Captain Lawrence Smoke from the Oak (Bourbon Barrel)

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

An awesome treat sent by artusory, thanks a ton dude. Batch 1 bottle, gushed a bit upon opening. Poured a deep, murky brown color with a thick, rocky beige head that left decent lacing. Funky, sour, bretty nose with some light chocolate and some oak. Lightly funky sour entry leads into a nice brett character and undertones of chocolate, light smoke, a bit of roast and bourbon, and nice oak on the finish. Very different and complex, totally the opposite of what I expected. Big thanks to Ryan for sending me this, I appreciate it man.

Bottle at RBSG08 on 08/02/2008. Cloudy dark bron body with a medium frothy light brown head. Spice, chocolate and molassas aroma. Big bourbon and molassas flavor with some caramel. Medium full body with moderate carbonation. 8/4/8/4/17-4.1 Bottle at the 2nd Richmond Industry Gathering. Dark black body with a creamy light brown head. Sweet rum soaked fruit aroma with some light caramel. Sweet slightly sour flavor with light rum soaked fruit. Very sweet. Full body with low carbonation. 9/5/8/4/17-4.3

Bottled, Batch 1. Poured near black with a creamy cap of beige head. The aroma picked up toasted oak, sour dark fruit skins (uh-oh), dark chocolate, and light bourbon.. some nice components, but the sourness really threw me off. The flavor had sour dark fruits, oak, and darker spices throughout the drink.. dark roasted chocolate at the core with a mild smoke influence.. dry, grainy, sour finish left an almost refreshing feel at the end. Dry and too sour on the palate.. medium-bodied.. I was really looking forward to this, but it didn’t seem to hold up.

Dark brown color. This one is more complex then its counterpart in Rhum barrel but a little less balanced. This one shows more fruitiness and has that sour/funky twist that makes it more special. Again, this ain’t smoked porter but very good for what it is! I would now be curious to try the wine barrel one.

Dark, muddy brown; lingering head. Aroma of roasted malts, bourbon, chocolate, cherry. Rich flavors of malts, molassas, funky fruit, bourbon, tropical fruit, burnt toffee.

Objectively speaking: Complex, very funky barrel-ageing experiment on their not very smokey smoked porter.
I like: No other beer can be compared. Bretty barrel, one of the few bourbons I’d be interested in sampling. Focused, yet complex. Limited roastiness. Vinous enough for the gentle tartness to blend in well. Broad fruity array.
I dislike: Not much really. just not the biggest fan of the whole vanilla/corny/voluntarily controlled oxidized flavour profile. While the soft, sparkling, but smooth, relatively light body could translate into great drinkability, I just don’t find any freshness that makes me crave for more. No smokiness. I loved their smoked porter and this, not as much.

Interesting hard to define beer. First Captain Lawrence I have had and I can’t relate to this as a Smoked Porter but as a good complex Flemish Sour Ale. Whatever it is I like it and appreciate every sip looking for new flavors.

black pour with creamy tan head. fig, mild chocolate, coffee, sour cider, smoke, bourbon barrel, must, nutmeg aroma. smooth and creamy. chocolate and coffee grinds. rich. steady bourbon throughout. not overpowering. dark fruits and vanilla. coffee finish. A great brew.