17) -- ostentatious but worth every penny.

Whether you imbibe in downtown's cozy, bar-centric nook or on the covered patio at Innsbrook's suburban expanse, the beer selections will mystify.

As will the servers. Our waiter must have taken Beer As a Second Language because his well-drunk, er, well-versed knowledge of each option was stunning.

Rogue Hazelnut Brown out? No worries -- he suggested Spaten Optimator, a rich, roasted malt-flavored doppelbock that couldn't have gone better with the cheesecake.

Capital Ale House's dinner menu already outshines that of most pubs. However, if it plans to create said "beer culture," the flavors of its entrees must intoxicate as much as its beer.