Captain Lawrence Cuvee de Castleton

Brewed by Captain Lawrence Brewing Company
Style: Sour Ale
Pleasantville, New York USA

Bottle. Cloudy yellow with a thin white head. Poor retention and lacing. Aroma is amazing and very complex. An interesting mix of wine and beer. There is Riesling, Gewurztraminer, star fruit, grapefruit, pear, pineapple, sourness, oak, alcohol, lemon, spices and malt. Flavor is similar to the aroma with fruit salad syrup and warming alcohol. Full body. Not something I would have everyday, but a very interesting experience. The more beers I try, the harder it is to be surprised and amazed by a beer. This one did it for sure!

Bottle: Poured a cloudy dirty yellow color ale with a very small bubbly head with no retention or lacing. Aroma is quite complex with loads of musky white wine notes with some funky barnyard notes and a light oak and tart finish. Taste is very much complex with again some musky white wines notes with definitive Brett notes though not as much as expected and some tart finish with hints of oaks. I was expecting more sour character but still very much enjoy the final product. Body is full with limited filtration and not much carbonation with alcohol being very well hidden. Great experience and while not being an everyday kind of beer it is surely something I would wish to have more often.

Batch #2 bottle thanks to glouglouburp!
Hazy semi-opaque gold, small bubbly white head that’s gone, and once its gone, it looks like piss. Really complex nose: sour grape and lemon, earthy, dusty, slightly stinky brett, and sweeter elements in pale, biscuity malt that are reminiscent of belgian ales. Even more tart flavor, which unfortunately washes out some of the complexity in the nose. More malt, some spice, a hint of barny brett, Very dry, only lightly carbonated, long grape and lemon finish. Really laid back sour, which allows a lot of elements to coexist. If only the flavor weren’t so citric heavy. Still, a superb nose and palate make this special.

Smells sour, lemon and apple. Pours yellow with white head. Taste is very appley, hint of vanilla sweetness, but really sour, Its also earthy, tastes like the woods.

Bottle of batch 2 at PilsnerPeter’s Spring Gathering. Pours a hazy golden straw yellow with a thin white head. Smells lovely with a nice brett funk and some clean candied citrus aromas. Thin to medium bodied. Crisp citrus acidity. Delicious. I’m eager for the next release this summer.

Bottle of the Batch #2. Opens with a gusher. Pours with a huge head that quickly dissipates. Lemony, vanilla-y, lightly spiced aroma. Quite tart flavor with high carbonation evident in the mouthfeel. This would probably benefit from a couple more years in the bottle. Very good beer.

750ml. bottle. This one was a gusher. Poured a light yellow tan with an immense white head that lasted only seconds. Winy, sour aroma with a pleasant hint of oak. The flavor is very complex, with grape skins, key lime, buttery oak, sour green apple, and a hint of bready yeast. The finish is crisp and sour but not overpowering. I wish that there had been less carbonation as I thought it got in the way of this brew’s incredible flavor and overall experience. Overall I was a bit disappointed, but it still is one delicious beer.

Bottle 75cl.
[ As my Ratebeer rating #8000 ]. Clear sparkling medium to dark yellow color with a average, frothy - fizzy, fair lacing, mostly diminishing, white to off-white head. Aroma is acidic fruity - flowers - spicy, elderflower, grape (muskat grape), white wine, oak, citrus, very complex and nice aroma. Flavor is heavy sweet, acidc and sour - tart with a long duration, and a sour dry dry finish. Body is medium, texture is watery to oily, carbonation is soft to lively. This one is very nice ;O)) [20090116]