Captain Lawrence Cuvee de Castleton

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

Bottle courtesy of MaltOMeal. Banana hazy yellow. Armpit sour smell. Has some elements of sadness that bring it back to reality. Taste is sour to the max. Flavor evens out and turns nice however, it remains a little rough.

Bottled sample via and shared with oakbluff. Batch 2. Clear gold in colour with medium spritzy carbonation. Aromas are of funk, white grapes, sour apple, and spicy yeast. Tart white grapes are upfront in the mouth, along with pilsner malts, granny smith apple, christmas spices, and wooden barrel. Medium bodied, in spite of all of the sour. Not quite as dry or as barnyard like as a European sour, but very enjoyable nonetheless.

GABF 2009. Pours clear yellow with an average, frothy white head, mostly lasting with good lacing. Aroma is average malt (bread, cookie, cereal), light (grass), average yeast (earth) with notes of grape, green apple, and pear. Medium bodied, slick texture, lively carbonation, and a sour finish. Long duration, light sweetness, heavy acidity and sourness.

Shared by Corby at the CCB BB Big Sound release. Pours a hazy light gold with a small fizzy head. Nose is big sour apple and grape but lacks the complexity of some of the best sours. Some nice cider like grape skin aroma appears as it warms. Slight puckering sour up front but opens up nicely and is nicely balanced between tart and sweet. Finishes light sour with a nice aftertaste of fresh grape skins. This is really nice but I think it needs some age. This was the new batch.

GABF ’09. Hazy light yellow gold with a thin, loose white head. Fresh sour aroma with an aromatic grape skin edge and a soft sweet fruitiness. Flavor is bright and tart with delicate malt underpinnings, a touch of sweet-tart fruit, and a wonderful multi-layered barrel fermentation profile with a hint of pleasant oxidation. The body holds together very tightly keeping all the intense flavors focussed and in check. Gteat balance; great mouthfeel. This is a very special sour ale.

375ml capped bottle Batch 3, courtesy of Avalon68. Pours a light golden with a very slight haze to it. No head, but a thin white ring around the edge of my glass. Nose is tart, funky, aspirin, chalky, crushed white grape. I do pick up a bit of the French Oak, but it is very very light. Taste is muscat grape, tart, lemony, wet wooly blanket, dry wood finish with some astringent and boozy characteristics. Thanks Frank for the nice bonus!

sample from the bottle at GABF on 9/26/09... pours a hazy clear yellow... nice Brett / funk aroma.. medium body with an average amount of sourness from front to back... good carbonation... very clean finish... extremely drinkable Sour.

GABF 2009, day 3: Golden hue. Champagne-like carbonation. Refreshing and clean. Nice amount of sourness. Other elements of hay, brett, leather and lemon. Very well made and a pleasure to drink. Definitely one of my favorites at this year’s GABF.