Captain Lawrence Fool’s Gold

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

FInally found my notes for this one. Gravity pour at the Blind Tiger. Pale golden beer with a light sour aroma. A bit of tart lactic aroma over a light apricot and orange peel aroma. Sort of funky with a very strange grainy/wheatiness over the back. A little bit toasty and herbal with a strange astringency over the back. I do like this, but it is not nearly what this brewery is capable of. Neither terribly sour nor terribly hoppy, it just kind of comes across as indistinct... having said that, I see a lot of potential.

EBF Draft, poured by Scott. Pale hazy golden body with a thin white lacing. Tart and citric fruits in the aroma. Pineapple, citrus and a hint of passion fruit. Lighly woody with a dry tart citric finish. I enjoyed this offering.

Gravity Cask at BT VSK 08 night. Pours a ok thin filmy and cobwebby head over a hazy deep golden body. Moslty flat (of course) but with the slickness and strange sourness it felt even more flat than some gravity beers do. Some off funkiness in the aroma- leathery and earthy with some green apple and off grassy hops. Flavor has a lot of lambic pedio sickness almost ropey and oily throughout with some hops trying to cover it up- slick with a slight tartness in the end. I wasn’t felling this one- most likely was not ready yet.

In short: A low intensity fruity almost-sour ale with grassy hops. Surprisingly a bit bland.
How: Tap at Boston Extreme Beer Fest 2009
The look: Cloudy dark yellow body topped by a little white ring of foam
In long: A tiny funkiness and a tiny bit sour, this ain’t an intense face twister sour ale. Far from it. A little white grapes, a little green apples, a light grapefruit hint. Weird hops in the finish that really felt like chewing the juice from freshly cut grass. Overall this is light on intensity and felt a bit empty. Body was a little lifeless. A decent beer but as a Captain Lawrence special beer and I felt let-down like an overweight Texan excited to try McDonald’s newest menu item, the McTofu Salad.

Gravity Cask at Blind Tiger VSK 2008: Hazy headless golden pour. Mild citric aroma with acetic character, pineapple and a wild yeast/leather note. Slick body, with an odd mineral oil aspect to the flavor. It was almost fishy somehow, reminiscent of oysters, quite odd. There’s some pineapple notes with only mild tartness. A touch of grain/pale malt come through towards the finish with a mild lemon note. Not as much wild yeast depth as I anticipated.

Gravity pour at the Blind Tiger. Lots of husky, wheaty, peanut brittle in the aroma, sour in back, kind of 1 dimensional. Flavor is similar, thin but clean body, easy drinking with light flavors. Very sessionable. Minor sour throughout. Not really seeing the hops. Reminds me of the early Jolly Pumpkin, though not as well crafted.

EBF NOTB. Murky Gold in color. Aroma of brett, citrus, some weird funk, and some earthy hops. Taste: doesn’t seem like it was fully ready- lightly tart with some brett, apples, citrus, and some earthy hops which seemed to clash with the brett and citrus character. I’m sure this will get better with age.

Gravity Cask @ Blind Tiger. Pours a hazy gold color with a barely-there head and no noticeable carbonation. Aroma is slightly barnyard-ish, a little brett, and citrus as well. Taste is brett/funk up front with citrus and soapy notes dominating throughout this basically uncarbonated beer. It’s pretty good, and definitely a very interesting attempt.