Captain Lawrence Nor’ Easter Winter Warmer (unoaked)

Formerly brewed at Captain Lawrence Brewing Company
Style: American Strong Ale
Pleasantville, New York USA

On cask at the CL event at the Tiger. This was a weird yet very enjoyable take on the Ole Noreaster. It reminded me strongly of the Birch Beer we got as kids at the Old Bethpage Village Restoration. That was what the hebal quality remided me of. Heck they even served it in old timey mugs at the Tiger. It was a one off and I was glad to have been able to try it.

Cask at the tiger. Pours a dark brown body with a quickly diminishing head. Aroma is sweet chocolate malt, some etoh and spices. Some fruit character, the elderberry flowers? I preferred the oak version.

Gravity keg (cask) at Blind Tiger. Dark pour with little head. Flavor is thick with muddy malts and a distinct flavor from the elderberry flowers. Pungent and strong, with big vodka notes. Quite nice. The elder flowers make this very unique, but I can definitely see why Scott chose to oak age this. It adds a ton of complexity and robustness to the beer.

Cask at Blind Tiger. Pours dark brown with no head to speak of. Aroma of dark fruit, some roasted malt and something herbal I can’t put my finger on. Taste is fruity with some chocolate coming out as well. After sipping for a while I got some hints of that peppermint EDA mentioned. Pretty full mouthfeel and finishes slightly floral and bitter.

On cask at BT. Deep dark black in color with no head. Chocolatety peppery hoppy aroma. Flowery notes. Malty and fruity spicy flavor. Sweet tasting. Finish is chocolatety. Medium bodied. Ok beer.

This beer was nice but the guys below are overdoing it a bit, bunch of wankers. Cask @ Blind Tiger. Pours like the headless horseman, with the dark soul. Aroma is definitely dominated by the dry hopping of the elderberry. It comes off as dry leafy petals, not green leaves, not floral, but leafy dry petals, weird, different, and interesting. I am also surprised how much more easy drinking this is than the oaked version. Some light chocolate but still an herbal and not an "in your face brew to the extreme" beer. Is this really 12%, I can hardly believe it, actually I can’t believe how different this is compared the normal (its weird when oaked becomes the regular) version.

Cask at the Blind Tiger. Black pour with some brown film on top. Aroma is flowery fruit, roasted malt. some chocolate, and sweet fruity malt. The flavor seemed to be mostly roasted chocolate malt, with the fruit / earthy sweetness underneath and a slightly bitter roast in the finish. Good beer.

Cask at Blind Tiger. Dark brown/black with a thin tan head. Aroma is intensely aromatic with loads of rich elderberry character that reminds me of Ebulum (Fraoch). Also a bit of light chocolate earthiness and a bit of light plummy maltiness. A soft herbal/root beer quality through the middle. Lightly vineous character with a lingering peppery booziness and a prominent floral flavour on the back. As it warms some molasses rumminess comes to the front. Nicely balanced, tasty brew.