Captain Lawrence Nor’ Easter Winter Warmer

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

Bottle, 07. Pours black with a thick tan head that settles thin. Aroma is bourbon, caramel, roast, raisins. Flavor is bourbon, chocolate, raisins, prune, vanilla, light fruit, vineous. Palate is full bodied, medium carbonation, finished lightly sweet and warming. Very complex brew, I likey!

Draught, vintage 2007. Pours opaque black, thin tan head. Nose is honestly all bourbon - heavy on oak, vanilla, alcohol. Taste is similar - the beer itself seems completely lost in the bourbon. Along with the bourbon, oak, and vanilla, you get a hint of roasty malt and the barest hint of cocoa and a dose of sharp alcohol, but nothing that pulls the beer out of the bourbon barrel. Not much in the way of subtlety here. 7/4/6/3/15 Rerate, ’08 vintage - numbers reflect this version. Still tons of bourbon, but complemented by a sweeter malt character, with more of a cocoa and brown sugar presence underneath. Increase in score probably comes as much from freshness as anything, but the bourbon character and the beer itself both seem to be brighter and more clear in this version. 7/4/8/3/16

I don’t like the bourbon, but I recognize the quality of this beer. Bourbon aroma and flavor. Sweet malt, some vanilla and oak. It does have a good, smooth palate.

Bottle into tulip, our GABF 2007 hotel room tasting. Thanks to whoever brought it (maybe Captain Cougar, who brought a lot). Wasn’t a huge fan of this. Smell is loaded with alcohol and fusel burn; stings the nostrils. Texture is medium-full and smooth, but the flavor is dominated by bourbon. Bourbon all over. Underneath, there’s brown sugar syrup, somewhat tasty and somewhat too sweet. That being said, there’s a luxuriousness about it that’s nice. Oh well.

Bottle (batch 2): pours murky black with a thin tan lacing of head around the edge of the glass, dark fruit, chocolate, caramel, alcohol aroma, taste is heavy on the dark fruit, some dark chocolate, spices, the bourbon is present as well, medium bodied, leaves a warm feeling in the throat, lots going on in this one. Captain Lawrence has another winner.

Bottle from JJPM74. Shared with grimreeser. Batch 2. Aroma is boozy, with accents of oak and dark fruits. Flavor of dark roasted malt, berries, molasses, bourbon, and cocoa powder- countered by a peppery bitterness. Some vinous characteristics and spice accents. Finish is very warming with a hint of alcohol and dry red wine. Very complex

Pours dark brown with a tan head, some lacing. Very nice aroma, dark fruit, berries, a bit of chocolate. Alcohol comes out as it warms. Nice flavor. Thanks Sean!

(Bottle thanks to Maxxdaddy and his mommy) Pours dark brown to black with a creamy, medium, light brown head. The aroma is vinous and fat yet soft and complex with tones of oak, malt, dark fruits and a light spicy yeastiness. Notes of creamy chocolate, salt and sweet liquorice, brown sugar, molasses, dark cherries, sweet dark grapes, blue berries, wild strawberries, prunes, figs, rum raisins, vanilla, bourbon, butter, cardamom, mild nutmeg, mild white pepper and of course a touch of elderberries. Bit fiery on the nose from both the alcohol and the bourbon barrel. The flavour is perfectly medium sweet, light bitter and with a light acidic finish that mixes well with the lingering buttery note from the oak. Tones of chocolaty/dark bready malt, elderberries, vanilla-ish bourbon oak, brown sugar/molasses, touch of hops and subtle spiciness of white pepper and nutmeg. Very vinous as well with tones of blue grapes, cherries, prunes, figs and blue and black berry jam. A touch of mango. The mouthfeel is full, velvety, soft, smooth and light oily with a fine medium carbonation. The aftertaste is of tart-ish elderberries, a peppery spiciness, faint hops and molasses. Medium to full bodied. This is a near perfect beer that is some sort of crossover between strong porter and Belgian strong ale.