Captain Lawrence Cuvee de Castleton

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

A merry Xmas present from nbutler11 executed with his trademark combination of secrecy and style. And loving hatred. Nose of tangerine, mild yeast, white grains and maybe a bit of pepper. Warm glowing orange color which continues in the flavor of white grapes (souring) with tangerine juice and bacterial tartness. The description of this beer is really highfalutin and self-congratulatory, by the way. No time for that.

Bottle. Pours a hazy palish yellow with a thin head that completely disappeared. A sourish nose straight up as it should be but a confusing blend or aromatics - I’m getting apples, pear, orange, wheat and brett funkiness. The flavour is the same with a citrusy acidic mouthfeel that follows through to the finish. An interesting beer for sure but one I wouldn’t write home about. (RateBeer Sydney Xmas Gathering 2009 - cheers Oslo!)

batch#3 bottle. pours hazy golden, thin fizzy white head. aroma of champagne yeast, barrel, some white grape and barrel. flavor, nice sour and tartness, fruity, wine like grape with champagne yeast palate. Finish keeps a mild fruit tartness and mild warming abv coupled with oak barrel notes followed by a mix of apple/grape flavors. Overall palate has a nice fizzy/bubbly carbonation, lingering champagne mouthfeel.

375 ml bottle courtesy of many possible people. I opted to go with the Batch 3 over the Batch 2’s I have, largely just because I wanted to save the Batch 2’s a bit longer and I wanted to continue my bottle series of 375s put out by Captain Lawrence (2 on display, 2 more to open!). Pours a champagnesque golden hue, well hazed with a big white carbonation driven head that dies to next to nothing, laces minimally. Very carbonated, the beer gives off some very pleasant aromas: a nice funkiness greets the palate, with barnyard, a touch of vinegar, acidic citrus and chardonnay hit the nose pretty strong, with fuzzy peach and pineapple pushing even further ahead of them, a touch dry, the oak comes through well, wet wood dancing on the nose and drying the beer out, vey much like champagne. The funkiness lingers more, of hay and soft cheese at this point. , the sweeter Muscat grapes come into play, a big blast of pineapple I feel, but still leave the brew dry, tart, oaky, with a decent funk on the nose. Initial is medium bodied, letting a good carbonation and prickly sourness dance on the palate. A good fruit body throws white grapes, some pear, and citrusy fruits on pretty strong, light peach, wet wood as well, and a dry champagne yeast feel. The fruit and sourness blend well, with any funk playing second fiddle on the backend. Still, a touch of barnyard brett does come into play, a lively carbonation, and tartness really push it further into the fold though. Some cereal grains, a faint vanilla, and the oak come back. This is really a great beer, especially for a champagne drinker like myself. Dry and fruity, yet well carbonated and sour, although not overbearing like many sours or lambics. The funk, while restrained, still makes its presence felt. This beer has great aging potential and leaves me very excited to open a Batch 2 and see how things progressed over more time. Cheers!

Cloudy, pale yellow color with no head. Interesting in the fact that the flavors really shine, oak, muscat, brett, etc, but it just doesn’t come together as a whole. It is like no other beer I’ve had, but I don’t really know what they were aiming for. It feels like a chef who is forced to use a bunch of random, but quality ingredients to make a dish. Nice experiment, but wouldn’t care to try again.

20091218 Batch 2 bomber. Probably about the tenth time I’ve had this beer and no idea how I’ve not rated it by now. Lovely beer and the one that probably, more than the rest, put CL on the map in terms of beer geek lust. This bottle has been sitting for a couple years and in that time has cleared considerably from how I remember it fresh, now a bright though pale golden color with only slight haze. Aroma is a burst of grape and floral yeast, very tropical and citrus with lemon, lime, pineapple, mango, and also slight cheesy funk. Very sour, more than I recall from this batch, with some pronounced, tart vinous character beneath it all. Not much hop bitterness. Some lingering cheesy funk. Nice beer. Availability and cost have both gone in the wrong directions for me and as a result I have not been able to purchase the most recent batch.

bottle. batch 2. Thanks rodgers. poured a pale, sparkling color with a big white head that settled quickly. Aroma is funk, sour, fruit, lemon. taste is an explosion of sour grape flavor. Very refreshing and wonderful. Very sour with a funky after taste. This one is very nice. after taste lingers on the palate long after the beer is done. Fantastic.

Hazy but vibrant straw-colored pour. The fine, effervescent head disappears almost immediately. Nose is full of barnyard funk, citrus zest, and an underlying grape-like sweetness. Flavor reveals the muscats beautifully, and is surrounded by preserved lemon-rind, fireweed honey, and brett notes. Not overly sour, but there is a nice tartness to counterbalance the sweet elements. I dare say I can detect, and am thoroughly enjoying, a buttery chardonnay oakiness. Not much carbonation, but certainly enough to lift and accentuate the flavors. Very nice. Very nice indeed.