Captain Lawrence Cuvee de Castleton

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

Poured cloudy, with small head. This is one wild and crazy, yet absolutely wonderful brew. Citrusy and grapes up front, but a very Cantillonish punch to the jaws. Body was light and refreshing and very drinkable. Every aspect of this was great.

Cloudy, opaque golden pour covered by a quickly departing white foam. That was an original and most interesting ale in the mold of Petrus aged pale. It attacks straight on with pungent lemon and attenuated fruit acids. Sharp and vibrant acidity feels vinous enough, but the woodiness remains understated. I could not find it a particularly complex or deep profile, its yeast remains too easy-going while its sourness is strong enough to overwhelm some of its layers + the finish is pure citric acid, astringent and perhaps not as sustained as some. Extraordinary, this is granted, but the suppleness might yet be improved in the rough finish as the introduction – a sugary, fleshy, nuanced botrytis-like nose was glorious. I certainly do love how the sweetness and acidity rely on each other, up until the very end when the sweetness has given up – especially under that rather hard regimen imposed by the intense carbonation.

Huge thanks to Dickinsonbeer for the hook-up!! Poured a cloudy darker straw colored body with a small white head. Lively aroma with notes of sour grapes, pineapple, and citrus. Flavor was outstanding. Started with a crisp lemon and pineapple sweetness followed by an attack of sour grapes and citrusy sugars. Def’n one of the best sours I’ve had to date.

In short: Intensely sour and tart wild funky ale. Amazing stuff.
How: Montreal-crew sour beer tasting session. Bottle that I acquired in person from Dickinsonbeer (a million thanks from me and the Montreal crew Paul !!), first batch, 6 months old
The look: cloudy dark yellow body with almost no head
In long: Nose is complex and intense with funky tropical fruits and strong acidic notes. The funky character of this one is quite something. No really bretty-like funky, not really lambic-like funky, but somewhere between the two. Needless to say this is one for the wild beers lovers. Fruity flavours include lemons, grapefruit and peach but no grapes although it is the one fruit used to make the beer. No barrel/woody flavour either. Magic happened with those grapes inside those barrels and end-result is intensely acidic/sour/tart yet highly drinkable in large quantities. Oh man! This beer made me happier than Dick Cheney when gas hit $80/barrel.

Bottle RBSG 07. Hazy yellow pour with a white head. Aroma of lemon, brett/sour, light funk, pale malts and tart fruits. Flavors of brett.sour, vinous fruits, a bit of tomato plant, lemon/lemon zest and light funk. Light body with a solid amount of carbonation, fresh green/sour, with a dry sour finish. Fantastic beer.

Finally got to try this highly hyped Beer, apparently it took quite some effort for my good friend Glouglouburp to secure a bottle.

Lemonade colored with just about no head, it turned a bit more orangey and opaque when I got a refill.
Lavander and litchi fruit, the kind you usually find in a nice dessert white wine - I’ve seen it in ice cider as well - but with a interesting horseblanket backdrop that is just enough to please lambic lovers without scaring off those who don’t.
Fabulously intense acidity, almost lime-like with a bit of mandarine oranges. The carbonation levels and flavor reminds me of Federweisser, a partially fermented white wine served in the Franconian region. Lots of lemon rind twang that dries up the back of your tongue. Wine geeks would wet their panties over this one, it really didn’t dissapoint.

Bottle at the RBSG grand tasting on 6/23/07: Pours a hazy pale golden with a frothy, nicely-lacing white head. Semi-sweet lemon drop funky tart aroma is very unique with some floral grassy complexity. Body starts fairly full with a nice lemony sweetness and pale malty sugar, balanced with a touch of bretty funk and leather. Tastes like lemon drops. NIce complexity and enjoyable sweet-tart balance. Very unique and full bodied for the style.

My Bottom Line:
Tropical fruit flourish from the salient sourness in this expertly-crafted and compelling Sour Ale.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A ring of foam surrounds the cloudy blond.
-The very complex fruitiness develops pineapples, litchis, green apples, and the white grape character is delicate.
-The soft prickliness and perfectly-sculpted body make for a smashing mouthfeel.
-The tartness is lengthy and gripping, yet doesn’t exaggerate.
-The white grape character is not as obvious in this one as it is in Russian River’s Depuration, but this Castleton seemed more harmonious throughout and was simply more enticing.

Bottle; Batch #1.