Captain Lawrence IPA

In a beer trade with my friend Tim, I received a bottle of the new Captain Lawrence IPA. The beer pours a golden color with a lofty and frothy white colored head that leaves a few specks of lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of tangerine, pineapple, grapefruit, passion fruit, and plenty of orange. The taste is bitter and hop-forward with plenty of citrus flavors including passion fruit, pineapple, orange, tangerine, and grapefruit. A spicy pepper and pine flavor comes out and mixes with the carbonation, drying the finish. The alcohol content is not available online, but I would estimate it to be about 6.5% ABV. This was a really fresh and fruitful IPA that push home the citrus and not just the typical tangerine and grapefruit but rather pineapple and passion fruit. It was really delicious, and I recommend trying it.

Captain Lawrence Barrel Select Golden Sour

As part of a trade with Tim Dean, I received a bottle of Captain Lawrence Barrel Select Golden Sour. The beer pours a golden color with a bubbly white colored head that quickly dissipates with a fizzing sound. The aroma consists of vinegar, lemon, tartness, hay, barnyard funk, and horse blanket. The taste is puckering and tart with lemon and vinegar on the front end. Some hay and barnyard funk take over the tongue with just a hint of sugary sweetness. The alcohol content is 7.0% ABV. This was a well received and nicely tart beer that packs a heck of a pucker to it. It tastes like being in a barn and make you pay, but it is very enjoyable.

Captain Lawrence Golden Delicious

As part of a trade with Tim Dean from New York, I received a bottle of Captain Lawrence Golden Delicious, a beer very similar to my wedding beer. The beer pours a golden color with a lofty and frothy white colored head that almost leaps out of the glass. The aroma consists of banana, grass, apple, alcohol, and brandy. The taste is bold with lots of apple brandy on the front end that really attacks the mouth. The background flavors are from the triple and consist of banana and grass, with some apple accents. A dry and alcohol fueled finish dries the mouth with some oak accents and a light pepper spice. The alcohol content is 12.0% ABV. This triple is entirely infused with apple brandy flavor, and it was more than enjoyable on the palate. It was spicy and boozy, but had a very solid backbone as well.

Captain Lawrence Barrel Select Mother Barrel

As part of a beer trade with my friend Tim, I received a bottle of Captain Lawrence Barrel Select Mother Barrel. The beer pours a black color with a thin bubbly tan colored head. The aroma consists of chocolate, toasted malts, vinegar, cherry, and oak. The taste is puckering and tart, lots of vinegar, cherry and tartness abound. There is a little bit of chocolate and toasted malt in the background. The alcohol content is 10.0% ABV. This beer has a wonderful mouth pucker from the tart cherry and vinegar flavors but also had enough of a base to withstand it.

Captain Lawrence Hops 'N Roses

In a beer trade with my buddy Tim, I received a bottle of Captain Lawrence Hops N’ Roses. The beer pours a red tinted amber color with a thin bubbly white colored head. The aroma consists of rose, tart cherry, oak, and hibiscus. The taste is interesting, to say the least, with plenty of rose petals and hibiscus flavors on the front end. Some tart cherry and strawberry flavors make up the background with a light vinegar pucker. The finish has an early flavor that is very floral. The alcohol content is not available online, but I would assume it to be between 5 and 6% ABV. This was a slightly different beer to get used to, but it was quite flavorful and delicious. The nice sourness provided a great pairing with the floral aspects.

Captain Lawrence Brown Ale

Another growler that my buddy Tim bought for me at the Captain Lawrence brewery was the Brown Ale. The beer pours a brown color with a frothy off-white colored head with some lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of chocolate, toasted malts, vanilla, caramel, and brown sugar. The taste is smooth and lightly dry with brown sugar, caramel, and chocolate malt flavors. It finishes with a toast flavor and light grassy hops. The aftertaste leaves behind vanilla, yet is pretty dry. The alcohol content is 4.8% ABV. This is a solid performer in the brown ale category and has a nice roasty flavor with great chocolate accents.

Captain Lawrence Ginger Man Ale

I ordered a taster glass of Captain Lawrence Ginger Man Ale in the tasting room at the brewery. This beer was brewed for The Ginger Man in New York City as the house beer, a bar that I enjoyed when I visited in the past. The beer pours an amber color with a thin bubbly white head. The aroma consists of ginger, white pepper, and caramel. The taste is slightly dry with pepper and ginger on the front end. Grass comes out as well on the finish with a slight caramel sweetness. The alcohol content is 5.75% ABV. I would compare this beer to a saison with a heavier body. More specifically, it seemed to taste like Saison du Buff with ginger added.

Captain Lawrence Fresh Chester Pale Ale

My buddy Tim bought me a growler of Captain Lawrence Fresh Chester Pale Ale from the brewery when I went with him on a visit to New York. The beer pours an amber color with a frothy off-white colored head that lingers for a short time and leaves a bit of lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of fresh grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, passion fruit, and grass. The taste is light bodied with a nice caramel backbone before plenty of fresh tasting hops hammer the tongue. They leave behind a bitterness consisting of lemon, grapefruit, and tangerine. The alcohol content is 5.6% ABV. This is a wonderful pale ale and an excellent example of the style. If you can get your hands on a bottle or growler of this beer, do not pass on the opportunity.

Captain Lawrence Barrel Select Series Black

I received a bottle of Captain Lawrence Barrel Select Series Black from my buddy Tim in a beer trade. The beer pours dark brown color with a bubbly beige colored head. The aroma consists of cherry, light tartness, a hint of vinegar, chocolate, and a bit of toasted malts. The taste is tart with cherry right on the front end and plenty of vinegar. This works well with the toasted malt and chocolate base that the beer is built with, and nothing is overpowering the other. The alcohol content is 10.0% ABV. I thoroughly enjoyed this beer, with the sour cherry flavor playing very well with the chocolate and toasted malt base. It incorporated almost everything that I love about beer, and I would love to have another one.

Captain Lawrence Pleasantville Smoked Porter

My buddy Tim picked me up a growler of Captain Lawrence Pleasantville Smoked Porter from the brewery. The beer pours a black color with a beautiful, frothy, tan colored head that leaves some lacing on the glass. When I say the head looked beautiful, I cannot under-state that. The aroma consists of full of smoke, bacon, chocolate, caramel, and toasted malts. The taste is dry and smoky with a perfect touch of campfire, hints of bacon, and a solid toasted malts base. There is a great chocolate backbone to support this beer, and a touch of vanilla on the finish. The alcohol content is 6.4% ABV. The beer puts smoke into the focus, and is not over done in any way. It is similar to sitting in front of a campfire, and it also brings back great memories.

Captain Lawrence Cuvee de Castleton

I received a bottle of Captain Lawrence Cuvee de Castleton from my buddy Tim in a beer trade. The beer pours a faintly orange-tinted amber color with a thin bubbly clear head that does not last very long. The aroma consists of vinegar, lemon, barnyard funk, horse blanket, grass, and hay. The taste is puckering and sour with plenty on vinegar on the front end accompanied with lots of bitter lemon flavors. As with the aroma, there is horse blanket, hay, and grass in there as well. The finish has an oak dryness with a grape flavor. The alcohol content is 8.0% ABV. This beer is the epitome of sour beers and is perfect for the cuvee style. I loved the wild taste and flavors, reminding me of a stroll through the Amish farmlands of Central Pennsylvania.

Captain Lawrence Drew's Brew

The final growler my buddy Tim got for me in a beer trade was Captain Lawrence Drew’s Brew. The beer pours a golden color with a frothy white head that leaves some lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of tangerine, grapefruit, bitter citrus, orange, and lemon. The taste is light bodied and very focused on bitter citrus hops. There is plenty of grapefruit, tangerine, orange, and lemon in there, but there is a pinch of sugar that balances it out. The finish has a hint of caramel before pepper and pine take over the side of the mouth and pinch the back of the throat. The alcohol content is 8.0% ABV. This was quite a wonderful beer with plenty of bitter flavors, but just enough sweetness to make it easily drinkable.

Captain Lawrence Espresso Stout

Another growler my buddy Tim gave me in a beer trade was the Captain Lawrence Espresso Stout. The beer pours a black color with a frothy tan head that fades rather rapidly. The aroma consists of chocolate, espresso, coffee, vanilla, and toasted malts. The taste is dry and bitter with plenty of dark chocolate taking the focus. A dry coffee and espresso flavor takes over the mouth on the finish, and a touch of vanilla sweetness rounds out the flavor. The alcohol content is 6.0% ABV. I rather enjoyed this stout with its power coffee and espresso punch. It definitely focuses on the dry flavors, especially the dark chocolate flavors.

Captain Lawrence Family Meal #1

My buddy Tim gave me a growler of Captain Lawrence Family Meal #1 as part of a beer trade. The beer pours a a golden color with a frothy white head with a little bit of lacing left on the glass. The aroma consists of light caramel malts and has hints of cinnamon and ginger. The taste is light on the tongue with a bit of caramel before lots of spices take focus. There is cinnamon, cardamon, ginger, and cloves. The alcohol content is approximately 6.5% ABV according to Captain Lawrence. This was a nice light drinking beer with plenty of winter-y spices. Therefore, it went down easy, but warmed up the soul on a cold night.

Captain Lawrence Xtra Gold Tripel

I brought a bottle of Captain Lawrence Xtra Gold Tripel to a 4th of July cookout to share with friends. The beer pours a golden color with a bubbly white head. The aroma consists of banana, pepper, yeast, and plantains. The taste is sweet and smooth with lots of banana and pepper all on a yeasty base. There is a biscuit flavor with some tangerine and grapefruit citrus accents before a dry and peppery finish hits. Some plantains come out in the after taste. The alcohol content is 10.0% ABV. This was a great triple with some wonderful citrusy accents not always found in tripels. All in all, another hit for Captain Lawrence.

Captain Lawrence Birra DeCicco Limone Luppolo

I received a bottle of Captain Lawrence Birra DeCicco Limone Luppolo from my buddy Tim as part of a beer trade. The beer pours a golden color with a foamy white head that laces nicely to the glass. The aroma consists of lemon, pine, spruce, grass, wheat, pepper, and tangerine. The taste is smooth and lemony at first before the grassy hops come out to play. The finish is filled with pepper, pine, and spruce. The after taste leaves a peppery taste in the back corners of the mouth and dries the tongue. The alcohol content is 6.0% ABV. I liked the overall flavor of this beer, from sweet lemon to dry grassy and piny hops. But the best part is the peppery after taste that hangs around for a few minutes.

Captain Lawrence Smoke From the Oak Imperial Smoked Porter Aged in Rum Barrels

As part of a beer trade, I received a bottle of Captain Lawrence Smoke From the Oak Imperial Smoked Porter Aged in Rum Barrels. The beer pours a black color with a bubbly tan head, but it was much more fizzy and lofty than the Apple Brandy barrel aged beer. The aroma consists of sweet rum right on the front end, chocolate, vanilla, oak, and toasted malts. The taste is smooth and creamy on the mouth with lots of chocolate on the front end, vanilla, and toasted malts. The sweetness gives way to a dry and bitey oak and rum flavors. The finish brings out the alcohol warmth and dries out the mouth a little bit. The alcohol content is 12.0% ABV. If you are look for a beer where the alcohol accent is more complimentary and does not take over, the rum barreled aged beer is for you. It is wonderfully smooth and easy drinking with just enough warmth.

Captain Lawrence Smoke From the Oak Imperial Smoked Porter Aged in Apple Brandy Bottles

As part of a beer trade, I received a bottle of Captain Lawrence Smoke From the Oak Imperial Smoked Porter Aged in Apple Brandy Barrels. The beer pours a black color with a bubbly tan head. The aroma consists of peat, oak, brandy, lots of smoke, toasted malts, and apple. The taste is bold and dry with plenty of smoke right on the front end. An apple sweetens accompanies toasted malts, chocolate, and caramel. The finish emphasizes the smoke again with some oak, vanilla, and peat. The after taste has a brandy dryness that lingers, warms, and dries the tongue. The alcohol content is 12.0% ABV. The intense flavors that come from the apple brandy barrels make this beer extremely enjoyable, but you must be a brandy fan as well, or this could be a bit intense.

Captain Lawrence St. Vincent's Dubbel

My buddy Tim came to visit from New York, and he brought a growler of Captain Lawrence St. Vincent’s Dubbel with him. The beer pours a dark amber color with a thin filmy off-white head. The aroma is sweet with raisin, malts, and caramel. The taste is smooth and rounded with lots of malts present and raisins galore. There is slight spicy accent with some cinnamon all built upon a caramel base. The finish brings out a grassy hop accent. The alcohol content is 8.0% ABV. This was a wonderfully accented beer with the spices, and had a solid foundation of caramel, malts, and raisin.

Captain Lawrence Rosso e Marrone Batch 3

I received a bottle of Captain Lawrence Rosso e Marrone Batch 3 from my friend Tim in a beer trade. The beer pours a reddish-tinted amber color (with the yeast addition it looks like apple cider) with absolutely no head. The aroma consists of lots of vinegar, sour cherries, grape, Belgian yeast, and oak. The taste is very puckering and sour with plenty of sour cherry and vinegar on the front end. The grapes sweeten out the finish with hints of sour apple and oak dries out the after taste. The alcohol content is not available online, but I would estimate it to be around 6.0% ABV. Once the initial pucker of this beer is gone, it is overly enjoyable and not too intense. However, it does keep you on your toes with the grapes and sour cherry playing very well together.