Captain Lawrence Cuvee de Castleton

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

2009-08-01. First official beer of the fest, I lined up with a bunch of other eager souls waiting for them to start pouring. Ironically, a bottle sat half full for much of the night at the post-fest tasting while people attacked the plethora of rarities. Regardless, I’m glad I got to it first thing. Murky pastel pineapple juice like body, tiny beige head. (3+) Strong aroma is funky, sour melange of pineapple and tropical fruit. (8+) Flavour is assertively sour, more sour tropical fruit character and a light funk, both of which are more restrained than I would have expected from the aroma. (7+) Average palate is lively and suits it well. Refreshing, very interesting. Bottle at BCTC 2009

375ml Bottle - huge thanks to Dickinsonbeer. Cloudy gold, white head. Nose is lots of pineapple, tangerine, some spice - not quite cardamom but something like that, along with some candied citrus fruits. Flavor is tangerine, pineapple and lemon restrained by a very nice pils malt/light candy character. Candied orange peel & pineapple acidity in the finish.

Batch 002, bottle. Pours a very light, peach color that is absolutely beautiful and I’ve never seen in a beer. Aroma is very tropical and quite unique. Not too sour or funky, but the acidity is very nice. Flavor is strong and reminds me a bit of the temptation I just finished, with a lot of the muscat grapes coming through. Finish is very dry.

Hazy pale yellow, light fizzy head. Funky sour aroma. Very tart juicy nectarine sour flavor. Not overly aggresive. Slightly bitter finish. Very delicious.

Corby112 shared at CCB. Thanks Craig!! Damn fine beer!! Cloudy yellowish pour, white head. Tartness abounds in this one. Green apples, green grapes, light vinegar, barnyard aromas and some light oaky notes. Flavor is sour, but not to the point of pure vinegar. Good fruit notes, especially some stone fruit and some lemony notes. Good funky flavors...shit this is really good. Thanks Craig!!!

(Batch #2) Almost no head and no carbonation. I expected this brew to be a foam monster. Little bit worried now. I guess that a sour beer really can’t go that bad. Strong aroma with lots of green tart apples, sourness, wet leather and I guess what some would call horse blanket (or sweaty farmyard animal). Color is a clear bright yellow. Light sourness that is not overpowering. Just enough to make the mouth salivate constantly. More green apples, lemon, tartness and white grapes. Very reminiscent of a dry white wine. Noticable alcohol presence that seems like more than the advertised 6%. Finishes dry and tart and succulent. A very good sour that is not over the top. Better that I had initially expected.

Time to catch up before BCTC. Bottle at PilsnerPeter’s Spring Throwdown. Thank to everyone who brought great beer and ribs and pickles and everything! Pale yellow flat. Hay barnyard horseballs aroma. Barnyard citrus horseballs hay flavor. Very nice, just wish it had a little carbo to blend everything. Must try again........ re-rate at BCTC. Very tart funky dry with nice efferevescent carbo. Carbo is the key to blending the flavors. AWESOME.

Bottle courtesy of Dickinsonbeer. Shared with Rudolf, Jacob & IPFreely. Batch #3. Pours a cloudy hazed wit looking pale yellow. Big tropical fruit aroma. Peach, pineaplle & tangerine. Distinct funky sourness also noted. Taste is tart, mild funkiness & extremely fruity. Doesnt go overboard with the sourness but just enough. Great beer