Captain Lawrence Smoke from the Oak (Bourbon Barrel)

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

750ml Bottle Pours out a dark brown topped with a tan head. A great aroma of smoke, vanilla, and brown sugar. Tast was crazy it was like a sour ale almost. Picked up more of the smoke and sweetness. Pretty ODD brew. Thanks Jordan

Bottle shared by puddintane: Pours a dark brown to black with a medium tan head. Aroma, vanilla, bourbon, caramel, boozy notes. Flavor, boozy, lots of bourbon to it, vanilla, caramel, brown sugar, some earthiness, and a hint of smoke.

Best in show for the Barelywine Showdown ’08 Prelude: The Prequel to Liver Destruction! Courtesy of none other than the only living being with no sense of self preservation, Yaniv! Thanks for sharing a gem! Dark hazy brown with a creamy tan head. Exceptional lacing! Fruiyt vanilla, strawberry, a bit sweet. A bit tannic and acidic. A bit oaky. Some chocolate even shows up as it warms. I think I detect some critters! Small bubbles, a bit viscous. Not thin at all. Big aggressive fruity beer. A bit of acidity. Tanic. Strawberry, again. A bit of vanilla. Lingering barrel. This is one shocking bourbon barrel beer. I enjoyed it thoroughly, and now am more excited to try Capt. Lawrence beers. Good show!

Bottle: Dark brown, tawny ruby, light head and lacing. Nose of cherry, tart fruit and zesty yeast with olives and capers. The flavor is balanced, malty, smooth and a nice fruity yeast and funky citrus note. Strawberry swimming in there somewhere? Beautiful malt balance. If I wasn’t already in the middle of something I would write a ton more about this, but it’s simply an amazing beer. No where near a porter, but who cares when it’s this delicious?

Batch #1 Pours dark mahogany and barely translucent when held to a lightsource. A massive, four-inch head of beige swelled up with a gentle pour. The dense froth slowly deflated, leaving huge sheets and threads of spectacular lacework. Aromatics lead off with a surprisingly vineous and slightly lactic tinge. Oaky bourbon, charred malt, and dry chocolate follow through. The mouthfeel is medium but slightly chewy. Somewhat creamy and drying. The pallet has layers of boozy chocolate nubs, smoked hardwood, roasted malt, and lingering red wine. Hopping and bitterness is subdued, and the bourbon is well integrated with the other components. The hint of lactic tang found in the nose is barely traceable on the tongue. Finishes extremely vineous with dark fruit, oak char, bourbon vapors, and cocoa-dusted grapefruit.

Bottle: Pours a dark brown with a smaller tan head and spotty lacing. Aroma is smoky and retains a detectable amount of bourbon. Hints of vanilla. The flavor is smoky, woody, sour, and tart. Chocolatey presence too. Lively and slightly acidic. This was delicious - thanks Jordan!

Thanks to Tronraner for this beer. A black pour with deep tan head. Arma of smoke and apples. Flavor of oak, smoke, light bourbon, and malt. Very good palate carbonation was excellent but over all just a wee bit thinish. A very complex flavorful offering. thanks joe

On tap and bottle. Huge aroma of bourbon, oak, molasses, vanilla and burnt popcorn. Hot alcohol presence percieved as some spice on the tongue. Smooth going down and lingers a bit on the throat, quite warming. Some tart aspects to the taste make the wood more eveident. Not that easy to drink after a few sips but not that bad overall. A sipping beer.