Captain Lawrence Cuvee de Castleton

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

Much thanks to hopdog for opening this... After gushing upon the opening, this appears a hazy, flouorescent yellow with a small white head that slowly fades out. Smell is of tart lemon, leather, barnyard funk, grapa, oak, and vanilla. Taste mimics the aromas with an acidic, soapy citrus up front that fades to the mentioned aromas, which are splendid. Mouthfeel is light-medium bodied, tart, and acidic.

Bottle from Eyedrinkale (thanks Mike!). It’s taken me a while to put this rating up...I don’t know what was stopping me. Poured cloudy gold with sizeable white head. Aroma was nothing like I had ever experienced. Sour funk, grapefruit, lemon, and slight oakiness. Flavor was more of the same. Real sour, with citrus and grapefruit dominating the tastebuds. Get a little yeastiness later on and in the finish, which is pretty funky. Palate is pretty lively and refreshing. Well, what can I say that hasn’t already been said. This is a great beer and I wish I could get more.

25 oz bottle, via puzzl. Pours a very cloudy yellowish orange body with a very fizzy bright white head. Kinda reminds me of a mamosa with the champagne like carbonation visible. The nose is tart apples and fruitiness with an undercurrent of brett and sweet-tarts. Not quite a Flemish Sour, not quite a Gueuze. Lemon rind, apricot, raw oak, and a little grapefruit. The flavor is as sharp as a razor, with biting acidic lemons and lime zest. Kinda reminds me of taking a shot of tequila with the salt and lemon. Brett derived funk and musty finish is reminiscent of a gueuze. I don’t get too much oak, but there is some mid swallow before the finish washes it away. The muscat grapes leave their presence known as well. There’s alot going on here that you can pick out as specifics, but the real beauty is how they all meld together, that is much harder to describe. Mouthfeel is pretty full despite the obvious high level of attenuation. Even though it’s tart, acidic, and dry, there’s a stickiness that makes the acidity linger in the mouth. While the carbonation was very fizzy and prickly at first, it really blew off alot of it as it sat, maybe compounded by the Duvel glass? Overall, quite an odd result to this experiment. I gotta say that I like it, but i don’t all-out love it. Very glad to have the chance to try it though, and I’d gladly try anything else from these guys.

Bottle. Pours a cloudy/hazy white body with a small white head. The aroma is wicked - quite tart, lemon, grapefruit, apricot, pickles, and oak. Pleasant carbonation that quenches accompanied by a slick flavour profile. Plenty of fruit tartness though there is a little bit of sweetness wafting through at times. Awesome.

Batch 1 bottle, with major appreciation to john_adam2002 for this rare beauty (THANKS Adam). Pours a lively pineapple juice color with a fizzy white head that dissipates to a thin ring; a few minor floaties and minimal lacing. Aroma of sour grape, lemon zest, pineapple, grapefruit juice, and some slight oakiness and yeasty mustiness. Delivers the flavor nicely in a very complimentary way - more sour grape, grapefruit, lemon zest, a touch of yeastiness, and just enough sweet and sour to make it work well together. Palate is light and lively; almost champagne like in some ways, with a gentle and subtle sourness that works with near perfection. A very well done and unique creation!

Backlogged rating...shared by my brother, Black95tt. The beer pours a very effervescent yellow with lots of carbonation. It exploded from the bottle when poured. This beer has a wonderful aroma full of grapes, lemony citrus, and even some zestiness and spice. All of which meld very well with the oak and wine nose that comes through...and then all kicked in the face with the brett aroma that makes its presence very well known but all the while very welcome and enjoyable in the beer. The flavors of this beer are where the beer somewhat falls short...it is still good but no where near what I was expecting after falling in love with the aroma of this beer. The flavor is a nice sweet and sour mix of lemon mixed with a nice dryness from the wine oak barrel. And while it is nice it is somewhat one dimensional and doesnt see much change throughout the beer, and there is just not as much complexity as I was hoping for. Still a very good beer, and I am very happy I got the chance to try it.

Courtesy of artusory

Bottle: the aroma has a big bretty nose of sour lemon, apple, sour grapes, and faint ammonia. It pours a cloudy dull yellow with a minimal white head. The flavor starts with a big lemon sourness, almost lemonade-ish. The finish is acidic with some very faint woodiness. Not nearly as complex as many Flemish Sours. Regardless, it’s still very tastey.

RBSG 07. A cloudy yellow pour with light white head. A very light citrus aroma wiht hints of spices and yeast. A very good sour that seems to clean your palate as it washes across your mouth. Very good mouthfeel and carbonation that is excellent for the style. Not much more I can say about this baby except that is one of the more complex beers aroma and flavor that I’ve had. excellent.